A Black History Month view from a veteran Michigan transportation leader

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation with Robert Davis, who retired from MDOT in 2021 after working across three administrations as a senior adviser and community engagement leader on large projects in Metro Detroit. 

Sharing his passion for public service, Davis talks about his work as a senior adviser and cabinet member for former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and his work at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) from 2007 until 2021. 

Davis, who also worked for the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) and the administration of former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, talks about his years working with residents and community leaders to address concerns as various projects took shape. 

Reflecting on what transportation planners have learned over the years, he talks about the coming transformation of the I-375 corridor in Detroit and how projects that displaced minority residents and supplanted Black neighborhoods are viewed differently now. As discussed on a previous podcast, while discussions about restoring the I-375 corridor to an urban boulevard date back several years, the conversation has added resonance because U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has put an emphasis on connectivity and rethinking freeways.  

Buttigieg emphasizes the importance of making sure "a community’s voice and input is baked into a project."

Podcast photo: Robert Davis, retired MDOT employee.