Mount Pleasant datacenter project update
Project overview
Microsoft is developing a new datacenter campus in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on 90th Street. Our efforts currently focus on the southern half of the site (south of the existing transmission lines and Lamparek Creek). The northern half of the site is planned to be used as a construction laydown area and is a future area for datacenter development.
February 27, 2024 – Construction update
Microsoft’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, continues constructing the new datacenter campus.
Work going on currently:
- Pile driving is expected to be finished by the end of March. We thank everyone for their patience during this phase of the construction.
- Steel erection for the buildings has started and will continue for the next several months.
- Trucks will continue removing soil through the end of February and delivering steel through early summer.
- WE Energies will soon begin work on a substation on the western part of the parcel.
Walsh is continuously monitoring the noise and vibration generated during these activities, so they remain within acceptable levels. In addition, street sweepers are running throughout the day to keep dirt and debris off the roadways.
Walsh Construction will be entering the site at the southern and northern construction entrances on 90th Street. They will also monitor traffic traveling into the site and traffic control flaggers will be present as needed to limit delays.
Walsh Construction works in compliance with the Village of Mount Pleasant code, between 6 AM and 10 PM seven days per week. We appreciate your patience as the Walsh Construction crews work to safely construct this new datacenter.
Questions about construction? Contact Misty Olson, Walsh Construction, at MPDC@walshgroup.com or call 312-497-6967.
January 5, 2024 – Weekend construction hours
Microsoft’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, anticipates they will need to perform foundation work on Saturdays and Sundays.
Walsh Construction will work in compliance with the Village of Mount Pleasant code, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. seven days per week. Walsh Construction is monitoring sound and vibration generated during these activities, to remain within the legal limit.
We appreciate your patience as the Walsh Construction crews work to safely construct this new datacenter.
Questions about construction? Contact Misty Olson, Walsh Construction, at MPDC@walshgroup.com or call 312-497-6967.
Questions about the project? Contact us at WisconsinDC@microsoft.com or leave a message at 608-535-3569.
December 19, 2023 – Foundation work underway and to continue through spring 2024
In November, Microsoft’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, began foundation work for the southern datacenter campus. This phase of construction will continue through late spring 2024.
Walsh Construction crews are currently installing steel piling to form the building. You may see more crews, trucks, deliveries, and equipment entering the site during this time including steel for pile installs and cranes for moving materials.
In accordance with Village of Mount Pleasant code, construction work hours at the site are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week. For the current steel pilings work, Walsh Construction is working to minimize the hours of noise-producing activities with the goal of completing work earlier in the evening and avoiding Sundays. Occasionally, unforeseen events such as inclement weather or mechanical issues, may create project delays, extend work hours, or require work on Sundays. Walsh Construction is monitoring the noise and vibration generated during these activities, so they remain within the legal limit.
There will be no construction activities on Christmas or New Year’s Day.
We appreciate your patience as the Walsh Construction crews work to safely construct this new datacenter.
Questions about construction? Contact Misty Olson, Walsh Construction, at MPDC@walshgroup.com or call 312-497-6967.
Questions about the project? Contact us at WisconsinDC@microsoft.com or leave a message at 608-535-3569.
November 2, 2023 – Foundation work begins in November and will continue through Spring 2024
Microsoft’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, will begin working on the foundation of the datacenter in November. This work is expected to continue through late Spring 2024.
- You may see more crews, trucks, deliveries, cranes, and equipment entering the site during this time.
- Walsh Construction will monitor the noise and vibration generated during these activities, so they remain within acceptable levels.
- Walsh Construction will continue to route truck traffic along County Road KR to enter the site at the southern construction entrance on 90th Street (see map above). They will also monitor traffic traveling into the site and traffic control flaggers will be present to limit delays.
In accordance with Village of Mount Pleasant code, construction work hours at the site are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week. For the current steel pilings work, Walsh Construction is working to minimize the hours of noise-producing activities with the goal of completing work earlier in the evening and avoiding Sundays. Occasionally, unforeseen events such as inclement weather or mechanical issues, may create project delays, extend work hours, or require work on Sundays. Walsh Construction is monitoring the noise and vibration generated during these activities, so they remain within the legal limit.*
Questions about construction?
Contact Misty Olson, Walsh Construction, at MPDC@walshgroup.com or call 312-497-6967.
Questions about the project?
Contact us at WisconsinDC@microsoft.com or leave a message at 608-535-3569.
*Paragraph updated on December 19, 2023 to reflect project updates.
October 31, 2023 – Walsh Construction leading subcontractor process for datacenter construction
Walsh Construction is the general contractor for our datacenter project currently under development in Mount Pleasant. If you’re interested in subcontracting opportunities, please contact them at MKEDiversity@walshgroup.com
September 28, 2023 – Increased truck traffic to begin in October
Microsoft’s general contractor, Walsh Construction, is continuing site preparation work and is preparing to move into the next phase of construction, which is building development.
Beginning as early as October 2, 2023, Walsh Construction expects an increase in truck traffic for materials delivery in preparation for starting building foundation work later this fall. Truck traffic will be routed along County Road KR and will enter the site at the southern construction entrance on 90th Street. Traffic traveling into the site will be monitored and traffic control flaggers will be present to limit delays. These deliveries are expected to take place Monday through Saturday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Questions about construction?
Contact Jeremy Zimmerman, Walsh Construction, at jezimmerman@walshgroup.com or call (312) 545-2366.
Questions about the project?
Contact us at WisconsinDC@microsoft.com or leave a message at 1-608-535-3569.
July 25, 2023 – Construction to begin shortly
Microsoft has received permits to progress into construction and our contractor partner Walsh Construction will soon begin site preparation and grading.
The anticipated construction schedule is shown below, which is dependent on subsequent permit approvals.
- July 2023 – Fall 2023: Site preparation, clearing, and grading
- Fall 2023 – Fall 2026: Building development, which includes foundation work, steel erection for buildings, equipment testing, and completion of power projects.
- Late 2026: Southern datacenter buildings complete, and preparation begins for operations.
Construction activities are expected to take place Monday through Saturday between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., with occasional work on Sundays if the weather creates project delays. Construction crews will work to minimize inconvenience and disruptions. We appreciate your patience as crews work to safely construct this new datacenter.
We are committed to keeping the community informed about project progress and will post updates for subsequent phases of construction to our blog at https://aka.ms/WisconsinDC
Questions? Contact us at WisconsinDC@microsoft.com or leave a message at 1-608-535-3569.
June 30, 2023 – Pre-construction activities are beginning
We are beginning initial site preparation activities for the southern half of the site. Crews are onsite installing perimeter fencing, creating construction entrances, delivering equipment, and other pre-construction activities.
Our pre-construction partner, Walsh Construction, expects to begin test pile work as early as July 10, 2023.
- These activities will take place during regular work hours between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. and there will be no pile-related work carried out during the weekends.
- You may see a crane, drilling truck, and crews onsite installing and monitoring the test piles, which will help us understand the soil geology to inform our building foundation design.
- We estimate completion of the testing work before the end of August.
June 22, 2023 – Community info session recap
Microsoft hosted a community information session about the planned datacenter campus in Mount Pleasant on June 22, 2023.
Microsoft appreciated the opportunity to talk with around 150 community members who participated in the meeting and visited stations to talk with subject matter experts. The meeting stations focused on an overview of datacenters, initial conceptual plans for the Mount Pleasant datacenter campus, construction, sustainability, and Microsoft’s partnerships in the community.
The meeting included remarks from Shirin O’Connor, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft; Trustee Nancy Washburn from Village of Mount Pleasant; and County Executive Jonathan Delagrave from Racine County.
In talking with community members, Microsoft staff heard comments and responded to questions about jobs, supplier hiring, water use, Lamparek Creek, construction timeline, and community partnerships. The Microsoft team was also joined by our community partners Root Pike WIN and gener8tor who also engaged with attendees to share about their efforts.
If you were unable to attend the community info session, you can also view the boards shown at the meeting.