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WYE reconstruction all in the family

When the joint venture of Central Paving and Concrete Placing was awarded the bid to construct Stage 2 of the WYE Interchange, it was a continuation of family history for Terry McEntee and his brother Pat.

The McEntee’s father Larry owned Asphalt Paving and Construction, which had a significant role in constructing the original WYE Interchange in the late 1960s.

“They did all the grading and concrete paving that tied the WYE Interchange to the interstate,” said Terry, who was 7 years old at the time.

Today, the company is called Central Paving and the McEntees are the third generation of construction contractors. Terry and Pat’s grandfather Edward started the company in the late 1940s.

In the 1960s the cost of the WYE work completed by Asphalt Paving was approximately $2.2 million. In 2001, the bid awarded to Central Paving and Concrete Placing for Stage 2 was approximately $36 million.

The joint venture of Central Paving and Concrete Placing was the result of a longtime relationship as well as a business partnership. John Ferguson, owner of Concrete Placing, has been a family friend of the McEntees for years.

“Our families know each other and I knew we’d work well as a team,” Ferguson said. “Combine that with the hardworking, dedicated staffs we both have, and this was a dynamic partnership.”

One of Asphalt Paving’s former employees is still interested in the project. Fred Wagahoff, who retired as Asphalt Paving’s general superintendent in 1992, frequently accompanies Terry to the Stage 2 job site to watch its progress.

“With our quality employees, exceptional subcontractors, joint venture partner Concrete Placing and the Idaho Transportation Department, this project was more than a success,” Terry said. “It is family history carried forward.”

The final milestone of the WYE Interchange reconstruction project was celebrated at a dedication ceremony on Friday, June 11. Idaho Congressman Butch Otter, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, Idaho Transportation Board Chairman Charles L. Winder and ITD Director David Ekern spoke at the ceremony, which celebrated the near-conclusion of Idaho’s largest road construction project.

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