Talking Michigan Transportation

As unscrupulous actors continue to impersonate government agencies and target unknowing people with texts about unpaid tolls, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel this week reissued a consumer alert . 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 sc...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation recapping a Sept. 4 panel discussion in Lansing featuring a thoughtful discussion among experts from various fields on the need for sustainable transportation infrastructure funding and why it’s such a challenge. John Peracchio, who helped organize the event and moderated the discussion, says he was pleased with the comments of...

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 r...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a focus on jobs tied to road and bridge building. 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 fe...

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 sh...

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 transportati...

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 remo...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Garrett Dawe, engineer of traffic and safety for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talks about a pilot project to study the use of safety cameras for automated enforcement in school zones.  An appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2025 state budget called for MDOT to conduct a pilot project on automated speed enforcement in school...

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 Transportatio...

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...

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...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, some context from elsewhere on freeway ramp metering, where it works well and why. 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 o...

After a long hiatus, Michigan is again implementing ramp metering , which helps regulate the flow of traffic from ramps onto busy freeways. It will be used on the I-96 Flex Route portion in 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...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a check-in with Joann Muller, the Detroit-based transportation correspondent for Axios. 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...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation 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, inclu...

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 Transport...

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 r...

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 O...

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 an...

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 $...

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 abou...

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 thi...

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...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a repeat appearance by Joann Muller, the Detroit-based transportation correspondent for Axios. She talks about how tariffs are affecting the auto industry, how automakers are reacting and what the future might hold. Muller also shares insights from reporting on a  new design for aircraft (a blended wing body airframe) that Delt...

Jason Gutting joins the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast this week to talk about his role as director of MDOT’s Bureau of Field Services. 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 en...