Andrews Road Extension
2022 Engineering Excellence State Finalist
Entering Firm: Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.
Client: City of Black River Falls
The extension of Andrews Road was an important goal for the City of Black River Falls to provide a vital connection to US-12, increasing access for businesses and tourism. The project was continually delayed by funding and environmental concerns and its completion began to look like a pipe dream.
Short Elliott Hendrickson (SEH) designed a solution that moved the project back to reality. The team worked with the client to develop a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District. This is a common funding mechanism that helped the client pay for the project. SEH also created a flexible construction schedule that would complete the project over a full year. This flexibility reduced costs and still met the client’s goals.
The next challenge was minimizing environmental impacts. The extended Andrews Road crossed wetlands and the locally important Coffee Creek. The design team reviewed a wide range of options to preserve the environment. In addition to standard stormwater and runoff mitigation techniques, the team hit upon a unique alignment for the roadway. This alignment avoided most wetlands and created the shortest span possible over Coffee Creek.
This project was one of the biggest in the Black River Falls’ history. SEH worked with the city throughout the process to overcome all barriers and turn a dream into reality.
