TODAY'S TMJ4

M-Change: Designer Linked to Missouri Ramp Collapse

MILWAUKEE - The company that's accepted responsibility for a design flaw with a Marquette Interchange support column is linked to another significant ramp problem in Kansas City.

With great fanfare, Governor Jim Doyle and Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi cut the ribbon to officially open the Wisconsin's biggest interchange project back in 2008.

"We have done it early and we have done it under budget," Doyle said at a celebration press conference in August '08.

Only two years later, a problem is so severe in the Marquette that the ramp is closed linking Wisconsin Avenue to the southbound interstate. Engineers found cracks in a support column.

"The department's concern was to get the public off the ramp, and that's what we've done," Busalacchi told reporters Thursday.

Project designer HNTB accepted responsibility and will foot the repair bill. The company is also linked to a ramp collapse in the I-470 interchange in Kansas City this summer. The Missouri Department of Transportation blamed the problem on shifting soil.

HNTB designed the Kansas City ramp and organized the fix, just like they're planning to do in Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee County Sheriff is raising questions.

"If quality, getting it right, took a back seat to speed and a rush to get the project completed early, that's something that needs to be asked," Sheriff David Clarke said.

HNTB executive Brian Swenson insists the Marquette ramp is not in danger of collapse. It's just not safe for cars.

"It's a safe structure without traffic on it," Swenson said.

An HNTB spokesperson would not answer questions about similarities or differences between the projects in Milwaukee and Kansas City.

"HNTB is fully engaged with Wisconsin Department of Transportation to implement an appropriate solution to the bridge pier issue as quickly as possible," the company said in a statement. "The firm has a long-standing history of quality and service to the Department and we are committed to providing an appropriate solution."

HNTB has not said how long it will take repair the Marquette. The I-470 fix took about 40 days.

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