Tutor Perini Subsidiary Lunda Construction Secures $60M Contract to Modernize Rothschild Dam

ROTHSCHILD, Wis. — Tutor Perini’s Midwest-based subsidiary, Lunda Construction, has been awarded a $60.2 million contract to rehabilitate a section of the historic Rothschild Dam, a century-old structure that continues to power industrial operations along the Wisconsin River.

The Rothschild Dam Modernization project, estimated at a total cost of $84 million, is owned by Montreal-based forestry products company Domtar, which operates the adjacent Rothschild Mill. Work began in July 2025 and is expected to reach substantial completion by early 2029, according to a company statement.

Replacing a Timber Relic With Modern Engineering

At the core of the project is the replacement of the dam’s outdated 276-foot-long timber spillway with a modern reinforced concrete structure supported by cofferdams for river diversion. The original timber section, dating back to 1912, last underwent replacement in 1964. Since then, Domtar has invested about $12 million in upkeep, but federal regulators determined that ongoing repairs were no longer sufficient.

The project scope includes:

• Demolition of the existing timber dam.
• Installation of deep foundations for added structural stability.
• Placement of reinforced concrete sections.
• Construction of a new control building.
• Installation of a prefabricated bridge across the river.
• Deployment of modern dam gates to regulate water flow.

While the dam currently supplies less than 10% of the mill’s total energy needs, its role in powering the facility and maintaining Lake Wausau remains critical.

Historical and Regional Significance

The Rothschild Dam was first built in 1912 to generate hydropower for the mill and facilitate the movement of pulp wood from upstream forests. Stretching 663 feet across the Wisconsin River, the project also created Lake Wausau, which today serves as a local recreation area and water resource.

Domtar emphasized that the modernization will preserve both the industrial and community functions of the dam while ensuring compliance with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requirements.

National Context: Aging Dams Under Scrutiny

Lunda’s win underscores a larger national challenge. A 2023 Association of Dam Safety Officials report estimated it would cost nearly $158 billion to rehabilitate the nation’s 88,616 deficient, non-federal dams. Of that, about $34 billion would be required for the most critical and high-risk structures.

Recent dam-related incidents — including failures in Michigan and damage at California’s Oroville Spillway — have highlighted the dangers of deferred maintenance and the importance of modernization projects like Rothschild’s.

A Long-Term Investment

With work already underway, the Rothschild Dam modernization represents both a significant investment in infrastructure and a safeguard for the mill’s continued operation. For Domtar, the project reflects a commitment to modern safety standards and operational reliability, while for Lunda Construction, it adds another high-profile water infrastructure project to its portfolio.

Originally reported by Joe Bousquin in Construction Dive.