“ The huge issue to me was the avoidance of utility conflicts,” he said, " because they can really mess up a project. This project was completed with little to no utility conflicts. Considering the number of utilities that had to be moved, that was significant.”
STREETSCAPING ADDS PIZAZZ
Erik Schmitt, GRAEF’ s project manager for the streetscaping work, said he enjoyed having a clear footprint while working with Muskego officials to portray its new identity through landscaping and other amenities.
As one of the first major roadway reconstruction projects within the City, the project presented a unique opportunity to reinvent Muskego as a contemporary lake community with a rejuvenated identity that embraces the character of the local lakes and is more reflective of the increased population density.
The streetscaping work was categorized into three distinct types: the intensely streetscaped“ Commercial District;” mid-level enhancements of the“ Market District,” home to secondary retail and office developments; and the“ Parkway District,” which focuses primarily on street trees and softscaping in residential areas.
“ From the nature of what the roadway was and what it became, it was a total transformation,” Schmitt said.“ It’ s like two different worlds. … It sort of sets the standards for development and improvements as they move forward. This was the first big initial project, and where it goes from here, the road map is laid out for them.”
Evans said even with multiple stakeholders, utility relocations, complexity of construction staging, and other project challenges, the engineering design plans – from preliminary concepts to the accuracy of construction documents – were nearly flawless, which led to a successful finished project.
“ Plan quality is almost always a reflection of change orders, and the change orders were very low, which means Ayres Associates did a great job,” Evans said.“ All around, the quality we got from Ayres was very good. From a capacity standpoint, the road is way better than it used to be, and that was our main reason to do the project. And the businesses and City of Muskego love it.”
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