Talking Michigan Transportation

The busy US-23 freeway south of Ann Arbor, closed more than two weeks because of safety concerns about an overhead railroad bridge, reopened to traffic Tuesday morning (Sept. 28). Craig Heidelberg, engineer of operations at MDOT’s Brighton Transportation Service Center who worked with the contractor doing the repairs and helped oversee the project, talks about mobilizing quickly so the freeway cou...

This week on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, following two important announcements from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer solidifying Michigan’s commitment to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, a conversation with two of the people helping to make the ideas a reality.  First, Elsa Givan, an analyst at Silicon Foundry who is working with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Mich...

Last week, after inspectors discovered severe damage to a bridge that carries rail cars over the US-23 freeway near Milan, Michigan, engineers made the difficult decision to close the road and pursue emergency repairs. The damage came to light upon a more in-depth inspection of the bridge that revealed severe structural damage from a high-load hit involving a truck traveling underneath in late Aug...

Coming off the successful return of a cool Michigan tradition, the Mackinac Bridge walk on Labor Day, this week’s podcast revisits the condition of our state’s other bridges and some creative proposals to fund replacement and repair of state and local structures.   First, for some national perspective, a conversation with experts in performance management and bridge conditions at the American Asso...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. After the pandemic forced cancelation last year for the first time since the inaugural walk to mark the bridge’s dedication in 1958, walkers and runners will once again descend on St. Ignace and Mackinaw City on Monday, Sept. 6.  James Lake, MDOT’s North Region media relatio...

This week on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, an update on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program as the deal closes on another $800 million in bonds. The bonds closed today will cover the cost of rebuilding some of Michigan's most highly traveled freeways. When all of the $3.5 billion bonds are sold over the next few years, they will finance or help accelerate r...

The U.S. Senate this week adopted a sweeping $1 trillion infrastructure bill that includes $550 billion in new revenue for roads, water systems, electric vehicle charging, broadband, rail, and transit. Lloyd Brown, the former chief spokesperson for the American Association of State Transportation Officials (AASHTO), now with HDR, Inc.,  joins the conversation to share national perspective.   Later...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Michigan’s chief mobility officer, Trevor Pawl, about a major announcement Thursday to help with one transportation challenge we all experience: finding a parking space.  Speaking at the Center for Automotive Research Management Briefing Seminars Thursday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer offered details on a smart-parking l...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about the past, present and future of MDOT’s Transportation Diversity Recruitment Program (TDRP).   The 10-week program allows students to work alongside other on-the-job training program participants, internal staff and external professionals who provide engineering, technical, inspection, and project management services for st...

On this edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Brad Sharlow, point person on MDOT’s state long-range transportation plan, talks about the extensive engagement and public involvement involved in the process. Michigan Mobility 2045, or MM2045, is the department’s ambitious project to look into a big crystal ball and see what our needs will be and how mobility will factor into how we...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation with Adam Wayne, a construction engineer in the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Metro Region, who is helping coordinate repairs to I-75 in the wake of a massive tanker crash and fire July 12.   The tanker, carrying 13,000 gallons of fuel, crashed into a barrier wall on I-75 in Troy, igniting a fire that closed both sides of the...

A year after the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) sold the first group, or tranche, of bonds in Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan plan , the finance team is preparing to sell another $800 million worth in August. First, Patrick McCarthy, director of MDOT's Bureau of Finance, explains why the market has reacted so favorably to the sale of bonds to repair...

On the latest Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about the ongoing process to rethink the 1-mile I-375 freeway in Detroit and consider other alternatives.   First, Margaret Barondess, manager of the environmental section at the Michigan Department Transportation, talks about the ongoing discussions that could reconnect neighborhoods near downtown Detroit, severed decades ago w...

After a deluge that caused flooding across Metro Detroit and overwhelmed power sources for pumps that help remove water from freeways, there are a lot of questions about how to address these challenges in the future.  Rob Morosi, senior media relations representative for the Michigan Department of Transportation in the Detroit area, joins the podcast to talk about long-term innovative solutions.  ...

This week, a discussion about more evidence that the severity of highway crashes increased during the pandemic, seat belt use declined , and the number of Black people killed in crashes rose by 23 percent.   First, Peter Savolainen, Michigan State University Foundation professor of civil and environmental engineering and an extensive researcher on road user behavior, joins the conversation to shar...

This week, the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee began debating a $547 billion highway bill, which, among other things, resurrects an old practice: the use of member earmarks for projects.  On this week's podcast, Susan Howard, program director for transportation finance of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, talks about the process, th...

This week, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters joins the podcast to talk about his advocacy for President Biden’s comprehensive infrastructure proposal, The American Jobs Plan. Peters is traveling the state to advocate for the administration’s plan. He was in Grand Rapids Wednesday for conversations with a number of representatives involved in various components of infrastructure, including MDOT Director Paul A...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, talks about what tourism industry officials expect as pandemic restrictions are relaxed and Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer vacation season.  While travel is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels, AAA forecasts 1.1 million Memorial Day weekend travelers in Michigan this year, a 57...

In the wake of a presidential visit to the Dearborn Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center and a subsequent announcement about production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning truck, this week’s podcast examines charging infrastructure in Michigan.  In the first segment, Aarne Frobom, a senior policy analyst at the Michigan Department of Transportation who has been studying a package of bills related to...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with three people who participated in an MDOT public service announcement , explaining why they received a COVID-19 vaccine and think others should, too.  First, Kim Henderson, who manages MDOT’s Graphic Design and Mapping Unit, talks about why she felt it was important, as a Black woman, to share her testimonial. She has been...

On Tuesday, Michigan hosted the National Work Zone Awareness Week event in the midst of a Rebuilding Michigan project on M-59 in Macomb County. On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Stephanie Boileau, county highway engineer for the Chippewa County Road Commission and president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Traffic Safety Services Association (A...

In recognition of Earth Day, this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features a conversation with Margaret Barondess, who manages the environmental section at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). More than 50 years ago, Congress adopted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Barondess reflects and explains how the act informs planning for transportation projects in...

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Doug Hecox, acting director of public affairs at the Federal Highway Administration, shares his insights on the origins of interstate highways and wrestles with unanswerable questions about the future.   Hecox likes to remind people that the Interstate Highway System is "the largest human-built thing in the world." The discussi...

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, a conversation with Andy Doctoroff about his op-ed published in the Detroit Free Press examining President Biden’s American Jobs Plan in the context of historic investments in U.S. infrastructure.   Doctoroff, who has made previous appearances on the podcast in his capacity as the governor’s office’s point person on work to build the Gordie Howe Inte...

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, analysis and speculation about what President Biden is likely to include in his much-anticipated proposal to address the nation’s inadequate and crumbling infrastructure.   Lloyd Brown, director of communications for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), returns to the podcast to talk...