Talking Michigan Transportation

This week on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about the rich history of the Delray neighborhood in southwest Detroit and why an author and archivist believes building the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB) is helping to fuel a rebirth of the community. Karen Dybis, who has been researching the history and culture of Delray for several years, talks about what she’s learned researching history and recording oral histories with residents. Later, Mohammed Alghurabi, the long-time Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) project manager on the GHIB, talks about the relationships he’s developed in the neighborhood over many years and his appreciation for the residents. Mohammed shared his background with other projects and his work on the GHIB on the podcast in 2019.In an extensive Detroit News story (subscription) published Dec. 10, reporter Christine Ferretti wrote: "After more than a half-century of neglect, the industrialized southwest Detroit community in the footprint of the under-construction $4.4 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge is finally getting attention. The city is in the midst of what's believed to be the first planning effort of its kind to help define Delray's future with a mix of development to spur jobs and amenities for its long haulers."Also discussed: the ongoing redevelopment of the Detroit Riverfront and MDOT’s collaboration with other partners on projects that will enhance opportunities for pedestrians and cyclists from east of downtown to the multi-modal components of the GHIB.Dybis also explains how the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority’s Community Benefits Plan promises to ensure economic, environmental and social benefits for residents and business owners in neighborhoods on both sides of the bridge. As she told the News, "You expect the bridge to be the enemy or the bad guys, and they are so not. That's the reason why things are getting better. They are actually trying to get money to people who haven't had money in decades."

On this week’s edition of Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a discussion about how the pandemic could affect snowplowing. Gregg Brunner, director of MDOT’s Bureau of Field Services, talks about contingency planning for battling winter during a pandemic.An Oct. 26 MDOT news release explained that the goal of MDOT and its partner agencies remains clearing highways to bare pavement as quickly as possible after a winter storm. If MDOT or local contract agencies are temporarily affected by COVID-19 infections or associated quarantines, it may take longer to reach this goal.Brunner talks about innovations in clearing snow and ice along with practices adopted by MDOT where winter maintenance officials are always looking for ways to stretch taxpayer dollars by making salt go further, which also provides environmental benefits. To that end, MDOT is working with the Montcalm County Road Commission to pilot the use of a brine mixture on one state route this winter. Also, the Michigan House Transportation Committee reported a bill this week that would require MDOT to pilot a program on using organic additives to control ice and snow on roads. SB 379 would require MDOT to work with at least one road agency to look at substances, like sugar beet molasses, and submit a report on its findings no later than June 30, 2025. The results of the program would look at cost and environmental impacts, as well as develop best practices. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.A perennial question during winter storms is why more salt is not being used. Brunner explains how temperatures determine when salt is used and when it loses effectiveness.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, experts in intelligent transportation systems and connected and automated vehicle research react to Wednesday’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) action. Guests include Debra Bezzina, managing director of the Center for Connected and Automated Transportation at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), and Collin Castle, MDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems program manager.The background: The five FCC members voted unanimously Wednesday to free up more spectrum for Wi-Fi, despite strong protests from all 50 state transportation departments, leading university research institutions and other national leaders. The vote allows for Wi-Fi usage in what's known as the 5.9 GHz band of spectrum. For more than 20 years, the spectrum has been set aside for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications using Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) technology."On Nov. 18, the FCC unanimously voted to value streaming video entertainment above human life," Bezzina said.Later, Bezzina explains why the decision could ultimately devalue technology investments from UMTRI, MDOT and other agencies.ITS America President and CEO Shailen Bhatt was among those who reacted strongly to the commission's action. "ITS America is but one of dozens of transportation safety organizations that have been sounding the alarm about the implications of this action… In a time in which we are rightly focused on following science and data, it is inexplicable that the FCC is willfully disregarding the advice of experts," he told Traffic Technology Today. Bezzina also questions the legality of the FCC action and predicts multiple lawsuits.MDOT's Castle talks about why this represents a "pause" for progress in researching and supporting connected and automated vehicle development and what a transition to other technologies would look like and how to adapt devices. He also explains how DSRC works.Connected vehicle photo courtesy of the U.S.  Department of Transportation.

On this week’s edition of Talking Michigan Transportation, Detroit Free Press reporter Kristi Tanner talks about her extensive reporting on the condition of bridges in Michigan. On Thursday, Oct. 29, Tanner spoke about her findings to a virtual conference of Michigan’s Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC). She explains how, despite some more funding for roads and bridges included in the state Legislature’s 2015 road funding legislation, Michigan’s roads and bridges continue to deteriorate. After the legislation was signed, a study from the 21st Century Infrastructure Commission outlined in extensive detail why a wide gap continues to exist between what is being allocated for roads and bridges and what’s needed. Tanner also cites Michigan’s ranking - 42nd nationwide for road spending for every 10,000 vehicle miles traveled - and a report highlighting the facts from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. Other key links to topics: Tanner’s extensive reporting on the topic. When local road agency officials work with MDOT to make difficult decisions about closing some bridges. How Michigan’s TAMC offers support to all of the state’s more than 600 road agencies to track bridge conditions and help officials make data-based decisions about how to allocate resources and most effectively maintain the state’s bridges. 

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a discussion about a new video emphasizing the need for drivers to slow down when driving through road construction projects. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer talks about MDOT’s “drive like you work here” message and why it is important as more major roads will be rebuilt in 2021. The governor explained her Rebuilding Michigan plan during the Jan. 31 edition of the podcast.As a Sept. 25 news release explained, while there are fewer motorists on the roads, the number of road and work zone fatalities are on the rise. The increase in crashes and fatalities comes at a time when the department is reporting a 20 percent decrease in overall statewide traffic volumes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.As of September, 730 people have died on Michigan roads. That's an increase of 58 deaths compared to this time last year. In September, vehicles struck two on-the-job road workers, who died from their injuries.Later, a conversation with Steve Wessels, a veteran maintenance supervisor at MDOT who was featured in a Fox 17 story talking about efforts to stay safe while working alongside heavy vehicle traffic.Wessels shares his stories from the road and how he trains workers to protect themselves on projects.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation Podcast, conversations about excessive speeds and more traffic deaths since the pandemic began. Despite traffic volumes still being down an average of 20 percent across the state due to the pandemic, fatal crashes are on the rise. In fact, Michigan State Police tell us that 64 more people have died on Michigan’s roads than at this time last year. First, Michigan State Police First Lt. Michael Shaw discusses what he is seeing in his role as the department’s public information officer in Metro Detroit. Then, Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), discusses the issue from a national perspective. Lt. Shaw says speeds soared on Michigan freeways during the earliest days of the pandemic and stay-at-home orders. One person was stopped driving 180 mph on I-75 in Monroe County in April.  There are many theories: open roads and reduced congestion, and police making fewer stops early in the outbreak to limit face-to-face contact. GHSA’s Adkins says traffic deaths were somewhat stable for the first six months of the year but even that is not good news given the reduction in traffic.  GHSA issued a news release Thursday saying the data presents serious concerns. The release cites the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) in-depth analyses of highway safety data during the COVID-19 pandemic that affirms concerns voiced by GHSA in April based on trends reported in the spring by state highway safety offices. Far too many drivers saw open roads as an invitation to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, driving under the influence and driving unrestrained. GHSA’s members have daily reported speeding violations of 100 miles per hour and higher on highways and local roads throughout the country. For too long, speeding has been the forgotten traffic safety issue, even though it is a factor in nearly a third of all roadway deaths. Adkins also talks about flaws with setting speed limits based on the 85th percentile. In fact, a GHSA report in 2019 examining speeding-related fatalities concluded that research has shown raising speed limits to match the 85th percentile speed increases the average operating speed of the roadway, consequently increasing the 85th percentile speed.He also offers insights on what safety messages resonate, especially with younger drivers.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a discussion about the long-term challenges for transportation infrastructure presented by a volatile climate. First, Hugh McDiarmid Jr., director of communications at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, joins to talk about the High Water Action Team convened earlier this year by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Wednesday, Gov. Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-182 and Executive Directive 2020-10 to create the MI Healthy Climate Plan. The governor’s comprehensive plan will protect Michiganders’ public health and the environment and help develop new clean energy jobs by putting Michigan on a path toward becoming fully carbon-neutral by 2050. "The science is clear, and message urgent: the earth’s climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization, and human activities are largely responsible for this change,” says the executive directive.McDiarmid explains that Michigan’s water levels are at their highest in more than two decades, causing millions of dollars in damage to private property and public infrastructure, like roads and bridges. Traffic has been disrupted across the state as flooding and high water flowed over roads and bridges. The problem is particularly acute on the Lake Michigan shore, where roads have been under water in Benton Harbor, Montague, Whitehall, Pentwater, and Elberta in Benzie County. Inland areas have also suffered damage as well as roads near Lake Huron.Erosion severely damaged the popular Little Traverse Wheelway between Charlevoix and Petoskey and a study indicated restoration could cost millions.Matt Chynoweth, MDOT’s chief bridge engineer and director of the department’s Bureau of Bridges and Structures, joins the podcast to talk about the perils high water presents for bridge supports, and MDOT’s intensive inspection procedures. Chynoweth explains that the issue is not so much the annual precipitation totals but more about the increased frequency of extreme events. Given the median age of bridges in the state, he details how MDOT inspectors monitor bridges and structures around the state during these more frequent and higher intensity flooding events. He also explains the concept of bridge scour and why the sustained high water is of particular concern.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, MDOT Finance Director Patrick McCarthy talks about the process and work leading up to the sale of $800 million in bonds to finance rebuilding several freeways with the state’s heaviest traffic volumes.Later, the discussion focuses on the first high-profile project made possible through the bond sales, rebuilding I-496 west of Lansing, with MDOT Lansing Transportation Service Center Manager Greg Losch and Jason Early, MDOT construction engineer on the project.The bonds closed today will cover the cost of rebuilding some of Michigan’s most highly traveled freeways, including the $60 million I-496 project. When all of the $3.5 billion bonds are sold over the next few years, they will finance or help accelerate rebuilding or major improvements of 122 major highways across the state. “For too long, our freeways have been held together with patches and emergency repairs,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a news release. “The Rebuilding Michigan program assures Michiganders across the state that they can drive to work and drop their kids at school on safe and reliable roads for many decades to come. It has also allowed us to start moving dirt this year, without an increase at the gas pump.”In a unanimous vote on Jan. 30, the Michigan State Transportation Commission (STC) authorized the department to issue and sell $3.5 billion in bonds backed by state trunkline revenues. Gov. Whitmer spoke on the podcast at the time about her Rebuilding Michigan plan, rolled out in her 2020 State of the State address, and the STC vote. Bond Buyer reported on the bond sale in August, observing that while the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt recent collections of pledged revenues, sturdy coverage ratios provide a cushion that the state is banking on to see the credit through the current fiscal storm. "Michigan's state trunkline bonds are not susceptible to immediate material credit risks related to coronavirus because of strong coverage of debt service and limits on additional leverage," Moody's said. "The longer-term impact will depend on both the severity and duration of the crisis." Moody’s concluded that the lack of investment has taken a severe toll on the state’s transportation assets.

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation with state Rep. Leslie Love on the passion and commitment she brought to honoring Aretha Franklin with a memorial highway designation on M-10 (Lodge Freeway) in Detroit.https://housedems.com/leslie-love/about/https://mdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e4838c1a08b64979b5e08f33909f5575On Monday, Rep. Love joined MDOT Director Paul Ajegba, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and Franklin family members and friends to unveil the Aretha L. Franklin Memorial Highway signs.Rep. Love recounts the challenges moving the legislation to formalize the memorial designation for the highway and why this was personal for her. "That's not just a sign, it is a symbol. And it's a reminder of the struggle and the victory," Love said.https://housedems.com/queen-of-soul-memorial-highway-moves-forward/Lt. Gov. Gilchrist: "She enabled movements that changed people's lives."Gov. Whitmer paid tribute to Ms. Franklin's work to empower women, invoking a signature lyric: "She taught generations of women to demand R E S P E C T."Ms. Franklin's granddaughters Victorie and Grace Franklin offered a stirring a cappella rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 38 made their facilities available for the event and provided audio and logistics support.View a video news release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-DiNr2I1Z8&feature=youtu.be.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a recap of Thursday’s connected corridor announcement. https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2020/08/michigan-cavnue-creating-road-of-future-between-ann-arbor-and-detroit/Guests: Trevor Pawl, State of Michigan chief mobility officer, and Collin Castle, manager of the Michigan Department of Transportation's (MDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems program.https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2020/07/michigans-office-of-future-mobility-and-electrification-formally-launches-sets-course-for-economic-growth-job-creation/https://www.automotive-iq.com/events-automotivecybersecurity/speakers/collin-castleThursday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the State of Michigan has entered into a contract with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), the urban innovation business of Alphabet (Google’s parent company), to build a first-of-its-kind automated vehicle-only corridor that stretches from downtown Detroit to Ann Arbor. SIP has established a new entity, Cavnue, to work with MDOT, Ford and the University of Michigan to develop the corridor.https://cavnue.com/ Joining the governor for the announcement were Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist; MDOT Director Paul Ajegba; Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) Director Jeff Donofrio; Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford Motor Co.; U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow; U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell, Brenda Lawrence and Rashida Tlaib; and Khalil Rahal, assistant Wayne County executive.Speakers focused on the economic opportunities and why it makes sense to continue mobility pioneering where the auto industry was born.As Bloomberg NEF analyst Alejandro Zamorano-Cadavid said in a Bloomberg story, "Given the auto-tech cluster already in Michigan, it makes sense for the state to provide a corridor that will help its biggest industry adapt to a world with less cars and increasingly more shared autonomous vehicles."https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-13/michigan-cavnue-are-developing-40-mile-driverless-car-corridor