Talking Michigan Transportation

Why does a foundation promoting libertarian ideas support tolling for transportation infrastructure funding? Feigenbaum expands on his commentary supporting Michigan’s tolling study and also talks about:https://reason.org/commentary/michigan-moves-to-study-interstate-tolling-as-way-to-improve-highways/- The value of being able to travel freely on a road whenever you choose, not just the use but options created by perpetual availability. Who is benefitting and should pay for it - just the person on the road or also the person or business at the destination?- The enthusiasm for tolling in Texas and other states 10 to 15 years ago has waned. Should we expect renewed interest?- Feigenbaum’s belief that tolling is less regressive than fuel or sales taxes and models that design for social equity.- How we arrived at this point. The challenge of raising revenue even for something as essential to our economy as roads in a climate where lawmakers take anti-tax pledges.- Feigenbaum’s observations about modern technology and how it has reduced the cost of tolling infrastructure. The cost of toll collection, once as high as 25 percent of revenue in the 20th century, is now less than 10 percent on tolled facilities. Most experts believe that as tolling and technology continue to improve, the overall cost of collection will decline to less than 5 percent, roughly equivalent to the gas tax.Other relevant links:A 2019 Epic-MRA poll of Michigan voter views on tolling.https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/MDOT_Fees_EpicPoll_669728_7.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/documents/mdot/MDOT_Toll_Roads_Brochure_548788_7.pdf

Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the creation of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification and named Trevor Pawl as the state’s chief mobility officer. Pawl has extensive experience in business development for the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) and has been a leader for PlanetM, a mobility initiative representing mobility efforts across the state.https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2020/07/michigans-office-of-future-mobility-and-electrification-formally-launches-sets-course-for-economic-growth-job-creation/Pawl talks about his plans for the new office and the intention to take advantage of ongoing collaborative efforts between the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), MEDC, and other government agencies, as well as academia and private industry.Also discussed: the life-saving benefits of technologies automakers are developing on the road to further automation of vehicles. As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) observes: Driver assistance technologies in today’s motor vehicles are already helping to save lives and prevent injuries. A number of today’s new motor vehicles have technology that helps drivers avoid drifting into adjacent lanes or making unsafe lane changes, warns drivers of other vehicles behind them when they are backing up, or brakes automatically if a vehicle ahead of them stops or slows suddenly, among other things. These and other safety technologies use a combination of hardware (sensors, cameras, and radar) and software to help vehicles identify certain safety risks so they can warn the driver to act to avoid a crash.Here are some other links and references from this week’s edition:PlanetM initiative: https://www.planetm.com/A December 2019 conversation on the podcast with John Peracchio, who chaired the Michigan Council on Future Mobility: https://soundcloud.com/talkingmitransportation/talking-michigan-transportation-the-michigan-council-on-future-mobility-driverless-cars-toll-roads-and-electric-vehicle-chargingNHTSA focus on automated vehicles and safety: https://www.nhtsa.gov/technology-innovation/automated-vehicles-safetyThe Economist on investments in electric vehicles: https://www.economist.com/business/2019/04/17/big-carmakers-are-placing-vast-bets-on-electric-vehicles

On this week’s edition of Talking Michigan Transportation, Jeff talks with Andy Doctoroff, the governor’s point person on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, about a significant Michigan Court of Appeals ruling related to the project. Later, Mark Butler, director of communications for the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), talks about last week’s Community Organization Investment (COI) announcement.First, in a unanimous decision published June 18, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling in rejecting the Detroit International Bridge Co.’s challenges to the agreement that allows MDOT to work with the Canadian government to build the bridge.Gov. Whitmer praised the ruling."We are very pleased that yet another court, this time the Michigan Court of Appeals, has affirmed the agreement between Canada and Michigan to build this vital bridge,” the governor said in a statement. “This emphatic ruling means progress will continue on a project that is spurring growth and creating good-paying jobs in Detroit, Windsor and across the region.”Community benefitsLast week, the WDBA announced recipients for July 2020 COI funding. Butler explains why community benefits are an important part of the work to build the bridge and the WDBA’s ongoing commitment to the residents, businesses and community organizations on both sides of the border. He also affirms the commitment to opening the bridge in late 2024.This year’s COI recipients will receive funding in July 2020. The projects include:• Sandwich First Baptist Church: Sandwich Underground Railroad Freedom Museum• Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Windsor Essex Central Council: Helping Hands Friendship Centre• Friends of the Court: Spreading Our Roots• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windsor Essex: Big Neighbourhood – Sandwich• Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA): Binational Detroit River Cleanup• Les Amis Duff-Bâby: Grand Opening Event - Duff-Bâby Mansion• West Vernor & Springwells Business Improvement District (BID): The Bid Is Open for Business!• Bridging Communities, Inc.: Southwest Expanded Seniors Services• Ste. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church (Food Pantry): Food Pantry Equipment and Replacement Expansion Program

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation about mid-Michigan flooding and MDOT efforts to restore roads and bridges. Guests include Jocelyn Hall, MDOT’s Bay Region media relations representative, and Matt Chynoweth, MDOT’s chief bridge engineer who oversees the MDOT Bureau of Bridges and Structures. After days of heavy rains that began May 17 and breached dams near Midland, several roads and bridges were heavily damaged from what is considered a 500-year event. The flooding and rapid currents were especially catastrophic in the Tittabawassee River. MDOT engineers moved quickly to put an emergency contract in place, which allows for restoring the US-10 bridges over Sanford Lake. Of the routes damaged in the region, that route is the busiest for commercial and commuter traffic. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer toured the site Wednesday with MDOT Director Paul Ajegba. MDOT’s Bay Region associate engineer for construction, Jason Garza, answered the governor’s questions and explained the emergency process to repair the bridges.https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2020/05/how-a-spring-rainstorm-became-a-500-year-flood-event-in-mid-michigan.htmlhttps://www.wnem.com/news/mdot-awards-contract-to-repair-us-10-bridges-over-sanford-lake-following-floods/article_ba735ac4-9d38-11ea-9b4e-db3c86aaaad0.htmlWhile many of the most devastating images came from Midland, several other counties in the region sustained flooding damage, prompting the governor to add those to the State of Emergency declaration.https://www.michiganradio.org/post/governor-expands-state-emergency-declaration-include-arenac-gladwin-and-saginaw-countiesChynoweth talks about the specifics of inspecting, repairing and rebuilding the many bridges damaged by the rushing waters. He explains the concept of scour and how floods and rapid currents erode soil surrounding bridge foundations. The issue was especially acute during these historic flooding events.https://www.ayresassociates.com/bridge-scour-care/With climate change and sustained high water creating headaches for shoreline communities across the state and officials from several state agencies planning for more, Chynoweth discusses the challenges of planning and building more resilient transportation infrastructure, especially during an ongoing period of underinvestment.https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/03/great-lakes-high-water-is-going-to-affect-everyone-in-michigan.htmlYou can see more photos and find out other information about the routes affected by the flooding at this story map tour.https://mdot.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=b67dbc1fa24d4a0f9478381dc41c1677

This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast includes conversations about whether the federal government will provide any relief for transportation agencies in the wake of declining fuel tax revenues because of the pandemic. First, Lloyd Brown, director of communications at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, offers his analysis of the ongoing Congressional discussions.Later, MDOT Finance Director Patrick McCarthy talks about Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program and plans to sell some of the bonds this year.Will there be help from Washington?Many scholars and analysts have argued that this is an opportune time to raise the federal gas tax, last increased in 1993, not indexed to inflation, which has increased 77 percent since then. Writing in The Hill, Bernard L. Weinstein, associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute and adjunct professor of business economics in the Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University, makes the case for doing something now.https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/492748-this-is-prime-time-to-increase-the-federal-gasoline-taxThe inflation-adjusted cost of gasoline today is about where it was 50 years ago. Weinstein questions whether Congress will squander a unique opportunity to hike the federal gasoline tax, replenish the Highway Trust Fund, and rebuild America’s critical road and bridge infrastructure.His thinking is in line with that of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has advocated for a 25-cent increase in the federal gas tax.“Our nation’s infrastructure is deteriorating and only getting worse. By 2025, our crumbling infrastructure will cost American businesses $7 trillion,” said Chamber CEO Tom Donohue. “Today’s announcement … is an important step forward on the path to rebuilding America’s infrastructure.”Says House Transportation Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon: “And just like the New Deal of the 1930s, the best way to re-start our economy and put workers first is with a massive investment in the kind of infrastructure that will help future generations succeed - from better bridges and roads to robust transit and passenger rail service, to fully functioning ports and harbors, to modernized waste and drinking water systems, and widely available broadband internet.”U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, after initially balking at aid to states in another round of stimulus and suggesting they could default, amended his stance and suggested there could be some relief. But his and administration proposals come with what Democrats consider some poison pills, calling for a pandemic liability shield and payroll tax cuts.https://www.usnews.com/news/economy/articles/2020-05-05/liability-protection-looms-over-next-coronavirus-stimulus-packageRebuilding MichiganMDOT’s McCarthy explains the bond sale process and how it will support the Rebuilding Michigan plan. Earlier this year, Gov. Whitmer asked the State Transportation Commission (STC) to authorize bonds to rebuild some of the state’s busiest freeways. The STC voted to authorize up to $3.5 billion in bonds.https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9621_14807_14810_59639---,00.htmlThe first project in the plan, the rebuild of I-496 west of Lansing, began April 1. McCarthy explains that the project is being funded with existing revenue that will be reimbursed when the bonds are sold.https://www.m

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Jeff talks with:Ron Jackson, MDOT maintenance coordinator in the Taylor Transportation Service Center, about what it’s like maintaining some of the state’s busiest freeways during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ron and Jeff also talk about how his workers stay safe.Also, this week is National Work Zone Safety Awareness Week. Courtney Bates, who coordinates safety messaging in the MDOT Office of Communications, talks about the challenges in this year’s campaign because of the pandemic and creative efforts to share the message.First, Ron talks about the importance of maintenance work and his compelling video to launch MDOT’s new Selfies From the Field series, an occasional feature highlighting transportation workers who clear debris from roads, mitigate washouts from flooding, patch potholes, and inspect repairs during this time of crisis. They support thousands of healthcare workers traveling to their double shifts at hospitals, truck drivers who haul our bread, milk, meat, and vegetables to the grocery store, and the people who stock the shelves and those who ring us out. Transportation workers do their jobs so all the other essential workers are able to do theirs. #MDOTSelfiesFromTheFieldhttps://www.facebook.com/69882284926/posts/10157815481104927/Ron is also the MDOT’s Metro Region safety officer, and he talks about methods he employs to emphasize to maintenance crews the dangers inherent in working near traffic.Staying safe in work zones takes on special significance this week with the annual national campaign to make drivers aware of the men and women working on the roads and bridges we rely on everyday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqnaZsvGMtg&feature=youtu.beAn MDOT video pays tribute to critical infrastructure workers and the importance to stay alert in work zones.https://youtu.be/07_a57Ma27wCourtney talks about her work with MDOT’s work zone safety team to prepare to host this year’s national event, which was canceled because of COVID-19. The event had been planned for the American Center for Mobility, dovetailing this year’s “We Can Do It” theme with the center’s former life as the Willow Run assembly plant and “Arsenal of Democracy,” converted from auto manufacturing during World War II to famously crank out more than one B-24 bomber per hour. The folk hero Rosie the Riveter is also part of the plant’s lore. View more photos of the era in this Detroit News gallery.https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/94614-how-fords-willow-run-assembly-plant-helped-win-world-war-iihttps://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/local/michigan-history/2020/04/05/home-front-detroit-arsenal-democracy-during-world-war-ii/5118374002/Also discussed: creation of the poster that honors the men and women working on the roads in the spirit of Michigan’s labor legacy.https://www.michigan.gov/workzonesafety/0,9411,7-390-97919---,00.html

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, how COVID-19 is affecting mobility, how MDOT is supporting relief efforts, and the 2020 construction season.First, Scott Greene, manager of MDOT’s Utility Coordination and Permits Services section, talks about the decision to exempt from seasonal weight restrictions trucks hauling food and vital supplies for relief efforts. https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9620_11057-521703--,00.htmlFollowing MDOT’s decision to waive the restrictions for specific vehicles, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order ordering those same exemptions for local road agencies as well as MDOT. The order also requires all road agencies to expedite the permitting process for non-seasonal load restrictions. https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499_90705-521893--,00.htmlThe governor’s order also requires road agencies to suspend restrictions on the noise and timing of deliveries that meet immediate needs related to relief efforts.Next, Jean Ruestman, director of the MDOT Office of Passenger Transportation, talks about the effect on public transit services and how agencies are adjusting. The largest operators of public buses in Metro Detroit are waiving fares for riders in response to the crisis as are some other agencies around the state. https://detroit.curbed.com/2020/3/12/21176549/coronavirus-covid-detroit-ddot-bus-cancelWhile the health crisis is thinning crowds on public transit across the country, Ruestman talks about the vital role these services play in getting people to and from work, doctor’s appointments, and retail outlets for food and medicine.http://www.chicagotribune.com/coronavirus/ct-biz-cta-metra-coronavirus-public-transit-20200317-fdf67yu7y5h5rea2zoyytmrqrm-story.htmlTo see what’s going on at various transit agencies across the state, access their home pages.https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9625_21607-31837--,00.htmlIn related news, Amtrak has made several service changes. In Michigan, these include suspending passenger rail service on the Pere Marquette between Grand Rapids and Chicago and reduced service on the Wolverine line, connecting several Michigan cities with Chicago.https://www.amtrak.com/nec-modified-schedule Finally, Gregg Brunner, director of MDOT’s Bureau of Field Services, joins the podcast to talk about whether the health crisis will have any effect on the coming construction season.

A decade of higher-than-average rainfall and the devastating effects on state infrastructure is the topic on this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation. The conversation begins with Andy Dixon, a National Weather Service hydrologist who detailed the facts at a High Water Summit convened by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Feb. 10. https://www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-47796-519367--,00.htmlFollowing the conversation with Dixon, Brad Wieferich, director of MDOT’s Bureau of Development, talks about the impact of sustained high water on roads and bridges. An extended period of higher-than-average rainfall, record-high levels of the Great Lakes, inland lakes and swollen rivers and streams has eroded shorelines and made some roads impassable.Daily Great Lakes levels, as tracked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, remain well above their long-term average and continue to break records. In July 2019, the monthly mean level broke the record high July level, and it is the lake’s highest recorded July monthly level mean since 1918, the beginning of its period of record.http://lre-wm.usace.army.mil/ForecastData/GLBasinConditions/daily-GLWL-Graph.pdfKey facts illustrated by Dixon in his presentation at the High Water Summit:- Overall, the last 10 years have been much wetter than normal across the Great Lakes states.- As a whole, the state of Michigan is in the middle of the wettest one-year, three-year, and five-year periods since records began more than 120 years ago.- Storms occur with more frequency. The previous average would have been 12-20 events in Michigan with waves of 10 feet or higher in fall/winter. Just through Jan. 21, we had 16-plus. https://www.michigan.gov/documents/mdot/Spring_Flooding_Risks_EGLE_683531_7.pdfThe phrase is over-used, but is this the new normal? Whether it is or not, U.S. climate policy is unlikely to change dramatically anytime soon, says Amy Harder, energy and climate change reporter at Axios. As Harder wrote earlier this month, “Congress is likely to remain gridlocked on the matter.”https://www.axios.com/climate-policy-changes-unlikely-7ecf6cc3-c42c-4d7c-b492-41d73433a015.htmlMDOT’s Brad Wieferich talks about the impact the high water is already having on state roads and bridges and what the long-term impact could be. As he told the Detroit Free Press: Absent some interjection of federal disaster relief funds (which could only come if Michigan and then the federal government declared portions of the state as disaster zones, something that has not occurred), the regular state road budget, used to fix roads and bridges crumbling from age and wear, would have to bear those huge additional costs.https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/02/10/road-fixes-record-high-water-levels-could-top-100-million/4718140002/Also discussed: the impact of rushing water on bridges and monitoring techniques for what is termed “scour.”https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,4616,7-151-9622_11045_24249-487016--,00.html

This week, on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Jeff talks with Dennis Kolar, managing director of the Road Commission of Oakland County, about his op/ed challenging the notion that a long-term fix for Michigan’s roads lies in changing the distribution of funds to the state’s 600-plus road agencies.https://www.rcocweb.org/directory.aspx?EID=7In the commentary, published in Crain’s Detroit Business Feb. 16, Kolar observed that the legislation outlining the allocation of road funds has been revised a number of times since the act was adopted in 1951 and none of the changes grow overall revenue. https://www.crainsdetroit.com/other-voices/commentary-fixing-formula-road-funding-wont-fix-real-problem https://www.michigan.gov/documents/act51simple_28749_7.pdfAn excerpt:"In other words, our Legislature has always done a good job of updating the act when needed to address the ever-changing transportation world. This process has occurred through careful deliberation and a recognition of the many and varying transportation funding needs facing Michigan.Unfortunately, most recently, there has been a knee-jerk reaction to our current funding crisis. Rather than providing truly adequate funding to address our transportation needs, some have instead proposed to change the Act 51 funding distribution formula so that population is the dominant factor."Now lawmakers again are proposing changes in the distribution formula without any plan to increase revenues overall. This is despite the Transportation Asset Management Council forecast that nearly 50 percent of pavement in Michigan will be in poor condition by the year 2030.https://www.whmi.com/news/article/mueller-bill-change-road-funding-formulahttp://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mitrp/tamcDashboards/reports/pavement/forecast

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Brad Williams, director of government affairs for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, expands on his legislative testimony in support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan plan.https://www.michigan.gov/MDOT5YearPlanWilliams testified before the House Standing Committee on Transportation Tuesday and explained why the $3.5 billion bonding component of the Rebuilding Michigan plan is an important part of the solution now. View Williams' testimony (9:50-32:35): http://www.house.mi.gov/SharedVideo/PlayVideoArchive.html?video=TRAN-021120.mp4 Also discussed was testimony from Craig Thiel of the Citizens Research Council, who talked about the need for a long-term funding solution and a preference for bonding only against new revenues. The Council has previously testified on the degradation of Michigan’s transportation infrastructure and need to invest at all levels. A 2019 CRC report explored the benefits of offering local communities more options to raise road revenues. https://crcmich.org/publications/evaluating-michigans-options-to-increase-road-fundingHouse bills 4963 and 4964, as analyzed in this Michigan Municipal League blog, would allow local communities to seek fuel taxes and registration fees. http://blogs.mml.org/wp/inside208/2019/09/13/legislature-proposes-road-reforms-that-include-allowing-local-gas-taxes-and-registration-fees/Williams also talks about a bill voted out of the Senate that instructs the Michigan Department of Transportation to hire an outside consultant to study the feasibility of tolling some Michigan roads.http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2019-2020/billanalysis/Senate/pdf/2019-SFA-0517-F.pdf