From a one-person office in 1995 to a thriving team of 200+ in 2025, every client, project, and employee-owner has played a pivotal role in shaping Alliant’s success.
To celebrate this journey, we’re taking a closer look at some of our milestone projects that brought us here. Join us for our blog series, “The First Thirty Years: Clients, Projects, Employee-Owners,” where we will highlight our biggest accomplishments and the people behind them.
TH 212 Design-Build
A conversation with Brett Burfeind (Vice President), John Dillingham (Founder and CEO), Tom Jensen (Principal), and Eric Nelson (Principal).
The Opportunity
TH 212 Design-Build was a major infrastructure improvement project that consisted of an 11-mile new highway alignment from Eden Prairie to Chaska in Minnesota. Design began in 2005, followed by construction in 2006-2008. Alliant was operating out of the Old Spaghetti Factory but joined MnDOT—the project owner—and our teaming partners Ames, Kraemer, and Fluor at a co-located office in Chaska, Minnesota.
The Story
John: TH 212 was Minnesota’s largest Design-Build project at the time, valued at $239 million. We were a sub-consultant along with SRF to HDR, with Ames as the lead contractor. In our co-located project office, Alliant had six people focused on roadway design and five on traffic and MOT. It was a major milestone for Alliant considering our size.
Tom: I think one of the things that won us the job was the massive earthwork required. During the pursuit, we considered many different ideas, but ultimately our success strategy was not moving more dirt than we had to. We proposed several innovative ideas that MnDOT accepted, resulting in us receiving both the highest technical score and the lowest price in the selection criteria. That’s the perfect recipe to win a job.
John: We balanced the dirt and used the cut to build large berms. And because of that, we didn’t need retaining walls, and we certainly didn’t need noise walls—because we used the excess material to build those. That saved a bunch of money for the contractor, which was pretty awesome.
Eric: I was the drainage segment lead, working for SRF Consulting at the time. I think back on it as one of the fondest memories of my career in terms of projects. And the three guys here at the table with me were in category A for sure. We became friends and really bonded during that time.
Brett: The relationships formed on this project were game-changing. Because of our work on 212 and the partnerships we built, we were selected to work in Utah for the first time. It’s 100% why we worked on the I-15 Core project.
Tom: Something special about this project for me was that I was still an EIT when 212 started. I even studied for and took my PE exam in the middle of delivering the project. Despite the aggressive schedule, I passed, and the first plans I ever signed with my PE license were for a small cul-de-sac called Foreigner Lane. Minnesota has now completed around 30 Design-Build projects, and we’ve worked on half of them—an incredible percentage considering Alliant’s size. TH 212 helped establish our reputation as experts, which still carries us forward today, allowing us to expand into new regions.
Eric: I think for me, it was calculated courage. It was a huge opportunity and took some bravery to go and grab it. I learned a lot on this project, and others did too. I see some head nodding at the table, so I’m assuming you all agree.
Brett: Yeah, we were all really young. Tom and I both had a segment of the project and were designing interchanges for the first time.
Tom: Yeah, we were 25-ish.
Brett: I mean, we were super young pups designing this stuff. Everybody was very young, and we had a couple of wise old guys like John around to guide us.
John: But that’s one of the best parts of co-located Design-Build projects—the collaborative environment. If an issue came up, we could immediately work through it with MnDOT and our contractor partners, making quick design adjustments in the field. We learned valuable lessons by experiencing the project in real-time. And we all learned from that, even though we were relatively young.
Tom: These projects are challenging, but a lot of fun, too. All these great stories we’ve gathered along the way make the hard days a little lighter—and remind us why we love this work.
John: That’s right. That corridor is completely different now. It really built better communities. After the road was completed, the area continued to develop. Alliant worked on Spring Creek Development and other commercial projects along the corridor, and it continues to thrive today. But it also built this community right here. Alliant got stronger because of 212. And because of the project and those relationships, Eric joined Alliant.
Eric: I did. I think in this industry, you have to be excited by seeing the things you design come to reality. I drive through TH 212 regularly, and every time, I feel proud of what we accomplished.
Tom: And to your point, it’s so different now—new houses and businesses along the corridor. It’s changed a lot. And roads facilitate that.
Brett: And for Alliant, it hit the fast-forward button. It gave us young engineers real experience and credibility. And it proved to our clients and partners that Alliant is here to stay.
We’ve come a long way, and the stories keep getting better. Up next is Spring Creek, a housing development that introduced a new line of services to Alliant.