First, Joe Shampine, maintenance supervisor for the Mackinac Bridge Authority, talks about the dangers the heavy ice presents to travelers below and the decision-making process for closing and reopening the bridge. He also offers praise for maintenance staff members who have to explain to frustrated drivers why the bridge has to be closed during these events.

Later, Matt Chynoweth, the former chief bridge engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and now bridge practice leader for the consulting firm RS&H, returns to the podcast to offer broader perspective based on his research and conversations with other bridge owners across the country and world.

After nearly four decades of on-again, off-again discussions, Public Act 387 of 2012 established the RTA.

Stupka talks about leading the funding, planning and coordination for all public transit systems across the four-county footprint. Services include D2A2, an express bus service connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor; the Detroit Air Express (DAX), a pilot express bus service connecting downtown Detroit to Detroit Metro Airport; and the MyRide2 mobility management system.

The RTA efforts gained a boost recently with Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield proposing a budget with increased funding for public transit in the city, including the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus system and the Detroit People Mover. The RTA operates the Qline.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Patrick McCarthy, director of finance at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), explains the action.

The resolution, supported by all six members, amended resolution accurately reflects actual total costs of completed and upcoming construction projects from $3.5 billion to $4.3 billion. 

Initially approved by the STC in 2020, up to a maximum of $3.5 billion of bonding principal were authorized. Together with the initial principal, any associated premium received from investors and interest earned may be used to fund the program.  

Joann Muller, the transportation correspondent at Axios and author of their weekly Future of Mobility newsletter, joined the podcast to talk about those issues and more.

Some key topics:

·       Ford’s efforts to make EVs more affordable.

·       How public policy at the federal level will affect the development of autonomous vehicles, which are typically EVs.

·       Safety concerns for robotaxis.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter Aug. 7, 2025, to the directors of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), calling on them to compile and publicly release data on the impact of the state’s road funding cliff and federal funding rollbacks and policies on Michigan’s economy and employment. 

First, Heath Salisbury, financial secretary and training director for Operating Engineers 324, talked about what investments in infrastructure mean to people in the skilled trades and the thousands of jobs involved. 

Salisbury offers his own perspective as a veteran of the industry, working in the trenches, then later in training workers and developing a work force capable of building in a modern environment where technology is evolving rapidly.

Later, Karen Faussett, who manages MDOT’s statewide and urban travel analysis section, talked about how her team tracks the economic benefits of investment in transportation infrastructure.

First, Barbara Rohde, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance (MBUFA), talks about her organization’s history and their work.

Rohde also talks about her conversations on the issue with members of Congress about the need for a sustainable funding solution as the fuel tax, the major source of bridge and road revenue since the early 20th century, provides diminishing returns as people drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Later, Patrick McCarthy, finance director at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), joins the podcast to offer an update on the RUC pilot and study mandated in 2025 legislation.

Hayes was a business executive who has been active in community affairs for many years and served in the Michigan House of Representatives. He talks about how his background as a community leader and lawmaker informed his thinking about transportation infrastructure and how his views have evolved. 

Also discussed: 

• The commission’s role and what he considers their most significant action in recent years: approving the bond sale in 2020 for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan initiative; 
• How commissioners can stay abreast of rapidly developing technologies and innovations in transportation; and
• His service representing Michigan on the International Authority, the body overseeing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will continue. The International Authority consists of six members with equal representation from Canada and Michigan. 

Paul McDonald joined the department in November, coming from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). He talks about his perceptions of transportation coming into the department, and what his new portfolio includes.

This week, he chaired the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee, made up of people both inside and outside government who will offer expertise as the process moves forward.

First, Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Michael Shaw offers his insights on the causes of multi-vehicle crashes like the one that occurred between Hudsonville and Zeeland in Ottawa County on I-196 Monday, Jan. 19.

Later, Bruce Smith, a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Grand Rapids, talks about how the NWS defines various warnings and advisories and what was in place Monday when the crashes occurred.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Zach Rable, a federal policy specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talks about priorities for Michigan.

He explains those priorities largely dovetail with those the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are pushing.

Photo by Adam Michael Szuscik on Unsplash.

Anastor also offers an update on plans to link passenger rail service in Michigan with service in Canada and create a link between Chicago and Toronto.

In October, MDOT, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station.

Key provisions include:

• The partners will utilize a $10 million grant awarded to MDOT through the Federal Transit Administration's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program (now known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program), plus an additional $30 million in state funds.
• This proposed hub would include infrastructure for passenger rail and intercity bus service.
• Decisions about final project designs, funding and timelines will be shared as the exploratory phase progresses. 

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Bradley C. Wieferich joined the conversation to talk about details of projects highlighted in MDOT's year-end video. Many were made possible by Gov. Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program while others received help from lawmakers working in bipartisan fashion to improve travel in their communities. 

From the western Upper Peninsula to Kalamazoo in the southwest part of the state and Oakland County in the southeast, MDOT officials oversaw work that will improve safety, reduce congestion and make commuting and the delivery of goods more efficient.

Mester talks about her perceptions of the department before she joined, and what she learned about the need for a multimodal focus to serve all users. She also discusses the challenges facing the department with decades of inadequate funding to do all the things the public expects. 

In her role, she oversaw the Bureau of Finance and the Office of Passenger Transportation, which (among other things) oversees and supports the state’s transit agencies, including the Office of Rail.

The study is part of a larger project looking for effective speed warning technologies, said Timothy Gates, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan State University, who talked about the findings on the podcast. 

The research is funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

The state tallied 128,517 crashes on curved roadways during winter weather conditions between 2018 and 2022, causing 175 serious injuries and fatalities, plus 1,360 less serious and suspected injuries, the study said. 

The study concluded that curves on flat roads (called horizontal curves by highway engineers) "present a major challenge to drivers, especially when there is a significant difference between the posted speed limit and the curve advisory speed."

First, Jeff Shaw, supervisor of Elmwood Township in Leelanau County, talks about what the roundabout means for traffic flow in the area, safety benefits and the connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Now we're able to take a look at the corridor and the improvements that have been made and know how much of a benefit this is going to be for the people that motor through here, that bike through here, that walk through here," said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich at a celebration event on Oct. 31.

Former U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, a Traverse City resident, also attended the celebration.

“I know folks grumble about roundabouts, but a well-placed roundabout can reduce injury crashes by 80 percent or more," Buttigieg said of the new M-72/M-22 intersection, a centerpiece of the project. "I want to commend MDOT, the contractors and, above all, the workers who, in partnership with this community, made sure this was a success."

At another celebration in October, City of Walker officials joined MDOT engineers and lawmakers to celebrate completion of a $30 million Fruit Ridge Avenue bridge over I-96.

The investment replaced the original bridge and interchange from 1961. Contractors widened the new bridge from two lanes to five and included non-motorized paths, linking heavily used trails on each side.

Art Green, manager of MDOT’s Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center (TSC), joined the podcast to talk about the long-time needs for the improved bridge and interchange, how the funding came about and improvements already showing up in traffic flow.

"Projects like this don't happen overnight," said City of Walker Mayor Gary Carey at the event. "They take vision, persistence, partnership, and a shared belief that our infrastructure is worth investing in."

This week, a focus on the expansion of the U.S. 131 interchange with the U.S. 131 Business Route that links the freeway with downtown Kalamazoo. Jill Bland, executive vice president at Southwest Michigan First, talks about her decades of advocacy for the project and what it will mean to businesses her organization supports, as well as commuters.

Later, Trevor Block, manager of  MDOT’s Transportation Service Center (TSC) in Davison, talks about a celebration of another phase of rebuilding a segment of the I-475 corridor in Flint. 

This phase rebuilt approximately three miles of I-475 from the Flint River to Carpenter Road as part of a $141 million investment.

Next week, the focus on project completions with conversations about a new bridge carrying Fruit Ridge Avenue over I-96 west of Grand Rapids and a roundabout replacing the traditional intersection of M-72 and M-22 just outside Traverse City.

State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, a co-chairman of the Legislature’s transit caucus, touted it as an unprecedented investment.

"This is the largest increase in public transit funding in Michigan's history, as far as I'm aware," Morgan said. "This is a truly transformational investment."

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County and a long-time supporter of efforts to improve funding for transit services, explains why transportation is paramount for providing access for all.

Greg Losch, head engineer for MDOT's University Region, has coordinated the drafting of the rules in collaboration with other state agencies. He spoke on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast about the rules' objectives, chiefly ensuring the safe operation of the facilities.

Losch also explains how a long-term lack of adequate transportation funding has caused MDOT to not have the needed resources available that have helped in some other states.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/ROWRules.

This week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined others in announcing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District, on a parcel just southwest of the station.

This week’s podcast features two participants in the MOU announcement: Arun Rao, Amtrak senior director for network development in their Central Region, and Sam Krassenstein, chief of infrastructure for the City of Detroit.

First, State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt of Eastpointe, who chairs the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and has been a strong advocate for studying alternative ways to fund transportation, explains why she advocated for the RUC pilot.

Later, John Peracchio, a senior adviser to Michigan’s Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME), offers his insights on how a RUC system has worked in other states and how the council can help with the education process.

This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast revisits a 2024 conversation with a veteran Michigan pollster about his survey then showing an overwhelming number of voters want the taxes they pay at the pump to fix roads and bridges.

Michigan is among states with a sales tax on motor fuels. That tax, 6 percent, does not go to roads and bridges. By law, the proceeds support the school aid fund, revenue sharing for local municipalities and a minor portion helps fund local transit services.

Bernie Porn, president of the polling firm EPIC-MRA, explained that all survey respondents were asked, “Do you think that all of the taxes that you pay at the gas pump should or should not go toward funding improvements to Michigan’s roads and bridges?”

Amanda Novak, a resource specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation who helped lead the effort to secure the grant, returns to explain the benefits.

The grant award comes at a good time as State Farm released an annual report this week that shows Michigan ranked fourth among states for vehicle collisions with animals.

As reported previously, these crashes pose tremendous risk and costs to drivers. For example, white-tailed deer alone account for more than 55,000 collisions and a $130 million cost to drivers per year.

Novak talks about what she’s learned from other government agencies, which have studied the problem and implemented mitigation efforts.

A previous episode of the podcast featured a conversation with a connectivity specialist with the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative about creative and successful solutions implemented on the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park.

Podcast photo: An animal-crossing sign for tortoises. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith on Noun Project.

MC Lt. Jason Zylstra of MSP’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED) explains why they launched special enforcement in segments with major work like the heavily traveled I-96 in Ionia County.

MSP observes that 97 percent of at-fault crashes involving large trucks and buses are caused by driver behavior.

Zylstra also discusses:

• The need for trucks to maintain a proper distance to other vehicles.
• The dangers of trucks blocking lanes in zipper-merge zones and why law enforcement issues citations for that behavior.
• Special inspections for tires, equipment and other components of commercial vehicles.

With that in mind, this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast is a reprise of a conversation in June with J. Michael Skiba, also known as “Dr. Fraud,” a national expert on scams, like those proliferating in Michigan and other states, where text messages tell people they have unpaid road tolls. 

Skiba is department chair at Colorado State University Global, where he oversees the Criminal Justice Department, including specializations in fraud, financial crime and cybercrime. He discusses the psychology that prompts so many victims of online fraud to engage with scammers on smishing attempts. 

If you’ve been targeted, the FCC offers many tips. 

In April, the Michigan Department of Transportation released a video of Director Bradley C. Wieferich urging people not to respond to the texts.

John Peracchio, who helped organize the event and moderated the discussion, says he was pleased with the comments of the panelists but hoped for a more robust question-and-answer session that followed.

Some key themes:

• Chad Livengood, politics editor and columnist at the Detroit News, talked about reporting when he was at Crain’s Detroit on subdivisions being built in outer-ring suburbs with no sustainable source of funding for their roads.
• Lance Binoniemi of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association reiterated the job losses that would result from a lack of increased investment in road and bridge building.
• Baruch Feigenbaum of The Reason Foundation explained the long-term benefits of switching to a road user charge (RUC) system for funding roads, as some other states have piloted. He has previously talked about the topic on the podcast.
• Jane McCurry of Clean Fuels Michigan provided perspective on how fees on alternative-fuel vehicles contribute to the road funding mix.

Tim Lemon, who works in the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Bureau of Transportation Planning, talks about how pavement condition is measured and how the data is used.  

He explains that remaining service life (RSL) is MDOT’s primary pavement condition performance measure, which indicates the number of years before the pavement is anticipated to reach poor condition. It informs decisions about priorities and which roads and bridges to address.

He also explains that while state trunklines (I, M and US routes) don’t account for the majority of road miles in the state, they carry 53 percent of total traffic and more than 75 percent of commercial traffic in Michigan.   

Gov. Whitmer sent a letter Aug. 7 to the directors of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), calling on them to compile and publicly release data on the impact of the state’s road funding cliff and federal funding rollbacks and policies on Michigan’s economy and employment. 

First, Heath Salisbury, financial secretary and training director for Operating Engineers 324, talks about what investments in infrastructure mean to people in the skilled trades and the thousands of jobs involved. 

Salisbury offers his perspective as a veteran of the industry, working in the trenches, then later in training workers and developing a work force capable of building in a modern environment where technology is evolving rapidly.

Later, Karen Faussett, who manages MDOT’s statewide and urban travel analysis section, talks about how her team tracks the economic benefits of investment in transportation infrastructure.

Joann Muller, who writes the Axios Future of Mobility newsletter, discusses her coverage of an announcement from Ford Motor Co. on Monday, Aug. 11, billed ahead of time as the next "Model T moment." 

As she wrote in her coverage, "The headline is that Ford will introduce a new family of EVs priced under $40,000 and will use a new manufacturing process to try to make them profitably." 

In 2024, MDOT awarded a state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grant to the Calhoun County Road Department (CCRD) for road improvements related to Ford Motor Co.'s BlueOval Battery Park that will improve safety, reduce congestion and support 1,700 new jobs and $2.5 billion of private investment in Emmett and Marshall townships.

 Later, Muller discusses an announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), also this week, about new guidance for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which surprised many who feared a withdrawal of funding.

 USDOT is reopening the spigot for federally funded EV chargers after freezing the program (created in the previous administration) for six months.

 "If Congress is requiring the federal government to support charging stations, let's cut the waste and do it right," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Beckie Curtis, director of the Bureau of Bridges and Structures at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), explains the stark reality.

• Bridges must maintain a minimum condition to keep the transportation system open.
• Bridges are expensive investments in the highway network.
• Bridges are long-lived assets, and many bridges on the trunkline system were built in a short window of time as part of the interstate and other freeway systems.
• Because of these factors, combined with historic underfunding, widespread bridge closures can be expected in the next 10-20 years unless funding is increased.

Bowen explains that the MDNR is investing in major improvements at the park, including changes that require removing the 60-year-old pedestrian bridge over US-31 (Munson Avenue). The bridge pre-dates laws that require accessibility for people with disabilities. 

The existing bridge is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. "This creates accessibility challenges, especially for pushing strollers, carrying coolers, etc.," the MDNR posted on Facebook. "Some campground patrons opt to drive between the campground and the day-use area, increasing traffic congestion and using limited beach parking."

When the agreement was inked to build a pedestrian bridge over the highway in 1965, MDOT was the Michigan State Highway Commission and the MDNR was the Michigan State Department of Conservation. 

Photo credit: Traverse City State Park photo taken by Tyler Leipprandt and Michigan Sky Media LLC.

An appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget called for MDOT to conduct a pilot project on automated speed enforcement in school zones. Dawe explains that his team has been studying proposals and will make an announcement soon of a vendor to conduct the pilot. 

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), at least 12 states (Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Washington) conduct school-zone automated speed enforcement. In Georgia and Rhode Island, school zones are the only locations where automated speed enforcement is allowed in the state. 

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics, between 2011 and 2020,  218 school-age children (ages 18 and younger) died in school transportation-related crashes; 44 were occupants of school transportation vehicles, 83 were occupants of other vehicles, 85 were pedestrians, five were bicyclists and one was an “other” nonoccupant. 

The concept is also referred to as mileage-based user fees (MBUF) by some.

Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy at Reason, testified June 24 at a Michigan House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about the concept, addressing concerns about privacy and other aspects. 

A pilot program included in both the Gov. Whitmer’s and the Senate’s proposed budgets would gather feedback from residents and examine implementation strategies. 

On June 24, a truck driver was killed and MDOT workers were injured in a crash on I-75 in Monroe County. 

In another, July 1, two people were killed in a crash in a work zone queue on I-96 west of Portland. 

Brunner composed a poignant message to department employees with a reminder of the need to be vigilant about safety. 

From his message:                

We talk often about safety, but these events are painful reminders of just how critical it is every single day, in every single task. Whether you're in a work zone, near active traffic, in one of our garages or facilities, or behind the wheel, your actions matter. Safety is a mindset, not a checklist. It's about being present, engaged and always looking out for one another. 

Brunner talked about benefits to be found in developments in technology to alert drivers and the promise of driver-assist technologies in vehicles, as outlined by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

First, Angie Drumm, deputy director of traffic and safety for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) region that includes Metro Denver, joins the conversation to talk about the history there and what’s been learned.

Later, Lawrence Dwyer, director of safety and mobility at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), offers a national perspective on the concept and other innovations in traffic safety.

This podcast is the second of two focusing on ramp metering. Last week, the conversation focused on implementation of the approach on I-96 in Michigan’s western Oakland County.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Sarah Gill, operations engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Metro Region, talks about how it will work and the history of ramp metering in Michigan. 

Gill explains the key reasons for implementing ramp metering, which include improving merging, reducing crashes and reducing travel times. An MDOT how-to video offers guidance on the concept.

Next week’s episode will delve farther into the topic and include conversations with a traffic safety engineer with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), who will talk about how successful the concept has been in the rapidly growing Denver area. You’ll also hear a national perspective from the director of safety and mobility at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Muller explains the thinking behind General Motors officials’ announcement to invest $4 billion in the U.S. and move some vehicle production back from Mexico.

She also offers some insight she gained in reporting on negotiations between the U.S. and China over rare earth magnets, underscoring the need for the U.S. to develop a long-term strategy.

Also discussed: The likely result of easing regulations that have held back commercial drones in the U.S. 

Skiba is department chair at Colorado State University Global where he oversees the Criminal Justice Department, including specializations in fraud, financial crime, and cybercrime. He discusses the psychology that prompts so many victims of online fraud to engage with scammers on smishing attempts. 

If you’ve been targeted, the FCC offers many tips. 

In April, the Michigan Department of Transportation released a video of Director Bradley C. Wieferich urging people not to respond to the texts.

Tim Lemon, who works in the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Bureau of Transportation Planning, talks about how pavement condition is measured and how the data is used.  

He explains that remaining service life (RSL) is MDOT’s primary pavement condition performance measure, which indicates the number of years before the pavement is anticipated to reach poor condition. It reflects the anticipated time in years that a pavement section can continue to provide acceptable levels of service, considering factors such as distress, structural integrity, ride quality, and functionality. 

He also explains that while state trunklines (I, M and US routes) don’t account for the majority of road miles in the state, they carry 53 percent of total traffic and more than 75 percent of commercial traffic in Michigan. 

Susan Howard, policy and government relations director for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), returns to the podcast to share what she’s hearing in conversations on Capitol Hill. 

Late last month, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves released a budget reconciliation proposal. 

Howard explains what that means, where the conversations will move from here and what the reduction in work force at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other U.S. Department of Transportation agencies could mean.

John Peracchio, a strategic adviser on intelligent transportation systems and mobility, and member of the Michigan Council on Future Mobility and Electrification, talks about key takeaways from a recent conference of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), where RUC programs were a key topic.  

Also discussed is what has been learned from other states and what it means that a proposal in the Michigan transportation budget would fund an RUC pilot. Hawaii has been especially aggressive in implementation, and Peracchio explains the unique nature.  

As an advocate for increased funding for public transit, Peracchio also discusses how RUC could be structured to help.

Amanda Novak, a resource specialist in MDOT’s Bay Region, returns to the podcast to talk about a recently awarded $476,000 federal grant and how it will be put toward the pilot program. She previously spoke about the grant on the podcast in September 2024.

While we think of white-tailed deer most commonly when it comes to WVCs, other species to be considered include elk, moose, black bear, wild turkey, pine marten, eastern massasauga rattlesnake and Blanding’s turtle. 

As laid out in the project abstract for the grant, the number of WVCs in Michigan continues to increase annually, worsening risks and costs to drivers. For example, white-tailed deer alone account for more than 55,000 WVCs and cost motorists an average of $130 million per year in Michigan. Additionally, WVCs are a major threat to many wildlife populations in the state, including documented impacts on several threatened and endangered species. Projected increases in tourism, housing development and climate change effects are likely to exacerbate WVC effects on motorists and wildlife in Michigan.

Hamilton explains that the HFA has 15 analysts specializing in specific budget areas, typically departmental budgets. He also talks about overall Michigan transportation budget, which supports roads and bridges for 615 road agencies.  

Also discussed: the Act 51 distribution formula. He explains that while the act dates to 1951, it has been amended a number of times over the years. This includes a breakdown of the distribution of money from the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) and the three buckets where money flows: the State Trunkline Fund (STF), county road agencies, and cities and villages.

A video explains the benefits of the flex route and ramp metering.

Bill Wahl, MDOT North Region associate engineer for operations, who is coordinating department efforts, joins the podcast to provide an update on the recovery.

Also joining is James Lake, MDOT North Region media relations specialist, who assists the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) with communications. He talks about why falling ice necessitated closing the bridge three times in three days, including a record 30-hour period.

Wahl and Lake grew up in the region and neither has seen anything like this ice storm and the resulting destruction. Wahl recounts utility workers who had been on power-restoration projects following hurricanes in the Southeast saying the scenes are as bad or worse as anything they’ve seen.

Wahl says crews from several counties to the south, including Kent, Ottawa, Mason, Missaukee, Muskegon, Roscommon, Iosco and Wexford, were helping to clear roads.

While the Mackinac Bridge re-opened Thursday morning, April 3, after a 30-hour closure, officials will continue to closely monitor conditions for falling ice. 

The MBA posted a video message on X from Bridge Director Kim Nowack about the falling ice, along with some photos from the bridge. More videos of falling ice that prompted the current closure were also posted on X. 

The bridge has closed roughly 30 times in the past 30 years, and the average closure duration is several hours. More frequently asked questions about falling ice and other topics are available on the MBA website. 

Muller also shares insights from reporting on a new design for aircraft (a blended wing body airframe) that Delta Airlines and California-based Jet Zero say could make for net-zero emissions flying by 2050.

Lastly, she talks about driverless Uber vehicles in Austin, Texas, and other developments in the evolution of automated vehicles. 

Muller also previews a new newsletter she’s launching, Axios Future of Mobility.

As talks heat up between Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over various road funding proposals, the discussion again turns to paving standards and practices.

Gutting talks about standards and specifications for paving materials and how MDOT engineers confer with counterparts from across the country; innovations in road building, winter maintenance and operations; and ongoing challenges because of inflation and supply chain pressures since the pandemic began.
 
 Gutting was previously the administrator of the Construction Field Services (CFS) division. He also worked in Operations and was the construction contracts engineer for CFS as well as the construction engineer and an assistant construction engineer at the MDOT Lansing Transportation Service Center (TSC).
 
 Other references in the podcast: 

Gov. Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program
www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Projects-Studies/Rebuilding-Michigan-Projects

MDOT winter road maintenance
www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Travel/Safety/Road-Users/Winter-Safety

The Senate voted unanimously on March 13 in support of Senate Bill 71, which now heads to the House. 

This comes three years after some troubling incidents on the bridge involving people climbing a tower or otherwise trying to access the bridge to take photos, and another involving a bomb threat that closed the bridge on a busy weekend and disrupted travel for many hours. The MBA took the rare step at the time of adopting a resolution supporting the key facility designation. 

The Michigan House of Representatives passed a bill, sponsored by then-state Rep. John Damoose, 99-6, in 2022, classifying the Mighty Mac and several other vital structures in the state as key facilities. The legislation later stalled in the Michigan Senate. Now, the Senate has reported out, unanimously, the new bill, sponsored by now state Sen. Damoose, which is narrower in focus, applying strictly to the Mackinac Bridge. The designation means trespassing on the bridge would be a felony offense. 

McMahon spoke on the podcast previously, including a few months after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the law making it illegal to use a hand-held electronic device while driving.

His analysis includes data on distracted driving in Michigan broken down by county. His firm is reporting updated numbers that show meaningful strides in the right direction. 

McMahon also cites preliminary data showing a reduction in crashes in Michigan in 2024.

Krassenstein talks about many things, including the challenges of right-sizing streets built to accommodate more vehicles in an era before freeways were built, how safe mobility and accessibility play into the recovery of the city’s neighborhoods, and the innovative thinking going into the I-375 and US-12 (Michigan Avenue) projects.

Last May, Sen. Gary Peters invited Krassenstein to testify before the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports on the subject of community solutions to the roadway safety crisis.

Krassenstein explains why this is so important as part of those efforts to right-size some streets and make for safer crossings.

Kolodin first talks briefly about federal grants the state and many municipalities have received the past few years. Among some large grants for state roads and bridges was a $73 million award to replace an aged movable bridge in Bay City. 

Talking about the governor’s road-funding plan, Kolodin explains how removing the sales tax on fuel, which does not fund roads and bridges, would allow for every penny drivers spend at the pump to go toward road repairs.

The plan would backfill the sales tax with a combination of cuts and additional revenue from closing the wholesale tax loophole on marijuana and assessing other fees.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) will expire in September 2026, and members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee are in early discussions about the next reauthorization and what it should include. Three members of the committee are from Michigan: Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, and Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Bay City.

Some key points from an American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) analysis of the IIJA:

• The IIJA reauthorizes surface transportation programs, with 34 percent more funding than the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act provided.
• The IIJA provided close to $500 billion for road and bridge programs in communities across America.
• The act included 21 new DOT grant programs that will make targeted investments to repair bridges, improve the resiliency of our surface transportation system, and more.
• These funds go a long way to address the $1.2 trillion, 10-year surface transportation funding gap that ASCE identified in the 2021 Report Card.

But first, Green talks about his experience with extreme winter events in Grand Rapids, like this week’s lake-effect snow and extended sub-zero temperatures. Much of the focus in questions to transportation agencies on social media channels focuses on salt and a lack of understanding about how it loses effectiveness in very cold temperatures.

Green explains how the department maximizes its salt use and mixes in other mitigation efforts.

A $25 million grant will help rebuild the vital East Beltline Avenue bridge at the junction with I-196 and I-96 east of Grand Rapids. Green explains that the new bridge will feature nonmotorized connections for trails to the north and south of the interchange. It will also ease congestion on some of the ramps.

He also talks about a grant to support planning for better connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists between the east and west sides of US-131 just north of downtown Grand Rapids.

Kapp explains the origins of the office and how its various programs provide benefits to communities across the state. He also breaks down the six categories that make up the program. 

Later, Kapp talks about the office’s 2024 accomplishments, including distributing $23.1 million in Category A grant funds, which: 

• Generated $4.5 billion in private investment,
• Supported 4,414 jobs, and
• Resulted in $262 in private investment for every public dollar. 

See all of the OED’s accomplishments online.

• The Legislature, following about half of all states, approved bills allowing for the use of safety cameras in work zones. Wieferich explains the benefits.
• Challenges in transportation going into 2025.

Gregg Brunner, chief engineer and chief operations officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation, spoke about the issue last month on a panel convened by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

As someone who has spent a career focusing on the safety of the transportation system and work zones, Brunner said his interest in making improvements was piqued as he pored through crash reports and visited the scenes. He learned of the toll crashes, especially where road work is occurring, takes on the workers. 

Members of the panel shared some chilling statistics, including: 

• Overall, suicides in the U.S. increased to 49,300 in 2023, up from 48,183 since just 2021. In the construction industry, 5,000 workers died by suicide in 2022, which climbed to 7,000 by 2023. By contrast, the industry loses an estimated 1,000 annually to construction site incidents.
• In Michigan, a construction worker is now 12 times more likely to die by suicide rather than due to an on-the-job injury.
• There is a 75 percent remission rate for mental health and even substance abuse issues if one stays engaged six months to a year in a treatment plan. 

Also discussed: The Michigan Senate recently adopted legislation to allow the use of safety cameras in work zones to monitor vehicle speeds and initiate citations for those exceeding work zone speed limits. On a previous episode of the podcast, Juan Pava, Safety Programs Unit chief of the Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering at the Illinois Department of Transportation, talked about the success of a similar program there. 

Milliken talks about the honor and responsibility of serving on the Authority, including his role as chairman of the finance committee as they look to future needs and ensure appropriate revenue streams will be there.

He also shares his history with the Annual Bridge Walk and recalls walking with his father when he was governor. Gov. Milliken still holds the record for the fastest crossing among governors participating in the walk: 46 minutes, 50 seconds in 1971.

The Milliken history with the Mackinac Straits crossing concept predates the bridge’s construction by more than a decade. His grandfather, James T. Milliken, while serving in the state Senate, discussed the need for a bridge with then-Gov. Chase Osborn in the 1940s.

The innovative project, allowing for the use of shoulders as travel lanes during peak travel times, is MDOT’s second use of Flex Route concept. In 2016 and 2017, contractors built the first phase of a Flex Route, a $125 million investment on US-23 north of Ann Arbor. A project is underway for a second phase, at an estimated cost of $162 million, to extend the US-23 Flex Route from north of 8 Mile Road to I-96.  

Travis says the Oakland County project is on schedule and three lanes should be restored in each direction within a few days of this recording on Oct. 24, 2024. He also touts the safety and efficiency benefits the added capacity during peak travel hours will provide and explains that contractors came very close to the targeted cost of $270 million.  

Travis also explains why traffic will resume on three lanes soon, but the shoulders will not be available for use until early 2025. 

Funding for this project is made possible by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program to rebuild the state highways and bridges that are critical to the state's economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy is aimed at fixes that result in longer useful lives and improves the condition of the state's infrastructure. 

Jack Hofweber, manager of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Mt. Pleasant Transportation Service Center, reflects on the heavy rains and floods that breached dams and ravaged roads and bridges in several counties in 2020, just weeks after many people went into lockdown because of the pandemic.

In what meteorologists concluded was a 500-year event, the flooding that resulted from up to 7 inches of rain in Midland, Saginaw and surrounding counties damaged homes and property, forced more than 10,000 people to evacuate and most spectacularly destroyed one power dam and severely damaged another.

One year after the floods, an MLive drone video captured the changes.

On Monday, Oct. 7, MDOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich, elected officials, contractors and labor groups celebrated the opening of the new bridge, as highlighted in this video.

With climate change and sustained high water creating headaches for shoreline communities across the state and officials from several state agencies planning for more, the challenge of planning and building more resilient transportation infrastructure, especially during an ongoing period of underinvestment, remains acute.

Other relevant links:

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/05/how-a-spring-rainstorm-became-a-500-year-flood-event-in-mid-michigan.html 

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/governor-expands-state-emergency-declaration-include-arenac-gladwin-and-saginaw-counties 

Ed Golder, public information officer at MDNR, explains the challenges and how wildlife officials are tackling them. This includes some important changes in 2024 hunting regulations.

The problem, as outlined in the story:

While the state just recently started requiring hunters to report deer harvests, the results are stark: Hunters reported killing 30,000 fewer deer in 2023 than the year before, an 11 percent decrease, according to the state.

In a letter to hunters last year, Chad Stewart, MDNR’s deer, elk and moose management specialist, urged a greater antlerless harvest.

Podcast image courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Amanda Novak, a resource specialist in the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Bay Region, helped spearhead the grant application and explains the importance.

As laid out in the project abstract for the grant, the number of wildlife vehicle collisions (WVCs) in Michigan continues to increase annually, worsening risks and costs to drivers. For example, white-tailed deer alone account for more than 55,000 WVCs and cost motorists an average of $130 million per year in Michigan. Additionally, WVCs are a major threat to many wildlife populations in the state, including documented impacts on several threatened and endangered species. Projected increases in tourism, housing development and climate change effects are likely to exacerbate WVC effects on motorists and wildlife in Michigan.

Podcast photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Going back some three decades, Canadian transportation and wildlife officials have collaborated on ways to build safe crossings to protect both animals and humans in Alberta. A system of 38 underpasses and six overpasses and fencing on 82 km of the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park are also part of the longest ongoing wildlife crossing research and monitoring program in the world.

Johnson explains how the crossings work, how different animals use them and, especially, why these are just as beneficial to humans as the animals.

The hope is that Michigan officials can learn from the success from western officials as state officials pursue a federal grant for crossings here. Michigan State Police say more than 58,000 deer-related crashes occurred in the state in 2022. That’s a 13 percent increase from 2021, a decade high. Repairs from those crashes could be just as high.

In Wyoming, a $24.3 million federal grant awarded in 2023 was the largest made from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s first tranche of $109 million for a novel Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program. Wyoming will use the money to fund the bulk of the $37 million construction project that will involve fencing 30 miles of the highway, building six or so new underpasses and a wildlife bridge for skittish antelope that won’t go through a tunnel.

Podcast photo courtesy of Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative. 

As his Aug. 31 column observed:

All of this transition to electrification is backed by huge government subsidies — just like China does with its auto industry — so the Michigan-based domestic auto industry doesn't move more production to Mexico or offshore.

While EV adoption has not occurred at the pace expected by U.S. automakers, investments in plants to produce the batteries continues at the same time Michigan and other states make progress on supporting new charging infrastructure through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) process.

Other relevant links:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2024/04/28/why-america-remains-a-forbidden-land-for-chinese-carmakers/

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/business/economy/china-electric-vehicles-biden-tariffs.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare&ngrp=ctr&pvid=EA2E2D4F-A518-4BE7-A02D-690443CDEC23

Key links: 

http://michigan.gov/RebuildingMI  

https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/news/State-of-the-State/2021 

• According to a new report, sales of battery-powered models across America are up compared to the rest of the industry. The boost has been spurred on by price cuts, tax breaks and other incentives aimed at encouraging Americans to go electric.
• New technology allows for an e-bike conversion. From the story: With pedaling assistance from a simple friction drive system, it’s less complex and a lot cheaper than a fully electric bike.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations with a construction engineer facing the challenge of working with contractors to rebuild roads in a timely manner while maintaining mobility for the public. 

First, Tanya Pawlukiewicz, MDOT’s Grand Region construction engineer, talks about a number of crashes that have occurred in a work zone on a major project on I-96 in Ionia County. 

Later, Michigan State Police Sgt. Bradley Campbell talks about what he and his colleagues are seeing and hearing along the I-96 corridor and the effectiveness of Operation Ghost Rider.

One conclusion: Despite aggressive public awareness campaigns, expansive media coverage and other efforts, many people don’t know about the hands-free law. On a recent day, Campbell says four of nine drivers stopped for using their phones told troopers they were ignorant of the law. 

Among key findings:

• Drunk driving arrests in Michigan have dropped 28 percent since 2014, while fatal alcohol- and drug-related crashes have risen 40 percent.
• Experts attribute the rise in crashes to fewer police officers and less traffic enforcement, leading to more dangerous driving behavior.
• In 67 of Michigan’s 83 counties, drunk driving arrests have declined, mirroring a national trend

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Daniel Zimmerman, senior director of government relations and policy for the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association, talks about the problem.

One initiative that perhaps holds promise for solutions stems from a bipartisan provision in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Section 24220, Public Law 117-58, IIJA) signed into law in 2021. The provision requires a new national safety standard for passive, advanced impaired driving prevention systems in new vehicles.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about efforts engineers take to balance mobility and safety during active road work.

 Lindsey Renner, division administrator for Construction Field Services at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and a former supervisor of the Work Zone Safety section, explains the challenges. 

Among innovative methods in use are rumble strips to alert people as they approach a work zone, speed trailers and law enforcement employing a Ghost Rider program to identify distracted drivers. 

Renner also talks about the zipper merge as a means of encouraging drivers to alternate when work requires a lane to be closed. 

Other relevant links: 

MDOT Work Zone Safety
www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Travel/Safety/Road-Users/Work-Zone-Safety

The Zipper Merge Explained With Kids
https://youtu.be/TLAISm1XuHQ

Operation Ghost Rider
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/ghost-riders-lookout-distracted-drivers-michigan

• US-12 (Michigan Avenue) west of downtown Detroit, based on a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study.
• US-131 through the city of Grand Rapids, also the subject of a PEL study. 

Alghurabi shares his experience building trust with residents, business owners and others affected by the work on the various projects.  

• In the first month after the Michigan law was signed, distracted driving went down nearly 12 percent.
• The next month, it was 13.5 percent lower.
• The gains then diminished but are headed in a positive direction again.

Podcast image by bobtheskater from Pixabay.

Also discussed:

• How public transportation has helped transform Grand Rapids, with The Rapid’s many options including the state’s first bus rapid transit lines.
• Investments in infrastructure like bus rapid transit and M-1 rail spur development.

Other references and links:

Finding on tailpipe emissions and EVs
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2023/08/07/new_epa_tailpipe_standards_call_electric_vehicle_promises_into_question_970708.html

Pew research on Americans’ perceptions of EVs
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/13/how-americans-view-electric-vehicles/

Energy Innovation study of the cost to fill up
https://energyinnovation.org/publication/how-much-does-it-cost-to-fill-up-an-electric-vehicle-vs-a-gas-powered-car/

The early adopter era is over for EVs
https://www.axios.com/2023/08/09/electric-cars-adoption-rates 

•  In 2006, Illinois became the first state to authorize the use of automated traffic enforcement programs to enforce speed limits in highway work zones, with implementation coming a few years later. The enabling legislation provided a legal framework for photo enforcement of speed limits in highway work zones. 
• In summer 2022, some Michigan lawmakers, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, leaders in labor organizations, and the road building industry witnessed demonstrations on Michigan freeways on how the technology works.  

How the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) tracks policies across the country
https://www.transportation.gov/mission/health/complete-streets-policies  

Smart Growth America’s overview of Complete Streets
https://smartgrowthamerica.org/what-are-complete-streets/ 

A WXYZ-TV story on the survey
https://www.wxyz.com/news/mdot-launches-survey-to-help-improve-roads-for-pedestrians-and-vehicles

• $110 million total for Michigan from the NEVI program
• Updated total grant funding requested for 41 sites with utility costs will be about $25-27 million for Round 1
• Round 2 is in the initial steps of development with a request for proposals expected to be posted in June 
• Round 2 will focus on completing the buildout of the alternate fuel corridors (AFCs) identified in the Fiscal Year 2023 Michigan State Plan for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment
• Round 2 will focus on 23 locations not covered in Round 1
• Round 2's funding allocation will be $15-18 million
• Round 3 and beyond will occur starting in 2025

• The continuation and growth of MDOT's highly successful consultant, small business mentor-protégé program. 
• Expanding a small business trucking program that covers the cost of commercial driver's license (CDL) training for small, disadvantaged trucking companies to help with truck driver shortages.
• A key focus to connect firms with access to capital and the skills to manage it successfully throughout the project life cycle; build and maintain meaningful relationships with industry professionals to provide opportunities to utilize and/or expand their work types; and provide training regarding the intricacies of government contracting and ways to strengthen their business functions and efficiencies. 
• Upcoming initiatives include creating two small business revolving loan programs to help support small, disadvantaged businesses grow and contract more MDOT work. There will be a small business lending program and a mega projects small business lending program. Any funds received by the state as repayment of past loans are appropriated and shall be available for future loans.
• Create a small business incubator program that serves MDOT's existing small and disadvantaged business development program to grow the capacity of Michigan-based small, disadvantaged businesses through training and construction mentor-protégé opportunities.

• $250,000 toward local history and culture,  
• $1.3 million toward community safety,
• $540,000 toward green initiatives,   
• $250,000 toward food security,  
• $250,000 toward wellness, and
• $100,000 toward community partnerships.  

Jean Ruestman, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Passenger Transportation, explains how the department sought and won a federal grant to fund the survey and why the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is incentivizing states to gather the information. 

Some key takeaways: 

• The survey is a research project and not about setting policy regarding the implementation of an RUC.
• This statewide survey is the first step in exploring how RUC, if implemented, might affect people’s modal choices (taking transit, selecting alternative less congested routes, traveling at different times of the day) and in exploring new ways to sustainably and fairly fund and maintain public transit systems, roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure in Michigan. 
• One possible funding tool is RUC, or paying based on vehicle miles traveled, which means drivers would pay a few cents for each mile driven versus paying based on how much gas they buy.
• The Legislature adopted legislation in 2022 requiring MDOT to study tolling as an additional or alternative funding method. The Legislature later requested that the department examine RUC.
• Gov. Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council recommended lawmakers examine alternative funding sources for Michigan’s transportation infrastructure.   
• No policy changes like this are being debated by the Legislature at this time.
• Many other states are exploring RUC, with some already having implemented similar systems (Utah, Oregon, Virginia, and Hawaii).

Kurt Fritz, who coordinates maintenance on state trunkline (I, M and US routes) in Mason, Oceana, Muskegon and Ottawa counties, talks about his work with the local road agencies that maintain those routes under contract with MDOT.

Nationally, forecasters are using the term “bomb cyclone” blizzard for what’s headed for the Midwest.  Reports this week said an earlier storm hit more than 30 states with snow, ice, rain, or thunderstorms and encompassed more than 2 million square miles.  

• The commission’s role and what he considers their most significant action in recent years, approving the bonds for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan initiative; 
• How commissions can stay abreast of rapidly developing technologies and innovations in transportation; 
• His service representing Michigan on the International Authority, the body overseeing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge. The International Authority consists of six members with equal representation from Canada and Michigan. Two members are appointed by Canada, one appointed by Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) and three appointed by Michigan. 

Three recent stories explored the rapidly changing landscape: 

• How consumers are finding comfort in hybrid vehicles before fully adopting EVs. From the story: “Car buyers - not politicians, regulators or carmakers - will dictate the pace of the electric transition.”
• What car dealers are telling the Biden administration about EV sales. 
• What needs to be done to gain public trust in automated vehicles. 

Also discussed: how the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program can help states build out charging networks to provide more certainty for travelers. This includes the $110 million awarded to Michigan for that work.

• To accelerate carbon neutrality and simultaneously meet the needs of public and commercial fleet operators and consumers, we have created a cost-effective, end-to-end wireless charging infrastructure and services platform.

Electreon has projects in several countries, including most cited as having the highest share of EV sales.

Next week: Joann Muller, a Detroit-based automotive industry reporter for Axios, will be a guest on the podcast to talk about her extensive reporting on the development of EVs.

• "In every metro and state that StreetLight analyzed, walking trips declined over the three-year period by at least 20 percent," per the report.
• The rate of decline slowed from -16 percent between 2019 and 2020 and -19 percent between 2020 and 2021 to -6 percent between 2021 and 2022. But that's still a significant overall drop, from about 120 million trips in 2019 to fewer than 80 million in 2022.

Other theories about the decline suggest the rise in online deliveries is a factor, as people use Amazon and other services for deliveries of goods and food.

During and coming out of the pandemic, walking as part of a commute declined as more people work remotely. Even people walking their “pandemic pups” don’t really move the numbers compared to those who commuted by foot previously.

• Lowered “Do Not Enter” signs to improve headlight angles.
• Added reflective strips to “Do Not Enter” and "Wrong Way” signposts.
• Added backside red reflective strips along the length of the off ramps.
• Added stop bars and turn arrows at ramp approaches, in addition to wrong-way arrows placed further back.
• Added turning guideline markings at ramps where the on and off ramps are adjacent to each other.
• Painted curbed islands at ramp terminals.

• “Transportation that works for everyone improves all our lives.” (Equity)
• "More reliable transportation makes your commute less stressful.” (Easier Commutes) 
• “Improving transportation means you can get where you need to go - quickly and easily.” (Mobility)
• “Time spent sitting in traffic is time away from the important things in life.” (Time)
• “Investing in transportation creates more jobs in your community.” (Jobs)

Peck talks about how transportation agencies can capitalize on the research to better explain what they do. 

• They will use the left lane in each direction of I-75 between 12 Mile Road and South Boulevard. 
• They will operate as HOV lanes during peak travel times: 6 - 9 a.m. and 3 - 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. During those times, vehicles must have at least two human occupants to legally use the lanes. 
• State and local police will monitor the safe movement of vehicles in the HOV lanes to ensure drivers have the proper number of occupants. Civil infractions will be issued to violators.
• Motorcycles, transit busses, first responders, and emergency vehicles are exempt from occupant requirements.
• Outside of those designated weekday hours, the lanes are available for all motorists regardless the number of occupants. 

Michigan joins more than two dozen other states in opening HOV lanes. This summary of state programs allowing exempt vehicle use of HOV/high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes outlines the various provisions. 

Other links and references:

Innovative contracting at MDOT
https://www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Business/Contractors/InnovativeContracting   

MDOT’s Modernize 75 project
https://www.Modernize75.com/ 

First Lt. Michael Shaw of the Michigan State Police joins the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast this week to talk about how license plate readers are being deployed to help. 

Later, he talks about how excessive speeding continues even as the pandemic subsided and more vehicles returned to the roads. He talked about the increase in speeding and fatal crashes on a previous edition early in the pandemic.  

Other relevant links: 

• https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/virginia-supreme-court-sees-through-police-claim-license 
• https://www.dhs.gov/publication/st-automated-license-plate-reader-fact-sheet 
• https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/rise-in-preventable-traffic-crashes-leading-to-spike-in-serious-injuries 

Topics include: 

• How concerns about what electric vehicles (EVs) mean to the future of work in the industry. https://www.npr.org/2023/09/13/1199260328/how-concerns-over-evs-are-driving-the-uaw-towards-a-strike
• Analysts suggesting EV growth cannot be sustained. https://www.businessinsider.com/ev-electric-car-sales-plateau-early-adopters-competition-2023-8 
• Peracchio’s work with Feonix on technology to provide mobility solutions to all.
• Movement on legislation to allow for high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in Michigan. After being adopted in the state House in June, a Senate committee heard testimony on Sept. 12, with a vote in the Senate expected next week.

MDOT winter road maintenance
https://www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Travel/Safety/Road-Users/Winter-Safety 

Other references and links:

Finding on tailpipe emissions and EVs
https://www.realclearenergy.org/articles/2023/08/07/new_epa_tailpipe_standards_call_electric_vehicle_promises_into_question_970708.html

Pew research on Americans’ perceptions of EVs
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/13/how-americans-view-electric-vehicles/

Energy Innovation study of the cost to fill up
https://energyinnovation.org/publication/how-much-does-it-cost-to-fill-up-an-electric-vehicle-vs-a-gas-powered-car/ 

The early adopter era is over for EVs
https://www.axios.com/2023/08/09/electric-cars-adoption-rates 

 Among topics discussed:

 ·       Road user charges.
 A simulation in the state of Washington featured 70 percent of 1,000 drivers participating saying they were satisfied with the process. Not surprisingly, some drivers expressed privacy concerns.

·       E-bikes.
 As they grow in popularity, there are increasingly unnerving reports of electric bike battery fires. Are cheaper batteries to blame? Could higher production quality bikes be the answer? A TechCrunch story explains the issue and some of the root causes. Brown talks about a future where electric vehicle repair and battery replacement become commonplace. 

·       Slower driving in Chicago.
 A recent report from Streetlight Data ranked large U.S. cities by speeds driven on major pedestrian roadways. More than 60 percent of Chicago’s major pedestrian roadways have average vehicle speeds under 25 mph. The national average is 36 percent.

 Also discussed, an inspiring story from Alaska where students in the community of Angoon built and launched a dugout canoe to honor their forebearers, recalling the havoc wreaked on the Tlingit peoples by the U.S. Navy in 1882; and an Axios story about how AI grabbed the South Park director’s chair.

Mark Dubay is a senior project manager for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) working on modernization of I-75 in Oakland County, which features several benefits to commuters and others driving on the busy corridor.

In addition to the HOV lane, other benefits include the addition of a tunnel to drain and store water and prevent freeway flooding during heavy rain events. The project also includes another diverging diamond interchange (DDI). 
 
Later, Patrick McCarthy, director of MDOT’s Bureau of Finance, joins the podcast to talk about the transportation provisions in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget adopted by the Legislature this week. 

Tom Vanderbilt explained in his 2008 book, Traffic, there are two schools of thought:

The first camp - let us name it after the bumper sticker that says practice random acts of kindness - viewed early mergers as virtuous souls doing the right thing and late mergers as arrogant louts. "Unfortunately, people suck," wrote one Random Acts poster. "They'll try whatever they can to pass you, to better enjoy the traffic jam from a few car lengths ahead of you… People who feel that they have more pressing concerns and are generally more important than you will keep going, and some weak-spined schmuck will let them in further down, slowing your progress even more. This sucks; I'm afraid it's the way of the world."

Another camp, the minority camp - let's call them Live Free or Die, after the license plate motto of the state of New Hampshire - argued that the late mergers were quite rationally utilizing the highway's maximum capacity, thus making life better for everyone. In their view, the other group's attempts toward politeness and fairness were actually detrimental to all.

Gregg Brunner, acting chief operations officer and director of the Bureau of Field Services at the Michigan Department of Transportation, talks about the advantages of the so-called “zipper merge” for commuter routes. He also shares insights on the importance of driver education and public awareness for a successful implementation, as well as why the zipper merge isn't suitable for every project.

Michigan is among several states encouraging drivers to use the zipper merge technique in specific circumstances and working on creative ways to educate drivers on how it works. This Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) video features adults in cardboard cars as a learning exercise on how to take turns.

·   1,248 crashes, 37 cited as involving distracted driving.

·   29 fatal, two cited as involving distracted driving.

·   126 serious, three cited as involving distracted driving.

Pedestrian

·   1790 crashes, 92 cited as involving distracted driving.

·   182 fatal, 14 cited as involving distracted driving.

·   343 serious, 22 cited as involving distracted driving.

Penniman also talks about the continuing rise in popularity of electric bicycles (e-bikes), with industry officials anticipating the market growing to nearly $92 billion by 2029.

Other topics include Michigan’s Complete Streets policy and whether it’s time for some updates.

As discussed in previous installments, U.S. traffic deaths jumped 10.5 percent in 2021 to 42,915, marking the highest number killed on American roads in a single year since 2005.

Farrah talks about the safety benefits of autonomous vehicles, both in terms of passenger vehicles and commercial trucks.

He observes that many vehicles on the road today have driver assistance technologies, which help to save lives. The evolution of the technology will only enhance those safety benefits. 

On next week’s edition, the focus on safety continues as Jake Nelson, director of traffic safety advocacy and research for AAA, joins the podcast to talk about the troubling crash data and what can be done.

This follows adoption of similar legislation in Ohio in April. An early analysis of data tracking the use of hand-held mobile devices in vehicles indicates distracted driving may have dropped as much as 9 percent during the first weeks of implementation there. 

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Ryan McMahon, senior vice president for strategy at Cambridge Mobile Telematics, explains how his firm gathers the data and why it’s important. 

McMahon said the media coverage and attention to the legislation in Ohio and other states with similar laws contributes to the reduction in distracted driving crashes, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says accounted for more than 3,500 crash deaths in 2021.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, two people who participated in the news conference talk about the roads component of the report card. 

First, Ron Brenke, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Michigan and the Michigan section of ASCE, talks about how decades of underinvestment in transportation infrastructure put Michigan where it is.

 Later, Amy O’Leary, executive director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), explains the vital transportation needs of the communities served by her organization.

 Michigan’s grade for roads showed slight improvement, largely because of investments in state trunklines, the heaviest-traveled roads, from the MDOT’s Rebuilding Michigan program.

 From the report: 

 Traffic volumes have returned from pandemic-era lows. Vehicle miles traveled in 2021 were 97 billion, 95 percent of the 2019 number. Fortunately, the condition of roads Michiganders are driving on are improving, thanks in part to a 2017 funding package. Of Michigan’s 120,000 miles of paved federal aid-eligible roads, 25 percent are in good condition, up from 20 percent good in 2017. Forty-two percent of the roads are rated as fair, and 33 percent are in poor condition. Gov. Whitmer’s 2020 “Rebuilding Michigan Program” included $3.5 billion of one-time bond financing, accelerating major highway projects on state trunklines. To erase decades of underinvestment and meet future needs, decision-makers should increase dedicated funding for roads, re-tool fee models, prioritize traffic safety, and improve resilience to worsening environmental threats.

Aarne Frobom, senior policy analyst at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and Troy Hagon, MDOT director of government affairs, break down the proposals.

Among those discussed:

• House bills 4132 and 4133. These bills, resurrected after very nearly making it to the governor’s desk in 2022, would allow the use of cameras to enforce speed limit violations in state trunkline work zones. As discussed on a previous podcast, the cameras have had a positive impact in other states.
•  Senate bill 43. This legislation, also debated and nearly adopted in the previous legislature, would:
  • Require the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to use concrete barriers or equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers when closing a freeway or a portion of freeway for construction, improvement, or repair.
  • Specify that the requirement would not apply if the freeway or portion of freeway were closed for not more than three days for an emergency repair, utility crossing, maintenance, or other short-duration operation.
  • Allow MDOT to exercise its engineering judgement in designing and placing concrete barriers or equivalent crashworthy temporary traffic barriers and associated traffic control devices for each closure of a freeway or portion of freeway. 
• House bills 4352 and 4353 would allow for MDOT to restrict highway lanes to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and allow road agencies to open a HOV lane to other classes of vehicles (trucks or automated vehicles). The legislation also allows enforcement of I-75 HOV lanes and Detroit and Grand Rapids bus lanes. 

House Bill 4132 has bipartisan sponsorship that has generated a great deal of discussion. The podcast now follows up on talks when the similar bill was discussed in the previous Legislature. 

Some key points from the previous podcast: 

• In 2006, Illinois became the first state to authorize the use of automated traffic enforcement programs to enforce speed limits in highway work zones, with implementation coming a few years later. The enabling legislation provided a legal framework for photo enforcement of speed limits in highway work zones. 
• In the summer of 2022, some Michigan lawmakers, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, leaders in labor organizations, and the road building industry witnessed demonstrations on Michigan freeways on how the technology works.  

The podcast first featured a conversation with Juan Pava, Safety Programs Unit chief, Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering at the Illinois Department of Transportation, about how the enforcement has worked there.  

Later, Lance Binoniemi of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), talks about why he and his members are advocating for the previous House Bill 5750, and what he learned from the demonstrations. 

1. To create a level playing field on which DBEs can compete fairly,
2. To mend but not end the DBE program, and
3. To make the DBE program more effective and efficient for all participants.

In a second segment, Rhonda Rowe, owner and chief executive officer of Rowe Trucking, LLC in Detroit, talks about how the program has helped her family business thrive for several decades. Her business is among those highlighted in a special MDOT initiative.

In this episode, retired Detroit Free Press reporter and editor Bill McGraw talks about what he learned in his reporting about the history of the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley neighborhoods on the city’s east side. Black business owners and residents were displaced as city administrations dating back to the 1940s pursued an urban renewal plan that included eventual plans for a freeway through the neighborhood.

McGraw explains how a once thriving Black business district on Hastings Street, with banks, hospitals, clothing stores, restaurants, and other service providers, was destroyed to make way for development that largely benefitted white developers and residents. 

One Detroit Free Press story (paywall) describes in rich detail what was lost:

"One of many notable establishments was Sunnie Wilson’s sprawling Forest Club, at Forest and Hastings. It featured a 107-foot bar, bowling alley, banquet hall and a two-story roller-skating rink. Beginners went upstairs."

Later this week, another podcast episode will feature a conversation with Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who has strong family connections to the neighborhoods, and he talks about what the project means to him. We’ll also talk about a major economic development announcement this week that he participated in with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as Ford Motor Co. unveiled plans for a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.

• Launching a first-state strategy for future mobility, the MI Future Mobility Plan
• Building America’s first road custom-built for driverless vehicles
• Building America’s first road that charges an electric vehicle (EV) while it drives
• Leading development of a signature EV route around Lake Michigan
• Led America’s first feasibility study for cross-border drone skyways
• Created the Midwest’s first airport innovation lab in Grand Rapids
• Developed a first-of-its kind partnership to attract 5,000 tech workers to the Michigan Central innovation district in Detroit
• Co-led the creation of Michigan’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) plan ($110 million for EV charging)
• Invested in the first autonomous, electric bus on a university campus

• The I-96/Fruit Ridge Avenue interchange improvement project will redesign and rebuild an important freight-handling interchange located in the city of Walker, Michigan, an agricultural and manufacturing hub of west Michigan. The project serves a substantially rural workforce, which swells the city's daytime population by more than 60 percent as they commute to and from Walker industries producing products for regional and international markets through Detroit, Chicago, the Muskegon Harbor Deepwater Port, and Canada.

 Other relevant links:

Analysis of the supplemental appropriations legislation
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2023-2024/billanalysis/House/pdf/2023-HLA-0007-96D50F76.pdf 

A December announcement of a nearly 200,000-square-foot industrial facility near the interchange
https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2022/12/whats-being-built-at-walker-intersection-its-big-and-its-industrial.html

Some 35 states have at least one facility with tolling. But that number is a little deceiving because Michigan would be counted in that total since there is tolling on big bridges and/or international crossings but no tolling on non-bridge road segments.

Morris says the experts analyzed all 31 highways in Michigan for the study and determined that 14 could become toll roads, including large portions of Interstates 75, 94 and 96.

As Bridge Michigan reported, any tolls would take years to implement and require approval from the Legislature and the governor, among numerous hurdles. 

Morris talks about the differences between various road user charge (RUC) options, including mileage-based user fees (MBUF) and tolling and how pilot programs seeking people to participate have been voluntary, so far, including one in Oregon that has generated a lot of discussion.

Other relevant links:

A 2019 Epic-MRA poll of Michigan voter views on tolling.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Programs/Planning/Tolling/MDOT-Fees-EpicPoll.pdf

Some things the study will cover, including managed lanes and how they work.
https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/managelanes_primer/     

Why Michigan doesn’t have tolling. Some history.
https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/-/media/Project/Websites/MDOT/Programs/Planning/Tolling/MDOT-Toll-Roads.pdf

•  All structures at the ports of entry are under construction.
• Construction of the ramps connecting from the U.S. Port of Entry to I-75. 

Grondin also highlights the sustainability components of the project, which are receiving international recognition. She also explained the varied community-benefit programs that are helping neighbors of the bridge with home improvements and offering funding for some 20 non-for-profits supporting local communities in the Delray neighborhood of Detroit and the Sandwich neighborhood in Windsor.

Among the projects discussed: 

• I-69/I-475 in Flint, rebuilding bridges and 2 miles of highway.
• I-75/US-23 in Mackinaw City, repaving and a new bridge for US-23 over I-75, $12.3 million.
• US-2 in Bessemer, rebuilding of the road and storm sewer upgrades, $9 million,
• I-496 in Lansing, rebuilding/repairing of 17 bridges and nearly 3 miles of road, $80 million.
• US-31/I-94/I-196 in Benton Harbor, rebuilding 3.5 miles of I-94 and building new bridges at Britain Avenue and Benton Center Road, $94 million.
• Second Avenue Bridge over I-94 in Detroit, replacing the original structure with the state's first network tied arch bridge, $26 million
• I-96 in eastern Kent County, rebuilding more than 2 miles of the expressway between Thornapple River Drive and Whitneyville Avenue, $15 million.

Wieferich also talks about some of the unique challenges MDOT staff and contractors face because of the pandemic, inflation, and supply chain issues.

Guests include Aarne Frobom, a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) senior policy analyst, and Troy Hagon, director of the department’s Office of Governmental Affairs. 

Both agreed that two bills aimed at streamlining the funding process for local road agencies, and adopted with bipartisan support, were among the most significant. Senate Bill (SB) 0465 allows local road agencies to participate in a federal aid swap with the state to reduce overall repair costs. 

Another bill, SB 466, authorizes the use of state funds to replace the federal dollars directed to MDOT under SB 465. Michigan joins several other states employing the buyout strategy. 

Other significant legislation included SB 706, a national first in paving the way for dedicated automated vehicle lanes on state routes, also adopted with bipartisan support. Specifically, the legislation authorizes MDOT to designate automated vehicle roadways, enter into agreements with technology partners to operate them, and allows for a user fee to be assessed.  

Two other bills discussed on the podcast failed to get a vote in the final session of the year: House Bill 5734, which calls for the department to expand the use of temporary barriers for worker protection in segments of roads under construction, and SB 1151, aimed at providing toll operators with a mechanism for collecting unpaid tolls. 

Among the highlights, or pillars, Pawl outlines:

Transition and grow our mobility industry and workforce.

• Invest in bus rapid transit and spend $10 million to revive the state’s mobility challenges to solve employment and equity barriers.  
• Fund a public relations campaign to enhance Michigan’s sustainability leadership.  
• Scale the Michigan Electric Vehicle (EV) Jobs Academy.  
• Create a global center of excellence for responsible artificial intelligence.  

Provide safer, greener and more accessible transportation infrastructure

• Expand Michigan’s Alternative Fuel Corridor opportunities for clean hydrogen and commission a study on hydrogen applications in commercial traffic.  
• Develop accessibility standards for EV chargers.  
• Create a state EV consumer incentive.  
• Fund a $45 million bus electrification program.  
• Expand use of sinking funds to support electric school bus deployments.  
• Support Phase Two of the MDOT work zone safety pilot program.  
• Design a clean fuels standard that works for Michigan.  

Lead the world in mobility and electrification policy and innovation

• Invest $30 million in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology development. 
• Pass legislation to preserve Michigan’s uniform, statewide automated vehicle policy.  
• Keep up the annual support for state mobility agencies’ capacity.  
• Pass legislation to create a mobility research and development talent tax credit.  
• Continue advocating to federal policymakers on important connected vehicle issues.  

Michael Case, a planning specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) who oversees development of the program, talks about the history of the process. He also discusses the challenges of trying to forecast the future with ongoing uncertainty over transportation funding, inflation and climate change. 

Case also breaks down project highlight focus areas as outlined in the report:

• Equity and inclusion,
• Transportation resilience, and
• Complete Streets/multimodal. 

This is the second time the program has included those areas. Case explains how these inform the plan, as well as the plan's emphasis on each focus area across MDOT’s seven regions and its support of various mobility modes. 

Case explains how he and his colleagues endeavor to engage even difficult-to-reach audiences to be sure they are included in the public involvement process and weigh in on their unique transportation needs.

Among the challenges Hoeffner discusses: 

• Purchasing equipment to enhance riders’ experience and ensure dependable service;
• Resolving congestion with freight lines on the Indiana portion of the Detroit-Chicago corridor; and
• Working with communities along passenger lines to establish stations where it makes sense but balance that need with travel time.

Hoeffner also talks about the state Legislature and federal government pitching in funding for a study of a passenger line between Ann Arbor and Traverse City.  

Traverse City-based Groundwork for Resilient Communities has been a leading advocate of A2TC project. The Cadillac/Wexford Transit Authority will work in partnership with Groundwork and a team of partners to complete the planning study.

On Oct. 11, chief executive officers from six state departments of transportation signed a pledge, saying they are committed to streamline processes for obtaining necessary disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) certifications, improve payment time and expand access to financing to help underserved businesses.

Michigan Department of Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba was among the leaders signing the pledge. He talks about the importance of the event and what it means to him.

Saying it was high honor to be included in the event, Ajegba talks about both the symbolic and tangible benefits of signing the pledge. He says this demonstrates a commitment to make sure federal dollars are distributed in an equitable way to shore up DBE and other programs.

Ajegba also explains that it involves a bigger-picture view and looking at barriers holding back DBEs.

In the second segment, Phil Washington, CEO of the Denver International Airport and President Biden’s nominee to head the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), discusses his role in co-founding EIP.

"You can see the urgency behind our cause in how quickly this coalition is expanding with the participation of some of the largest public contracting entities in the nation," Washington said in the news release about the event. "As we improve America's transit systems, airports and other infrastructure, we must be focused on improving people's lives, too."

Washington also discusses the support and shared commitment of the White House.

Picking up on last week’s conversation with Richard Czuba, a veteran Michigan pollster and founder of the Glengariff Group, Howard talks about results from a recent Glengariff poll that asked Michigan voters for their perceptions of road conditions and repairs and how those results fit with what she’s seen at the national level. 

Howard says contrary to common belief, lawmakers have largely not paid a price for raising taxes or fees that fund transportation infrastructure when voters understand where the money is going and can see the results. 

Howard also addresses the health of the Highway Trust Fund and why the “donor-state” concept is no longer an issue in Michigan and other states (save, perhaps for Texas, where she says officials would make a different argument).  

The federal government has used the General Fund to compensate for the diminished Highway Trust Fund for several years now, while the federal gas tax has not been raised since 1993. AASHTO officials have cited the cost of other items in 1993 versus now and how transportation infrastructure has suffered because of the lack of action.  

Is the Highway Trust Fund model broken? Howard discuses the history of the fund going back to its origins in 1956 and some discussion about whether transportation should be funded like other federally supported discretionary programs. 

“The conventional wisdom and accepted course for the future is moving away from the gas tax as the method for funding transportation and to a mileage-based fee,” Howard says, which recalls previous podcast conversations about funding roads like public utilities.

Among issues discussed:

• What drives perceptions of road conditions. Is it mostly informed by how rough the pavement is on the street where a person lives or a local arterial or freeway used for commuting?
• Demographic breakdowns in the polling and differences in perception by gender and age group. 
• Czuba’s research over the years and his conclusions about why people might be expressing more optimism about road work in Michigan.
• Perceptions of the Rebuilding Michigan bonding plan.

As Czuba told the Detroit News when the poll was released: “It’s a perfect example of the voters aren’t stupid — they can actually make sense of what the issues are, who’s doing what.”

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, first, Patrick “Shorty” Gleason, a long-time member and chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, shares his memories of many walks with friends and family. As an iron worker, his father, Mike Gleason, helped build the bridge, and Shorty talks about the legacy and his own experience as an iron worker.

Later, Cole Cavalieri, assistant chief engineer at the Mackinac Bridge, talks about the ongoing work to maintain the bridge, projects in the works or planned for the future, and the pride he takes in watching people experience the bridge during the annual walk. 

He also discusses recent challenges in maintaining the bridge, including the changing climate’s role in altering freeze-thaw cycles and causing ice to melt and fall on the driving lanes.

Last week, some Michigan lawmakers, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, and leaders in labor organizations and the road building industry witnessed demonstrations on Michigan freeways of how the technology works. 

On this edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, first, a conversation with Juan Pava, Safety Programs Unit chief, Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering at the Illinois Department of Transportation, about how the enforcement has worked there. 

Later, Lance Binoniemi of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), talks about why he and his members are advocating for House Bill 5750, and what he learned from the demonstrations. 

Some key themes: 

• Both transportation professionals and researchers generally agree that active enforcement is the most effective way to reduce speeding in work zones. However, speed enforcement in work zones is not always as simple as posting police in the work zone. Oftentimes work zones are not conducive to active enforcement by officers. For example, the work zone layout may limit both the number of safe locations where officers can position their vehicles and the number of pull-off areas where violators can be stopped.
• Active enforcement may also mean that officers will need to leave the work zone to cite a vehicle (which decreases enforcement visibility) or step out of their vehicles in the work zone (which opens them up to the risk of being struck by a passing vehicle).
• Alternatively, photo speed enforcement systems provide active enforcement while remaining stationary, and they can consistently cite more drivers, which can increase compliance with posted speed limits. 
• Another benefit of using fixed camera systems is that they don’t require officers to risk injury or death by exposing themselves to vehicles moving at high speeds through the work zone. Studies of these systems in general have shown that their use could result in a reduction in injury crashes of as much as 20 to 25 percent.

On a new edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist talks about what this means to him as a neighbor of the corridor. 

Per the grant application:

MDOT and the city are collaborating on a project to rebuild a portion of Michigan Avenue to support a safe, innovative, and multimodal travel corridor. The project will re-apportion space in the right of way to accommodate several new and improved multimodal facilities, including:

• Expanded sidewalks and pedestrian amenities like seating, lighting, and street trees.
• Raised bike lanes at sidewalk level for areas with existing lanes, new dedicated and buffered bike lanes in downtown, and bike racks.
• Two dedicated center-running lanes for transit vehicles and for connected and autonomous vehicles. Transit vehicles will have signal priority to limit waiting time.
• Improved amenities, like concrete transit islands and new shelters.
• Improved markings and islands for additional/enhanced midblock pedestrian crossings.
• Two new traffic signals for intersections. 

Gilchrist talks about how these added benefits will transform the neighborhood and how the project spells good things to come for Corktown, a diverse neighborhood with a rich history.

Podcast photo: Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. Photo courtesy of Lt. Gov. Gilchrist's Office.

Michigan House Bill 5750 would allow the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Michigan State Police (MSP) to set up automated speed enforcement systems in segments of state roads where work is being performed. 

First, John Osika, a veteran of Operating Engineers 324, representing heavy equipment operators, talks about the need for this legislation and other measures to protect workers. He recently penned an op-ed for Bridge Magazine laying out the reasons he and his colleagues support HB 5750.

He also discusses close calls he observed first-hand while working on projects.

Later, Lindsey Renner, MDOT construction operations engineer who is transitioning from her role as work zone manager, talks about the potential benefits of automated speed enforcement. These benefits have been measured in other states, including Maryland where a 2016 report documented a 10 percent reduction in speeds in Montgomery County.

The House Fiscal Agency analysis says the bill would limit use of automated speed enforcement system to streets and highways under MDOT jurisdiction (state trunkline highways) and only in work zones when workers are present. The bill would have no impact on local road agencies.

The bill earmarks civil fine revenue from violations of section 627c first to MDOT, by implication for the cost of installing and using automated speed enforcement systems. The bill directs MDOT to deposit civil fine revenue from violations of section 627c in excess of the costs of installing and using automated speed enforcement systems into the Work Zone Safety Fund, established in the bill as a restricted fund for the purpose of improving work zone safety. 

In order to access those federal funds, in Michigan’s case, $110 million, states are required to submit a plan to the federal government. MDOT submitted the plan on Thursday, July 28, but the development involved several state agencies and other partners. 

This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features a conversation with two of the people who worked on the plan: 

—   Niles Annelin is a policy section manager at MDOT and spearheaded the department’s efforts on the plan.

—   And Judd Herzer, director of strategic policy at the Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity (LEO) and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.

Among the most vital themes emphasized in the plan is equity. Annelin talks about the extensive efforts the team took to ensure to maximize benefits to disadvantaged communities. Herzer explains how a work force development initiative serves that goal. 

Specifically, the plan says the state will seek to “maximize benefits to disadvantaged communities, as well as rural and underserved communities, in alignment with the Justice40 Initiative” and will “foster a diverse pipeline of workers in EV-related careers” and “equity-driven workforce training.” 

Other highlights from the Michigan NEVI Plan include:

• A strategic vision for how Michigan will use its $110M NEVI funds to “develop a safe, equitable, reliable, convenient, and interconnected transportation electrification network that enables the efficient movement of people, improves quality of life, spurs economic growth, protects Michigan’s environment, and facilitates data collection.”
• Strategic goals to “reduce GHG emissions economy-wide by 28% below 2005 levels by 2025, en route to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050; and build the safe, convenient, affordable, reliable, and equitable infrastructure necessary to support two million EVs on Michigan roads by 2030.” A goal which supports the governor’s MI Healthy Climate Plan
• That the Plan was developed with the input of over 200 stakeholder entities, 10 state agencies, and the general public. 
• That the State will utilize its existing programmatic infrastructure through Charge Up Michigan (EGLE) to administer NEVI funds for Alternative Fuel Corridor buildout of a safe, reliable, accessible, and commercially viable charging network. 

This week on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, first, a conversation with the chief sponsor of House Bill 5315, State Rep. John Damoose. Later, Patrick "Shorty" Gleason, chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA), explains why the MBA took the rare step of adopting a resolution in support of the legislation.

HB 5315 would add the Mackinac Bridge to the list of key facilities, as well as any movable bridge in the state: the Zilwaukee Bridge, the Rouge River Bridge, the MacArthur Bridge, and all international crossings, including the Ambassador Bridge, the Blue Water Bridge, the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and the International Bridge.

Gleason also talks about a separate motion adopted by the Authority in opposition to Senate bills 1014 and 1078 concerning the transport of farm equipment across the bridge on I-75. 

The motion reads:

"I move that the Board agree that the MBA's Bridge Director and this Board's Special Committee acted in good faith by thoroughly evaluating whether the proposed bills regarding farm implements could be modified to become bills that this Board could support. In the end, these individuals determined that the proposed bills and variations of them, if signed into law, would compromise the structural integrity and operations of the Mackinac Bridge and the safety of motorists who travel on the Bridge. They accordingly recommend, for these reasons, that the Board oppose the proposed bills or variations of them. I so move for the Board's agreement and support."

The $269 million project, allowing for the use of shoulders as travel lanes during peak travel times, is MDOT’s second use of the traffic innovation. In 2016 and 2017, contractors built the first phase of a Flex Route, a $125 million investment on US-23 north of Ann Arbor. 

A project is in design now for a second phase, at an estimated cost of $146 million, to extend the Flex Route from north of 8 Mile Road to I-96. 

Travis says the Oakland County project is on schedule and talks about the three-year timeline. He also touts the safety and efficiency benefits the added capacity during peak travel hours will provide.  

Funding for this project is made possible by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program to rebuild the state highways and bridges that are critical to the state's economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy is aimed at fixes that result in longer useful lives and improves the condition of the state's infrastructure. 

First, Beckie Curtis, who is the incoming director of the Bureau of Bridges and Structures, talks about her career path to civil engineering, what she’s learned along the way and why she is especially passionate about bridges. 

Having worked with bridges for more than 21 years, with 15 of those with MDOT, Curtis has served the department as a load rating engineer and bridge management engineer before becoming the deputy chief bridge engineer in 2018. In this position, she served as the administrator for the Office of Structure Preservation and Management and led the teams responsible for the National Bridge Inspection Program and Structure Preservation. 

Curtis discusses the importance of asset management and how she will face the challenges of trying to maintain safe structures after decades of under-investment in transportation in Michigan. 

Later, Demetrius “Dee” Parker, who has been named director of the Bureau of Development, talks about the various positions he’s held at MDOT and how they prepared him for the new post, overseeing everything from the design of road projects to acquisition of real estate, and permitting billboards. 

Parker has worked for the department for almost 30 years and brings a diverse background to the position and has more than 20 years of managerial experience in a variety of roles:

•         Served for the past three years as the University Region engineer.

•         Previously appointed as the Southwest Region engineer, administrator of the Contract Services Division, and manager of the Jackson Transportation Service Center. 

The final segment features a conversation with Brad Wieferich, who has been named MDOT’s chief operations officer and chief engineer. He recalls how he began to explore civil engineering at the suggestion of a high school physics teacher.  

Wieferich also talks about how his decades of experience with MDOT, and in the private sector, prepared him for the new position. Beginning in 1995, he held positions in MDOT's Bay, University, and Southwest regions. He also served as engineer of design and then director of the Bureau of Development.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Carol Flannagan, director of the Center for Management of Information for Safe and Sustainable Transportation (CMISST) at the  University of Michigan (UM) and research professor at UM's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), talks about her research and theories about the epidemic of speeding and other risky behavior. 

This comes as the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are once again partnering on a regional traffic safety campaign. As noted in their news release: "As part of the 'Great Lakes, High Stakes' campaign, dozens of municipal, county and Michigan State Police (MSP) law enforcement agencies across Michigan will focus on speeding drivers between June 18 and 26." 

Among other topics, Flannagan talks about the challenging decisions for auto manufacturers in rolling out automated vehicle (AV) technology. She acknowledges that it's much easier for AVs to communicate and predict what other vehicles will do rather than what humans will do.

 She also discusses: 

• Effectiveness of high-visibility enforcement and impacts on driver behavior.
• Crash stats. From 2011 to 2019, fatalities were flat, but in July 2020 the rate of speeding-related fatalities spiked.
• Frontal automatic emergency braking is effective, reducing frontal crashes by 50 percent.
• Manufacturers have been shifting from warning systems for drivers to automatic systems, which is much more effective. 

Also discussed, the resistance and challenges to acceptance of Advance Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and projections for broad adoption. Just this week, the NHTSA released data on the topic, but there are concerns about context. 

And a reference to a supercut video of Elon Musk predicting the timeframe for broad deployment of AV technology. 

Podcast photo: Carol A. Flannagan, Ph.D., Research Professor, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

As negotiations proceed on Michigan state government’s fiscal year 2023 budget, Hamilton explains the challenges and how things are unique with a needed infusion of federal dollars through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), following relief from federal pandemic funds. 

Hamilton also talks about the IIJA’s impact in Michigan. This analysis breaks down the benefits to states.  

Acknowledging Michigan’s decades of underinvestment in transportation infrastructure, he talks about the history of the discussion and the reasons why it has been so difficult for Michigan policymakers to agree on a long-term and sustainable funding solution. 

 Other relevant links: 

A primer on the legislative act that lays out the funding formula for roads in Michigan at the state, county and city/village levels
https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/archives/pdf/act51.pdf 

An HFA fiscal brief: MTF Distribution Formula to Local Road Agencies
https://www.house.mi.gov/hfa/PDF/Alpha/Fiscal_Brief_MTF_Distribution_Formula_to_LRA_Mar2022_Update.pdf 

Perspective from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments https://semcog.org/desktopmodules/SEMCOG.Publications/GetFile.ashx?filename=PerspectiveOnMichiganRoadFunding.pdf 

·      Is it time to rethink transportation funding and treat roads as public utilities with a similar rate-making process?

·      Would an MBUF be subject to periodic increases when justified by increased operating and capital costs, via a public process? 

·      What’s in it for the driver? 

·      How many old systems of assessing fees and taxes would this alleviate?

·      Could this finally separate road-user fees from fuel prices?

The discussion comes as Section 615 of House Bill 5791 asks MDOT to conduct a study of the feasibility of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as a basis for transportation funding in replacement of motor fuel taxes. 

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Peter Anastor, who directs the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Office of Rail, talks about the economic benefits to the rail companies and businesses they serve. 

Buttigieg made the case for the grants in an op/ed published in the Detroit Free Press: 

President Biden tasked us with strengthening our supply chains, speeding the movement of people and goods, increasing production, and helping usher in newer, cleaner and cheaper energy - all of which will lower costs for families. And thanks to the president’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have the resources we need to do just that. 

The grants include $21.3 million for a proposed project to improve track and rail assets operated by the Great Lakes Central Railroad just north of Ann Arbor, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. 

The second grant of up to $8.7 million will go to the West Michigan Railroad Co. to pay for infrastructure improvements on roughly 10 miles of track in southwest Michigan. 

Anastor also discusses other exciting improvements going on with passenger rail service in Michigan, including ongoing enhancements on the Detroit-Chicago corridor to increase speeds to 110 mph. Elsewhere, advocacy continues for Traverse City-to-Ann Arbor passenger rail service.

The announcement follows last year’s roll out by the governor of plans for a Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit.

In his role with the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, Pawl works hard to bring together private industry and government officials to find solutions to mobility challenges, including range anxiety.

Pawl explains why Rivian, an electric vehicle maker and automotive technology company, under an operating agreement between Adopt a Charger and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, will be providing open-network, Level 2 Rivian Waypoints chargers at no cost to the state or taxpayers.

He also underscores how identifying creative partnerships and opportunities can help with significant progress “in creating a safer, more equitable and environmentally conscious transportation future for all Michiganders.”

Later, Ed Golder, director of communications at the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, explains how the partnership will work. He also talks about why it makes sense, given the number of people who visit Michigan state parks each year. He says visits to the parks soared during the pandemic and officials expect the trend to continue.

From the governor’s news release on the announcement:

From Warren Dunes State Park in the southwest corner of the Lower Peninsula, north along the Lake Michigan “gold coast” and additional points inland, an estimated total of 30 chargers are scheduled to be installed as part of the first phase of the project with the next installations beginning in summer and continuing through the year. 

“This project will not only benefit Michigan in the near term but will also pay dividends far into the future as we move toward a sustainable energy future,” DNR Director Dan Eichinger said. “From these EV charging stations, to installations of solar arrays that power fish hatcheries and other facilities, to building with mass timber and our innovative carbon sequestration development, we are working to improve the environment as we update our own portfolio.” 

“Today’s announced partnership between the DNR and Adopt a Charger fits nicely with MDOT's goal to enhance connectivity," said Michigan Department of Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. "This also compliments the ongoing work by MDOT and our colleagues in other state departments to deliver on a vision for a Lake Michigan Electric Vehicle Circuit.”

Podcast photo: Electric vehicle charging options being installed at a State Park along Lake Michigan. 

Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), joins the podcast to explain the federal guidelines for the inspection and rating of all bridges on the National Bridge Inventory (NBI) and how his team works with other road agencies and contractors to ensure bridges are safe. 

The MDOT website includes an interactive feature that shows the location of bridges across the state along with information about age, condition and the date of the last inspection. A newly added page  provides inspection data on more than 70 Detroit-area pedestrian bridges over state trunkline routes. 

Chynoweth underscores, again, that if any bridge, whether it carries vehicles or pedestrians, is found to be a danger, it will be closed. 

In the wake of a bridge collapse in Pittsburgh earlier this year, reporting focused on national bridge conditions. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), one in three U.S. bridges either needs repairs or to be replaced.   

Chynoweth echoes what many others have said: The lack of bridge funding is part of a broader problem with underinvestment in our transportation system. Michigan's per-capita transportation spending has lagged behind other Midwest states for decades. This has compounded the challenge of upgrading our bridge conditions. How big is the challenge? MDOT estimates it would require $2 billion just to get all state-owned bridges up to good or fair condition, and another $1.5 billion for local agency owned bridges.

Podcast photo of a pedestrian bridge in Detroit.

Later, MDOT Finance Director Patrick McCarthy makes a repeat appearance to outline the Rebuilding Michigan bonding program and explain how it benefits the state. 

Brunner talks about several high-profile projects that involve completely rebuilding busy segments of freeways including: 

• I-96 Flex Route in western Oakland County,
• I-275 in western Wayne County,
•  I-69 near Flint,
• I-94 in Jackson, which includes installation of a diverging diamond interchange (DDI) at US-127, the third DDI in Michigan, and
• I-196 west of Grand Rapids in Ottawa County. 

In his overview of the bonding program, McCarthy explains why the ratings agencies looked so favorably on the sales and how they sold at a premium. 

He also explains how, with recent increases in the costs of materials and labor, MDOT’s issuance of the first rounds of bonds were especially timely and produced even more savings than previously expected. Looking in the bond sales also helped avoid some of the increases from inflation.

Podcast photo: I-69/I-475 interchange Rebuilding Michigan project in Flint.