Even amidst gloomy budget forecasts and likely cuts, UW-Madison officials had reason to celebrate last week. The bids to build an addition to the Chazen Museum of Art came in around $9 million under budget, eliminating worries that some elements of the project would be shortchanged.
UW-Madison has been able to save millions of dollars on building projects over the past few months, in large part because of the slow construction market. Contractors, short on work, are trying to outbid each other for jobs in one of the few bright spots in the industry â?? campus construction projects.