The Wisconsin Chapter of the American Public Works Association recently announced the selection of MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) and the City of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, as winners of a Public Works Project of the Year Award in the Small Cities/Rural Communities category for the Superior Street and La Crosse Street Reconstruction project.

The APWA Public Works Project of the Year Award for Small Cities/Rural Communities recognizes projects within populations of 75,000 or less. The award was established “to promote excellence in demonstrating creativity, ingenuity, and efficiency in the delivery of public works projects that have a profound impact on the community.”

The reconstruction of Superior Street and La Crosse Street in the City of Wisconsin Dells replaces a critical intersection in the heart of a busy tourism district and addresses deteriorating infrastructure and safety concerns. The project adds a new five-legged mini roundabout at the Superior and La Crosse intersection, upgrades the corridor’s sanitary sewer system, reroutes and replaces sanitary and water mains and upsizes stormwater infrastructure to alleviate localized flooding in the lower reaches of the urban drainage basin.

Award recipients were chosen based on submittals detailing project needs and challenges, use of alternative methods or materials, unique and unusual accomplishments under adverse conditions, community economic challenges pertaining to project selection, creative use of municipal resources, construction processes, demonstration of environmental preservation, and exceptional quality control.

A qualified panel of judges appointed by the chapter Awards Committee cast the deciding votes on the selection of the 2021 award winners, which were publicly announced by Tim Barbeau, APWA-Wisconsin Chapter Awards Chair, during the chapter’s annual conference.