Do Northern Construction Workers Hibernate All Winter?

Residents of northern states understand the simple reality that there are actually only two seasons: winter and road construction. In road construction season, workers in white and yellow hats (read here about what the colors mean) and safety vests are everywhere, getting highways and streets back into shape. But where do these construction engineers go, and what do they do when winter hits? We see them around the office in the cold months, so we can assure you they do not hibernate.

So, do they: (A) Catch up on training? (B) Assist with other projects? (C) Complete paperwork? (D) Head south to warmer weather? (E) All of the above?

If you guessed (E), you’d be right. The majority of training is completed during the winter months: staff attend industry-specific training and conferences, and here at Ayres we hold our own internal training, where construction staff from our transportation, municipal, water resources, environmental, and survey groups come together to discuss future projects; share lessons learned from past projects; stay up to speed on liability, ethics, and safety issues; and zero in on unique project tasks.

And when the construction staff are not catching up on the latest training and upcoming industry changes, they can be found assisting with field survey, structural inspection, and design projects.
Kim Ballweg, another Ayres construction supervisor, notes that there are often follow-up tasks for summer work that keep everyone occupied. “Once the contractors finish in the field, we have about one to two months of paperwork for the construction project and submit it to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation,” she says. “If our projects keep us in the field through November, with the final paperwork, training, negotiating new contracts … that sometimes puts staff close to heading back to the field for spring construction!”

The last (and favorite) way construction staff stay busy during the winter is: vacation. They’ve soaked up the sun in places like the Dominican Republic, Florida, and Chile, and taken advantage of all the snow for skiing and snowboarding in Park City, Utah, and upper Michigan.

Construction season is in full swing again, and you’ll see Ayres construction staff on upcoming Wisconsin projects like STH 29 in Brown County from the West County Line to CTH J; US 151 and Ducharme Parkway intersection in Fond du Lac County; and South East Avenue in Waukesha.