On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with a trunkline pavement strategy specialist about how the work in his area helps inform investment decisions. 

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.   

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, analysis and takeaways on two major announcements related to the future of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging 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.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with the state’s chief bridge engineer about the dire forecast for bridges without additional funding.

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.

On this week’s edition of the Michigan Department of Transportation podcast, Scott Bowen, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), addresses concerns about access to the beach for campers at the highly popular Traverse City State Park, which is divided by US-31.

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.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Baruch Feigenbaum of the Reason Foundation returns to talk about developments in Michigan for a road user charge (RUC) model for funding roads. 

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 this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Gregg Brunner, chief operations officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), about recent deadly crashes in or near work zones. 

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).

This week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Podcast features a reprise of a 2022 conversation with a veteran Michigan pollster about the public’s view of road conditions, repairs and funding. At the time, the pollster, Richard Czuba, talked about perceptions of improvements because of Gov. Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program, which allowed MDOT officials to capitalize on a favorable bond market to rebuild many of the state’s busiest roads. The department leveraged debt to make vital improvements, but the need for a sustainable funding solution persists.

As road work continues across Michigan, police are on high alert for speeding and distracted drivers causing crashes during backups.

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

The Zipper Merge Explained With Kids
youtu.be/TLAISm1XuHQ

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

Congressional leaders of various infrastructure committees have shown some interest in adopting a multi-year surface transportation reauthorization bill, offering departments of transportation and contractors some certainty, well ahead of the current act’s expiration in 2026. 

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.

On this week’s episode of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about states studying or piloting road usage charges (RUC).

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.

Earth Week 2025 came with a positive development for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) on efforts to implement a pilot program for analyzing wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) and learn ways to design safer crossings.

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.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, another conversation with Bill Hamilton, a senior analyst at the Michigan House Fiscal Agency (HFA). The HFA is a nonpartisan agency that helps the Michigan House of Representatives in developing the state budget.  

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.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Brian Travis, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project manager overseeing the rebuilding of the central segment of I-696.
 
The work, which began in March and will continue through most of 2027, involves closing the eastbound lanes of I-696 from M-10 and Lahser Road east to I-75.
 
 Travis explains that this is the last of three phases of the "Restore the Reuther" project, a $275 million rebuilding of the freeway. In 2019, the state completed work along the easternmost portion, along with the western end in 2023 and 2024.

The conversation also includes an update on MDOT’s second flex route, this one on I-96 in Oakland County. The project is nearing completion as crews prepare for the use of ramp metering to regulate the flow of traffic to the freeway. 

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

A few days after a massive ice storm rocked northern lower Michigan, many thousands remain without power while crews from power companies, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other state and local agencies continue the cleanup and rebuilding process.

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. 

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations with state Sen. John Damoose and Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) Chairman Patrick “Shorty” Gleason about legislation to shore up protections of the bridge from trespassers. 

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. 

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Zach Kolodin, the state’s chief infrastructure officer, breaks down the highlights of a road funding plan released by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office on Monday, Feb. 10.

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.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Zach Rable, a federal policy specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation, who talks about priorities for funding as a new Congress convenes.

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.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Art Green, manager of the Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center, about some federal grants announced recently for his area.

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.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Brian Travis, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project manager overseeing the rebuilding of the central segment of I-696.

The work will begin in March and continue through most of 2027, and involves closing the eastbound lanes of I-696 from M-10 and Lahser Road east to I-75.

Travis explains that this is the last of three phases of the "Restore the Reuther" project, a $275 million rebuilding of the freeway. In 2019, the state completed work along the easternmost portion, along with the western end in 2023 and 2024.

A complete closure makes sense, Travis says, for the safety of drivers and the construction contractor’s employees.

Travis also talks about the history of the freeway, which was originally conceived as I-98 in the earliest discussion of the Interstate system. The center segment was completed years later than the eastern and western portions because of various obstacles, including a lack of agreement among community leaders on the corridor about the exact route. Progress came about only after then-Michigan Gov. George Romney forced the various leaders to gather in a room and come to an agreement.

On this week's edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Margaret Barondess, a manager in the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) environmental section who is retiring from state government, reflects on her career.

More than 50 years ago, Congress adopted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Barondess, who worked for MDOT for 33 years, explains how the act informs planning for transportation projects in Michigan and department efforts to at once protect our air, waterways, wildlife, and plants and minimize inconvenience to travelers.

While critics of NEPA have argued for scaling back the need for environmental impact statements, supporters tout NEPA's role in saving money, time, lives, historical sites, endangered species and public lands while encouraging compromise and cultivating better projects with more public support.

Barondess also talks about the challenges and rewards she and her team have experienced in recent years, including the success protecting some threatened species on a segment of I-75 in Monroe County with a corridor conservation action plan. 

On this week’s episode of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Brad Wieferich, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation, talks about his background overseeing development and design of road projects and the challenge of balancing mobility and safety.

With strong winds churning up lake-effect snow on Michigan’s western lakeshore, police agencies have reported dozens of crashes. Despite ongoing messages from law enforcement and safety advocates, drivers often fail to drive to the conditions.

Wieferich talks about what officials learned from a study conducted after a 193-vehicle pileup on I-94 near Galesburg resulted in the Michigan State Police issuing 58 citations.  

Also discussed:

• 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.

As lower Michigan braces for the first significant snowfall of the seasons, we’re reprising a Talking Michigan Transportation episode from when the department launched a program to name snow plows. 

This episode features a conversation with Iain McDonald of Transport Scotland, about their program to name the plows, or “gritters” as they call them. 

Later, MDOT’s Nick Schirripa joined the conversation to talk about some of the creative names people submitted for plows here.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about mental health challenges for people who build and maintain roads and bridges. 

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. 

On this week’s 200th edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Bill Milliken Jr., vice chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority and son of the state’s longest-serving governor.

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.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a return visit by Brian Travis, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project manager on the I-96 Flex Route in western Oakland County, which is wrapping up soon. 

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.