Case Study: WSB achieves $12M+ cost savings and accelerated TH 169 freeway conversion with Bentley digital workflows

WSB Increases Access to Greater Minnesota with TH 169 Roadway Expansion Design

WSB was engaged by MnDOT to deliver final designs for the TH 169 Redefine Elk River freeway conversion under a strict USD 130 million guaranteed maximum price, needing iterative, flexible designs, real‑time quantities, advanced 3D earthworks modeling, and a paperless delivery under the CMGC process. To meet these challenges, WSB turned to Bentley and its digital twin and roads-and-highways solutions, including OpenRoads Designer, ProjectWise, and SYNCHRO, to advance 3D modeling, clash detection, and collaborative workflows.

Using Bentley’s web‑based integrated platform, WSB produced coordinated 3D and 4D models, ran clash detection and version-compare analyses, and supplied CMGC real‑time quantities, enabling MnDOT coordination and a paperless handoff. Bentley’s tools helped WSB save over USD 12 million to date (projected USD 15–18 million), realize USD 4.8 million in earthwork-related savings, relocate 58.7 miles of utilities ahead of schedule (saving ~USD 500,000), shorten schedules by up to three months, and deliver a digital twin for ongoing asset management.

WSB

Jon Chiglo

Chief Operating Officer