by orionontv | May 16, 2024 | Transportation
Mackinac Bridge repaving completion delayed
ST. IGNACE, Mich. – The first season of a two-season repaving project on the Mackinac Bridge’s north viaduct and approach truss spans, originally scheduled to be completed by May 23, will not be complete until June 7.
Citing additional patching work and an inability to field full work crews, project contractor Zenith Tech says it will not be able to meet its original completion date or reopen the bridge prior to Memorial Day as called for in the contract.
“We have not only allowed, but strongly encouraged, the contractor to work around the clock and through weekends to get this project wrapped up ahead of the surge of traffic we expect for the holiday weekend,” said Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) Chief Engineer Cole Cavalieri. “We know that having lane closures on the bridge for Memorial Day travel will result in delays and backups, so we ask customers to be patient and consider crossing at off-peak times.”
Repaving, deck repairs, and joint repairs on the two northbound lanes of the bridge began March 25. Traffic is being maintained with one lane open in each direction during construction.
Work was scheduled early in the year to help minimize delays to traffic and disruptions to special events on the bridge.
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.
Wide-load restrictions are 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 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and traffic will be stopped for brief periods for those crossings.
Work will resume in late March 2025 with repaving of the two southbound lanes. The overall project is scheduled to be completed, with all lanes reopened, by May 22, 2025.
The MBA’s sole source of funding is from tolls and fees collected, with all revenue used to maintain, operate and protect the bridge. Live traffic camera views of the bridge, updates on bridge conditions, toll rates, and information on the MacPass program can all be found on the MBA website: www.MackinacBridge.org.
by orionontv | May 9, 2024 | Transportation
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Could Michigan shift from fuel taxes to road user charges to fund roads?
As lawmakers in the Legislature continue negotiations for the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, one addition specific to transportation involves a $5 million appropriation for a pilot program to assess replacing traditional fuel taxes with a mileage-based road usage fee.
Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/15039387-could-michigan-shift-from-fuel-taxes-to-road-user-charges-to-fund-roads
This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features another conversation with Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy for the Reason Foundation. Feigenbaum has done extensive study on the need for long-term changes to funding policy for roads and bridges. He’s also testified before legislative committees at the federal level and in several states.
He recently told Michigan lawmakers that a fuel tax is akin to “a rock star on his farewell tour” as increased fuel efficiency diminishes returns on fuel taxes.
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by orionontv | Apr 22, 2024 | Transportation
MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways Program
promotes career advancement in transportation
Fast facts:
- MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways Program (TCPP) provides those interested in a transportation-related career with opportunities for hand-on experience.
- The TCPP runs from May through September.
- Participants must be at least 18 years old and possess a valid driver’s license.
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced the launch of its Transportation Career Pathways Program (TCPP), a dynamic initiative designed to equip individuals with hands-on experience and propel their careers forward in the transportation sector.
Running from May through September, the TCPP provides participants with the unique opportunity to explore various career paths, including transportation maintenance worker, transportation technician, and skilled trades helper positions. Through practical work and introduction to diverse transportation functions, participants will gain valuable skills and insights into this ever-evolving field. Participants must be 18 years old prior to the start of the program, possess a valid driver’s license, and will work 40 hours a week. Participants may join later in the season (most finish by September) and can expect to earn up to $17.50 an hour.
“The TCPP is an exceptional paid internship opportunity to gain on-the-job experience in transportation careers at MDOT,” said State Transportation Director Brad C. Wieferich. “This program empowers participants to build a strong foundation for their professional journeys while contributing to the continued development of our communities.”
The program is available in the following MDOT regions: Bay, North, Metro, Southwest, Superior, and University. For more information and to apply, go to www.Michigan.gov/TCPP.
by orionontv | Apr 18, 2024 | Transportation
Slow but steady progress on legislation to protect road workers
Late last month, a Michigan Senate committee advanced legislation to enable the use of automated technology to enforce speeding laws on segments of roads under construction.
Pennsylvania became the latest to join dozens of other states employing the technology, with positive results.
This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast revisits the issue with conversations with two advocates for safer work zones.
Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/14912046-slow-but-steady-progress-on-legislation-to-protect-road-workers
First, Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), talks about how his experience in the underground and road construction industries have informed his views and passions for the protection of workers.
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Later, Juan Pava, Safety Programs Unit chief, Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering at the Illinois Department of Transportation, talks about his state’s pioneering role in implementing the use of cameras to deter drivers from speeding in work zones.
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Michigan House Bill 4132 passed the lower chamber in June 2023 with bipartisan support and received similar support in the Senate Transportation Committee last month.
Key points:
- In 2006, Illinois became the first state to authorize the use of automated traffic enforcement programs to enforce speed limits in highway work zones, with implementation coming a few years later. The enabling legislation provided a legal framework for photo enforcement of speed limits in highway work zones.
- In summer 2022, some Michigan lawmakers, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, leaders in labor organizations, and the road building industry witnessed demonstrations on Michigan freeways on how the technology works.
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by orionontv | Apr 17, 2024 | Transportation
The Mighty Mac’s expanded Antarctic connection
ST. IGNACE, Mich. – When Brendan Fisher began his 13-month adventure as a heavy equipment mechanic for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), he brought pieces of the Mackinac Bridge with him. When he returned, he brought a piece back, as well as stories to accompany it, that he presented this month to the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA).
At the MBA’s April 5 meeting in Dimondale, Fisher presented the authority with a shadowbox containing a piece of the bridge’s original deck grating and photos from his time at the South Pole. A noticeable circular piece is absent, representing a disc that is now part of the ceremonial South Pole marker more than 9,000 miles away.
Fisher, whose assignment in Antarctica ran from October 2022 to November 2023, and fellow South Pole adventurer Hans Suedhoff brought the gift and a photo book documenting the Mackinac Bridge pieces that were incorporated into a sign, photo frame, and both the ceremonial and geographic South Pole markers.
Fisher had previously built the sign from a 38-foot piece of the original deck grating he purchased through auction in November 2020, proclaiming the distance from the South Pole to the Mackinac Bridge (9,394 miles), which is on permanent display at the station.
There are two pole markers since the Antarctic 9,300-foot-thick ice sheet (roughly a third of the length of the Mackinac Bridge) moves about 10 meters per year. “There’s Mackinac Bridge in both of them now,” Fisher said.
The Authority thanked Fisher and Suedhoff for the gift, which recognizes the bridge and the team in the Antarctic.
“I think it’s absolutely fantastic,” said MBA Member Barbara Arens. “You’re very talented.”
Each year, the geographical South Pole is replaced on Jan. 1. Once the year’s marker is retired, it joins its predecessors in a display cabinet at the Antarctic station for 20-30 years until the cabinet fills to capacity. After that, the markers are sent to the Smithsonian, where they stay “until the end of eternity,” Fisher said.
The team also used pieces of round steel stock from the bridge to make four bolts that joined corners of a photo frame for a picture of last year’s “winterover” crew at the station, which included Fisher and Suedhoff.
by orionontv | Apr 16, 2024 | Transportation
MDOT launching public survey to collect travel data vital to
transportation planning in the state
Fast facts:
- MDOT is launching a household travel survey, MI Travel Counts, this week.
- Randomly selected households in Michigan will have the opportunity to participate via smartphone application, web or telephone.
- Data collected from this survey will provide information on how travel behavior has changed over the past 10 years and inform forecasts to help shape Michigan’s transportation system.
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is kicking off a household travel survey that will provide information necessary to set transportation priorities for the next 20 years. Starting April 15, randomly selected households across Michigan will have the opportunity to provide details regarding how they travel.
The survey, MI Travel Counts, will be conducted by nationally recognized research firm Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) on behalf of MDOT. Survey results will help transportation planners better understand how, when, where, and why people travel in and around the state of Michigan. Last conducted in 2015, this update will help planners account for the many changes in travel that have occurred, like the prevalence of remote work, the increase in online shopping, and greater use of ridesharing and delivery services.
Randomly selected households will receive an invitation to participate in the survey via U.S. Mail. Upon accepting the invitation, household members will provide demographic data and then report their travel either via a smartphone application, online or by telephone. The information provided to MI Travel Counts will be anonymized and aggregated to calculate statistics for study purposes.
This survey will be conducted in three phases. The first is scheduled from April 15 through early June, with additional phases anticipated in spring 2025 and fall 2025.
Invited households will be selected at random across the state, with survey materials available in English, Spanish and Arabic. Participation is possible through smartphone application, web or telephone. For more information about MI Travel Counts, visit www.MITravelCounts.com.
About RSG:
RSG conducts research on behalf of public and private sector clients using software applications, smartphones, websites, surveys, computers, tablets, and other means of collecting data. They specialize in designing, implementing and applying sophisticated data-driven models with in-depth analytics to help clients understand why people and systems do what they do.
