WCHA Membership:

Eau Claire County Highway Commissioner Jon Johnson has shared the attached survey for you related to opportunities within the National Association of County Engineers (NACE).  The survey links are contained within the letter from current NACE President Chris Champion.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Patrick B. Vander Sanden
WCHA Executive Director

Check out the Scholarship page under the Resources header to find the 2023 WCHA Scholarship Applications.  

Application Deadlines: September 1, 2023

Completed Applications to be sent to Gary Kennedy

National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) for highway bridges has been updated by FHWA with the final rule being effective on June 6, 2022. Some of the new rules are effective immediately; a few take effect June 6, 2024; while the new data collection and submittal is being implemented over the next 6 years.  The new rules and additional information can be found on FHWA’s website.

The Recording and Coding Guide has been replaced with the Specifications for the National Bridge Inventory (SNBI). The guide outlines the new bridge inventory information to collect. WisDOT is working on an implementation plan for gathering new data and converting existing data to meet the new requirements.  

WisDOT Bureau of Structures (BOS) will be presenting an overview of the new regulations and inventory in a Microsoft Teams virtual meeting on Wednesday, February 1^st at 1 pm (CST).  A link to the meeting is below. 

The meeting will include opportunity for questions and answers.  A  recording of the meeting/presentation will be posted on WisDOT’s website under Bureau of Structures - Maintenance & Inspection - Training & Tools.

Please pass this information along to others that may be involved in the Wisconsin Bridge Inspection Program.

The conference begins on Tuesday, March 28 at 1:00 pm and will formally end on Wednesday, March 29. 

Registration is online only. No mail-in registrations, checks, or cash will be accepted.

All attendees, are required to be registered to participate in any function of the conference. There is a registration fee of $99.00 for each attendee. 

Commissioners who are not able to attend are encouraged to send a representative. 

A breakfast buffet will be provided on Wednesday for all registered attendees. 

HOTEL INFORMATION:

Hotel Retlaw

1 North Main Street

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin 54935

A hotel room black has been made at the host hotel. Please make your own room reservation by referencing the Wisconsin County Highway Association. The block will be reserved until February 25. Single room rates are $96.00 and are the responsibility of each County. 

To make a reservation call 1-833-473-8529.

Please note: should you or your attendees be tax exempt, be sure to bring evidence of tax-exemption to the hotel, otherwise the hotel will charge you tax. 

Robbie Krejci P.E., St. Croix County Highway Commissioner and Chairman of the WCHA Legislative Committee, urges people to drive carefully in highway work zones as the Construction season comes to a close throughout Wisconsin. Krejci also reminds drivers that as the weather turns to winter, County priorities shifts to winter Maintenance activities.

“..these lighting options will help drivers to distinguish between our operators attempting to clear the lanes of travel for the public and the private section plowing parking lots and driveways, creating a safer environment for all.”

-Roland Hawk P.E. Wood County Highway Commissioner, President of the WCHA

In the last legislative session, the legislature passed new lighting options for municipal vehicles, allowing
the use of Fluorescent Green warning lights on Municipal vehicles. Krejci said “These new lighting options have proven to increase driver awareness significantly, creating a safer winter driving experience for the public, along with the safety of our operators clearing snow on roadways across the State”.

However, after seeing these lights popping up on private vehicles, there is a reminder that this new Legislation is limited to municipal vehicles, and the public will begin to see these lights on many snowplows this winter season. State law does not allow the green lights on Private vehicles used for snowplowing or various other private maintenance activities. 

Roland Hawk P.E. Wood County Highway Commissioner and President of the WCHA said “We want to thank the legislature and our Governor for their efforts in passing this important piece of transportation safety legislation, which was created and supported by the WCHA” Hawk added “these lighting options will help drivers to distinguish between our operators attempting to clear the lanes of travel for the public and the private section plowing parking lots and driveways, creating a safer environment for all”

The WCHA urges drivers to watch for the new Green Warning Lights in combination with the traditional yellow warning lights helping drivers to be more aware of municipal vehicles working on the roadways, as the winter season in Wisconsin approaches, and as always please slow down and drive with care.

View news article here. 

University of Wisconsin Pesticide Applicator Training and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Certification Testing

This training provides educational material and certification for employees to become certified in pesticide applications. The training will consist of a 3-hour review by UW-Extension and a certification test administered by the WI Department of Agriculture. The certification will be honored for 5 years and ONLY 1 session is required. 

8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

April 20, 2023

Waukesha County Department of Public Works

  1641 Woodburn Rd, Waukesha, WI 53188

8:00 AM to 3:00 PM

April 27, 2023

Waupaca County Highway Department

2670 County Road A, Waupaca, WI 54981

The registration Fee is $181.00 for each attendee

Registration deadline is March 24, 2023

Sponsored by: WCHA, UW Madison, and

 WI Department of Agriculture

Learn More Here

REGISTER HERE

Registration for the 2023 NACE Annual Conference is now open! The 2023 conference will be hosted at the Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach Alabama (April 16-19).

The Perdido has a limited number of rooms available and is expected to FULLY SELL OUT with NACE attendees, so getting registered early is important. When you register for the NACE conference you’ll receive a code that allows you to reserve a room at the Perdido. You should register for your room as soon as possible once you have this code to ensure you get a room at the conference hotel. You cannot reserve a room without a code.

If you need a larger space, there are two condo complexes very close to the Perdido. The Phoenix East 2 and the Phoenix East are next to the Perdido. These may be good options if you feel like you’ll be a bit cramped in a typical hotel room. NACE has NOT made arrangements with these condo complexes – registration would be on your own. Here is a google maps link that shows the Perdido and nearby condos: https://goo.gl/maps/QLJxVAwou6kRcXiU9

 

 On October 27th the Transportation Development Association NC Region held a Round Table Meeting. Here are some photos showing Roland Hawk discussing issues with Federal Structures that need to be replaced but do not have sufficiency ratings low enough to qualify for Federal Funding and Kevin Lang, Marathon County Deputy Commissioner/Engineer discussing concerns with bridge structures under 20 feet that are not eligible for Federal Bridge Aid.

   

Dan Fedderly and Pierce County Highway Commissioner, Chad Johnson participated at the Transportation Development Association October Regional Transportation Roundtables. They can be seen in this picture discussing important challenges facing Wisconsin.  

 

WisDOT will be supporting the National Move Over Day on Saturday, October 15, 2022.  This day is an opportunity for us to flood social media with photos and stories that point to the importance of the MOSD law to protect those who protect our highways.

Participation is pretty simple – all through social media channels.

• Arrange for a photo with personnel. Consider having the station, a vehicle or other identifying backdrop included.
• Utilize an erasable white board to include a comment such as “so we can make it home” or “Protect us so we can protect you” or something more personalized like “mother of three – they need me too” or “when not in uniform I’m volunteering with kids at my local church.”  The goal is to help humanize the situation.
• Post with the hashtag #moveoverwi on Saturday, October 15.

Please send a copy of your social media photo/post to timeprogram@dot.wi.gov. See a few examples from last year.