BROOKFIELD, WI — The County S expansion project and the County EM highway resurfacing project, both located in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, were recently honored with 2024 Project of the Year Awards from the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA). The recognition highlights the achievements and contributions of these projects to the community.

The Project of the Year Awards recognize the alliance between the managing agency, the consultant/architect/engineer, and the contractor who, working together, effectively complete public works projects.

raSmith collaborated with Kenosha County on County S to provide transportation design services for the largest road improvement project in the county’s history. County S was an existing two-lane, rural highway that was expanded to a suburban four-lane, divided highway, including a shared-use path, new traffic signals, an at-grade railroad crossing, a bridge over the Canadian Pacific Railroad, a box culvert extension, an 18-acre stormwater pond, and 27 property relocations.

This four-mile roadway reconstruction and expansion project involved extensive coordination with multiple agencies, including the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aeronautics, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, local surrounding governments including the City of Kenosha and Village/Town of Somers, and numerous adjacent concurrent development projects. The project team overcame many challenges including historical flooding issues, exhaustive utility and railroad coordination, Kenosha Regional Airport/FAA runway protection zone requirements, and the establishment of public trust and consent necessary for a local program project of this magnitude.

raSmith provided civil engineering services for the County EM project to support the resurfacing of the 2.5-mile-long, two-lane rural road. Nestled alongside Lake Elizabeth and Lake Mary, County EM (Lake Shore Drive) serves as a vital highway for the community. The County EM highway resurfacing project, undertaken in collaboration between raSmith and Kenosha County, aimed to enhance both road quality and pedestrian safety.

Initially conceived as an off-road trail to improve pedestrian access, the project team revised the concept for the highway to a widened paved shoulder design, balancing the constraints of a narrow right-of-way, presence of existing utilities, and steep roadway embankments. This innovative solution not only prioritized pedestrian safety, but also incorporated vital underground storm sewer and stormwater management. This included approximately 1 mile of storm sewer and seven underground concrete structures located throughout the project for stormwater quality control.