Tommy’s Express Car Wash

From Concept to Construction 

The Portage project began with early coordination and site evaluation. GEC’s survey team mobilized to complete topographic mapping and prepared a Certified Survey Map (CSM) and an ALTA survey for the property.

From there, GEC’s civil engineering team developed the full site plan, providing services including:

• Site design and layout
• Grading design
• Landscape design
• Utility coordination
• Stormwater management
• Erosion control planning
• Permitting assistance

These steps ensured the project met municipal requirements and created a functional, efficient site for daily operations.

Engineering Behind the Wash

One feature that makes Tommy’s Express facilities unique is their integrated water recycling technology. Each location follows a standardized prototype design developed by the company, incorporating advanced water treatment systems.

The facilities utilize both a reverse osmosis purification system and a water reclamation system. City water is processed through reverse osmosis filtration to remove contaminants, producing purified water that is stored in a tank and then used for the final spot-free rinse.

This efficient system is also part of what allows Tommy’s Express locations to wash approximately 180 vehicles or more per hour, keeping lines moving even during busy periods.

Adapting Designs to Each Site

While each Tommy’s Express follows a similar design model, site conditions can vary greatly from community to community.

At the Portage location, the relatively flat terrain allowed for a straightforward site layout and grading approach. However, the project at Grafton presented a more complex challenge. The property included a roughly 30-foot grade change, requiring GEC engineers to incorporate retaining walls into the design to safely support the site and maintain accessibility. Stormwater management is also highly site-specific, driven by both municipal requirements and existing site conditions. For example, at the Grafton and Beaver Dam locations, space constraints required the use of underground storage and treatment systems to effectively manage stormwater.

Addressing unique site conditions like these is an important part of ensuring each location integrates smoothly into its surrounding environment.

GEC staff engineer, Mariah, shared her perspective on the projects: “An interesting aspect of working on the Tommy’s Express Car Wash projects is the varying requirements from one municipality to another. Local ordinances can differ significantly in areas such as stormwater management, lighting, landscaping, site design, submittal processes, and utility coordination.”

Many of these details, especially for a car wash facility, often go unnoticed by customers, but each element requires careful planning and coordination behind the scenes.

Expanding Across Wisconsin

With the Portage facility now open and serving the community, GEC continues to support additional Tommy’s Express projects across the state. Current work includes locations in:

• Beaver Dam
• DeForest
• Grafton
• Middleton
• Sun Prairie
• Stoughton
• Watertown

As these new locations move forward, GEC is proud to continue its partnership with Tommy’s Express Car Wash to help bring these projects to communities across Wisconsin.