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Restoring wetlands and protecting mussel habitat during a historic bridge replacement project

At a Glance

  • 21

    Mussel Species

  • 9.5

    Acres of Habitat

  • 3

    Bridges Replaced

Location
Lone Rock, Wisconsin
Offices
Client
  • Wisconsin DOT
Partners
  • Kraemer NA, Michael Baker, WDNR
Award
ACEC Wisconsin, Engineering Excellence Best in State Award, 2025

Highway 130 Wisconsin River Bridges - Environmental Services

The Wisconsin Highway 130 crossing of the Wisconsin River has long linked communities in Iowa, Sauk, and Richland Counties in Wisconsin. When three historic steel truss bridges built in the 1930s and 1940s could no longer meet the region’s transportation needs, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) launched a plan to deliver a safer, more reliable route while protecting the river’s sensitive ecology.

WisDOT retained our team to develop and oversee a plan to protect the environment during bridge removal and replacement. For 13 years, we provided environmental services from planning through ecosystem restoration.

Our team conducted wetland delineations, rare species surveys, and a freshwater mussel relocation of nearly 1,800 mussels representing 21 species—including state- and federally-listed threatened and endangered species—to protected habitats. We also designed underwater structures to support mussel populations and developed a floodplain restoration plan, which we implemented to return the former roadway to thriving wetland.

Completed ahead of schedule, the new bridges combine modern engineering with environmental stewardship and nature-based solutions. They reconnect communities, improve safety, and protect the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway’s rich biodiversity.

At a Glance

  • 21

    Mussel Species

  • 9.5

    Acres of Habitat

  • 3

    Bridges Replaced

Location
Lone Rock, Wisconsin
Offices
Client
  • Wisconsin DOT
Partners
  • Kraemer NA, Michael Baker, WDNR
Award
ACEC Wisconsin, Engineering Excellence Best in State Award, 2025

Meet Our Team

Josh Sulman, Environmental Scientist

You’ve got to take climate change seriously… because it’s already here and it’s at your front door.

Cody Fleece, Principal, Aquatic Ecologist

I love finding novel solutions to difficult problems.

Elizabeth Johnson, Environmental Scientist

Addressing deficiencies in dams and river infrastructure requires creative, multidisciplinary solutions for long-term resource management.

Derek Mueller, Restoration Ecologist

I like that I work in the outdoors and have a hand in preserving the natural areas I grew up in.

Josh Sulman

Environmental Scientist

Cody Fleece

Principal, Aquatic Ecologist

Elizabeth Johnson

Environmental Scientist

Derek Mueller

Restoration Ecologist

We’re better together

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  • Design your career

    Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.

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