Using license plate readers to solve and thwart crimes

Using license plate readers to solve and thwart crimes

How police are using license plate readers to solve and thwart crimes

Early in 2022, the Detroit News reported that criminals had taken to the city’s freeways to settle arguments with guns and avoid the city’s network of high-definition surveillance cameras at gas stations and other locations. Michigan State Police reports show at least two shootings happened every month on Wayne, Oakland and Macomb county freeways in 2021. And that is despite increased police patrols that were launched in response to what officials said was then an unprecedented wave of high-speed violence.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/13634342-how-police-are-using-license-plate-readers-to-solve-and-thwart-crimes

TMT - How police use license plate readers

First Lt. Michael Shaw of the Michigan State Police joins the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast this week to talk about how license plate readers are being deployed to help.

F/Lt. Shaw

Later, he talks about how excessive speeding continues even as the pandemic subsided and more vehicles returned to the roads. He talked about the increase in speeding and fatal crashes on a previous edition early in the pandemic.

Other relevant links: 

https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/virginia-supreme-court-sees-through-police-claim-license

https://www.dhs.gov/publication/st-automated-license-plate-reader-fact-sheet

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/rise-in-preventable-traffic-crashes-leading-to-spike-in-serious-injuries

Using license plate readers to solve and thwart crimes

Managing floods when there’s nowhere for the water to go

Managing floods when there’s nowhere for the water to go

Last week, before tornadoes devastated communities across Michigan, record rainfall overwhelmed drainage systems and tributaries in Wayne County. The highest total was nearly 7.4 inches reported at a station in Belleville, a 24-hour total nearly all of which fell during this event.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/13504514-managing-floods-when-there-s-nowhere-for-the-water-to-go

TMT - Managing Flooding

The deluge also flooded the tunnels at Detroit Metro Airport and closed the McNamara Terminal for several hours. The National Weather Service reported that a record 3.5 inches of rain fell during that period at the airport, the most ever recorded on Aug. 24.

Hugh McDiarmid Jr.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Hugh McDiarmid Jr., communications director at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, talks about how the combination climate change of more frequent extreme weather events and a loss of wetlands has disrupted the watersheds.

Some references:

Definition of wetlands
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/what-wetland

Southeast Michigan watershed
https://therouge.org/about-us/our-watershed/

Examining the link between wetland loss and flood damage
https://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/updates/making-a-case-for-wetlands/

Freeways and flooding elsewhere in the country
https://fox59.com/news/hundreds-of-drivers-stranded-on-houston-highways-due-to-flooding/


Podcast player image: Barricades and a ramp closed signed block motorists from using the freeway ramp covered by flood waters. 

Portrait: Hugh McDiarmid Jr., communications director at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). Photo courtesy of EGLE.

Lane and ramp closures begin Tuesday, Sept. 5

Lane and ramp closures begin Tuesday, Sept. 5

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     MEDIA CONTACT

August 30, 2023                                                                      Rob Morosi

                                                                                                   248-361-6288 [email protected]

 

Post-holiday lane and ramp closures begin Tuesday, Sept. 5, on I-75 modernization project in Oakland County   

Fast facts:

  • Starting at noon Tuesday, Sept. 5, the northbound I-75 right lane from Gardenia Avenue to 12 Mile Road and the I-75 exit ramp to 12 Mile Road will be closed for sound wall installation.
  • Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, the eastbound and westbound I-696 ramps to northbound I-75 will be closed for pavement and barrier wall repair.
  • Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, the southbound I-75 right lane will be closed for pavement repair from I-696 to 9 Mile Road.             

 

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. ­- Weather permitting, contract crews will resume work on a portion of the I-75 modernization project in Oakland County. By noon Tuesday, Sept. 5, the northbound I-75 right lane will be closed from Gardenia Avenue to 12 Mile Road for sound wall installation. In addition, the northbound I-75 exit ramp to 12 Mile Road will be closed. The lane and ramp closures will be removed by the end of September.

 

Also starting Tuesday, Sept. 5, the southbound I-75 service drive will be closed from south of 9 Mile Road to Meyers Avenue until late November.

 

Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11, the eastbound and westbound I-696 ramps to northbound I-75 will be closed. The ramp closures are needed to allow crews to safely repair the section of pavement and barrier wall damaged by the tanker crash on Aug. 4. In addition, the southbound I-75 right lane will be closed from I-696 to 9 Mile Road for pavement repair from a June 20 vehicle fire. The lane and ramp closures are expected to end by Saturday, Oct. 7.

 

Follow I-75 modernization progress on the web at www.Modernize75.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Modernize75 or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Modernize75.

 

Using license plate readers to solve and thwart crimes

Exploring Michigan’s transportation infrastructure

Exploring Michigan’s transportation infrastructure with Jason Gutting, newly named director of MDOT Field Services

Jason Gutting joins the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast this week to talk about his new role as director of MDOT’s Bureau of Field Services. He talks about standards and specifications for paving materials and how MDOT engineers confer with counterparts from across the country; innovations in road building, winter maintenance and operations; and ongoing challenges because of inflation and supply chain pressures since the pandemic began.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/13464865-exploring-michigan-s-transportation-infrastructure-with-jason-gutting-newly-named-director-of-mdot-field-services

TMT - Jason Gutting

Gutting was previously the administrator of the Construction Field Services (CFS) division. He also worked in operations and was the construction contracts engineer for CFS as well as the construction engineer and an assistant construction engineer at the MDOT Lansing Transportation Service Center (TSC).

Other references in the podcast:

Iowa State University’s National Concrete Pavement Technology Center
https://cptechcenter.org/

Inflation in road building
https://enotrans.org/article/highway-construction-costs-have-risen-50-in-two-years/

MDOT winter road maintenance
https://www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Travel/Safety/Road-Users/Winter-Safety

Mackinac Bridge joint replacement work begins Sept. 6

Mackinac Bridge joint replacement work begins Sept. 6

Mackinac Bridge Banner - June 2023


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2023

 

MEDIA CONTACT
James Lake
906-250-0993
[email protected]

Mackinac Bridge joint replacement work begins Sept. 6

ST. IGNACE, Mich. ­- The Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) will invest nearly $5 million this fall to replace joints on the north viaduct span, with work scheduled to begin Wednesday, Sept. 6.

 

The project includes replacing 11 relief joints and three sliding-plate expansion joints, which are connections in the bridge deck that allow for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes, as well as movement from traffic. The north viaduct span is an elevated part of the bridge located over the north causeway, immediately north of the truss spans of the bridge.

 

This work will require closing one lane of traffic in each direction in two phases (both inside lanes closed, and both outside lanes closed) with one lane open in each direction at all times.

 

Weekend traffic peaks between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., often resulting in traffic backups, even with all toll lanes open. Drivers should consider crossing at off-peak times or prepare for delays.

 

Currently, the contractor for the project, Anlaan Corp. of Grand Haven, plans to have the work completed and all lanes open by Nov. 8, weather permitting.

 

Wide-load restrictions will be in place in both directions for any vehicles wider than 10 feet during construction. Wider loads will be allowed to cross once per day between 7 and 7:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Lane and ramp closures begin Tuesday, Sept. 5

MDOT: loans to improve infrastructure in Oakland County

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 22, 2023         
MEDIA CONTACT
Jessica Pierce
517-241-0185
[email protected]

Governor and MDOT announces loans to repair and improve
infrastructure in Ontonagon and Oakland counties 

LANSING, MICH – Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announce the award of $4 million in Michigan State Infrastructure Bank (SIB) loans that will repair and improve roads and sidewalks for local communities.

“Michigan State Infrastructure Bank loans are a vital tool to help local communities fix the damn roads,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Today’s investments will accelerate the repair of roads damaged by water in Ontonagon County and to install sidewalks in the village of Beverly Hills to avoid further construction delays or disruptions to daily life. Getting this done will help families get to where they need to go, support local jobs, and keep the community safe.”

The Ontonagon County Road Commission (OCRC) will receive a $2 million SIB loan to repair multiple roads within Ontonagon County that were damaged from excessive spring water runoff earlier this year. A SIB loan is desperately needed to ensure roads are restored and residents have access to their homes and places of employment. Delaying repairs may cause more roads to be closed. Overall, the county experienced $8.1 million in flood damages. 

“The OCRC appreciates MDOT and the Michigan State Infrastructure Bank for this loan to help restore and repair three roads that are still closed to residents, one storm sewer drain system, and four drainage culverts that were damaged beyond repair,” said Ryan DeHut, OCRC manager. “Securing this loan will facilitate repair of two critical sites this fall and allow the road commission to work with engineering services over the winter to develop plans to repair the remaining sites in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.”

A $2 million SIB loan will also go to the Village of Beverly Hills in Oakland County, supporting the local costs associated with projects identified in their $5.9 million Sidewalk Connector Program. These projects involve the installation of more than 6 miles of sidewalk in their community and are focused on “providing safe, walkable, and accessible infrastructure for nonmotorized users at all times.”

About the Michigan State Infrastructure Bank

The SIB loan program was established as a pilot program under Section 350 of the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 (NHS Act). The NHS Act authorized the creation of the Michigan SIB loan program to provide loans to public entities (county road agencies, cities, villages, or MDOT) for eligible transportation improvements.

The SIB loan program complements traditional funding techniques and serves as a useful tool to meet urgent project financing demands. The SIB is not able to be used to finance operating or administrative costs, nor is it intended to operate as a grant fund for transportation projects.

The goal of the program is to address customer financing needs in a timely and flexible fashion. Applications will be accepted year-round and will be evaluated by MDOT staff as quickly as possible. More information about the program is available online at www.Michigan.gov/MDOT/Programs/Grant-programs/SIB.