The Daily Reporter | A History of Construction

The dawn of a new century

The industry survives and thrives from disco to Y2K

By Dick Snow

Building the Interstate Highway System, including Wisconsin’s portions, has, among other things, rearranged the map.

Through the creation of high speed corridors, the system has certainly spawned the growth of automobile and truck manufacturing and, with it, a certain independence from railroad routes.

It bypassed major metropolitan areas, enabling a move away from central cities that not only created construction opportunities in the suburbs but kick-started minimetropolitan areas at virtually every off ramp.

The system, also, has made warmer climates more accessible to large numbers of northern citizens and vice versa. The burgeoning populations of the warm climate states attracted manufacturing and service facilities.

As a matter of fact, the appellation of “Rust Belt” came to nickname the Great Lakes states, including Wisconsin, as more and more heavy industry left the region - and its expensive labor and weather climates - for areas that were equally accessible to highway transport and closer to their marketplaces.

It is credible to claim Milwaukee lost its title as “Construction Capitol of the World” because its construction machinery manufacturers moved out in quick step.

Of course, the Interstate Highway System also delivered billions and billions of dollars of highway, bridge and other infrastructure work, spilling out all over like globules of mercury.

The early construction of Interstate 94 through Milwaukee was interesting in that many of the bridges and overpasses were built before the roadway, primarily because it was more efficient.

I-43, I-90 and I-94 certainly made it easier for Illinois residents to reach Door County, northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula, but that is of questionable benefit. Nearly 100 percent of access roads to cottage retreats have been paved, and the getaway areas have themselves grown economically.

When one wonders why Milwaukee’s Marquette Interchange needs replacement, they should remember it’s more than 30 years old.

On the upswing

The interstate system, the economy, whatever the reason, construction activity faced violent swings during the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. In Wisconsin, it began finding its way off the bottom of the bathtub curve in 1986, coinciding with the election of Gov. Tommy G. Thompson. Since that time, volume has been steadily upward.

Dollar volume for all types of construction in 1986 was $2.8 billion. It has climbed steadily and is allegedly at the annual rate of $11 billion this year.

The industry has really come of age. Here’s where it’s at:

It was in the very late ‘60s that Wisconsin’s construction industry discovered computers or vice versa. It was a marriage made in heaven. Computers have made for more precise construction numbers used in cost analysis, estimating, accounting, reporting and the like, plus they’ve played a role in design work.

There is greater sophistication in marketing and job tracking.

Company leadership has had more and more education, and opportunities for education have, in turn, been made available for staff.

There is greater interest in industry welfare and in fighting deleterious legislation and regulations - indicating, as a whole, that the industry is more politically aware and involved.

Because of enlightenment, contractors are more comfortable dealing with safety standards, affirmative action and environmental restraints. Many national, state and local trade associations have worked to provide a great deal of this enlightenment.

We’ve come a long way in every aspect of our industry - from surveying, site planning, footings and foundation work to columns, beams, walls, utilities and finish work. But every time we evolve, it’s with an eye to the past - to what got us here today.

The founders did much of the original heavy lifting, and the framework was carried out by their successors. Their successors, in turn, have been working to finish.

The only question remaining is, "Will the punch list ever be satisfied?"

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