FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            MEDIA CONTACT
April 17, 2023                                                                                  Dan Weingarten
906-250-4809
[email protected]

Year’s first Adopt-A-Highway pickup starts Saturday

Fast facts:

• The first Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway pickup of the year is April 22-30 for the Lower Peninsula.
• Pickups for the Upper Peninsula will be from May 6-
• Sections of highway are still available to adopt. Go to Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.

LANSING, Mich. ­– In an annual rite of spring, volunteers will fan out across lower Michigan to give state highway roadsides their first cleaning, beginning Saturday as groups in the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) program pick up litter from April 22-30.

The first AAH pickup for the Upper Peninsula will be later, from May 6 to 14, when spring has had more time to set in for the northern part of the state.

“Our thousands of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers are dedicated to keeping roadsides in their communities clean,” said MDOT Acting Director Brad Wieferich. “They make a huge difference every year. Let’s help them stay safe while they’re out there – keep an eye out for the volunteers and drive cautiously during the pickup periods.”

The AAH program began in Michigan in 1990. Today, around 2,900 groups have adopted more than 6,000 miles of state highway. In a typical year, these volunteers collect 60,000 to 70,000 bags of trash annually, an estimated $5 million value for the state.

Volunteers pick up litter three times each year. Statewide, there will be a summer pickup from July 15 to 23 and a fall pickup from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1.

AAH groups wear high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests required by federal regulations when working within a highway right of way. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags, and arranges to haul away the trash. Volunteers include members of various civic groups, businesses and families. Crew members have to be at least 12 years old, and each group must number at least three people.

Sections of highway are still available for adoption. Groups are asked to adopt a section for at least two years. AAH signs bearing a group’s name are posted along the stretch of adopted highway. There is no fee to participate. Go to www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.

Several landfills in southwestern Michigan do their part to help the AAH program. Westside Landfill in St. Joseph County, C&C Landfill in Calhoun County, Orchard Hill Landfill in Berrien County, Southeast Berrien County Landfill near Niles, and Republic Services Gembrit Circle Transfer Station in Kalamazoo have all agreed to accept trash generated by the three annual AAH pickups at no charge. In exchange, these businesses receive a sign recognizing their support.

You play a role in work zone safety.
Work with us!

Fast facts:

• National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is April 17-21.
• Three workers and thirteen motorists were killed in Michigan work zones in 2022.
• Play your part and drive with focus navigating through work zones. 

LANSING, Mich. ­- In 2022, sixteen people lost their lives in Michigan work zones. With clearheaded, focused driving, these heartbreaks could have been avoided. Everyone has a vital role when driving. Every road worker has a vital role fixing our roads and bridges. Next week is National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), and this year’s theme is, “You play a role in work zone safety. Work with us!” NWZAW has been observed for more than 20 years and was launched as a public awareness campaign to help everyone understand they play a key role in keeping motorists and road workers safe.

“Every day, our transportation professionals work hard to fix roads and bridges in communities across Michigan,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “But everyone plays a role when it comes to keeping work zones safe. I encourage every Michigander to do your part during National Work Zone Awareness Week and help everyone get to their destination safely.”

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and every other Michigan road agency are working hard to fix our aging infrastructure, so stay alert and be vigilant when you’re behind the wheel. In 2022, preliminary work zone crash information shows that there were:

• 16 fatalities,
• 54 serious injuries, and
• 4,393 total crashes.

“Every hard hat, every high-vis vest, the thousands of motorists; We’re all on the same team,” said MDOT’s Work Zone Technical Specialist, Chuck Bergmann. “Driving safely and workers making safety a priority between the cones will help get everyone home.”

A media event will be held next Tuesday, April 18, with speakers from the Michigan State Police, MDOT, and other safety officials throughout Michigan. In addition, special guest, Emily Hause, will speak about losing her father, Barry Hause, in a work zone crash in September 2019 and how that has impacted her life. She will also talk about how the American Traffic Safety Services Foundation’s Roadway Worker Memorial Scholarship has helped her with higher education cost and her academic dreams.

With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan program, there are numerous projects all throughout the state, and they all require your undivided attention.

Road and bridges need work, but there are also work zones above and below the roads to address fiberoptic, water, sanitation, natural gas, and electricity.

To create awareness and show your support for each work zone crew, wear orange on Wednesday, April 19. We can all make it home safely if we work together, so “Go Orange” at home or in the field and share a photo on social media of you or your team wearing orange using hashtags #Orange4Safety and #NWZAW.

MDOT reminds everyone to know before you go. Check www.Michigan.gov/Drive for active work zones on state roads (I, M and US routes) before heading out.

Since 2000, NWZAW is part of the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) national safety campaign, a vision of eliminating fatalities on our nation’s roads.

Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission approves
2023-2026 Michigan Strategic Highway Safety Plan

Fast facts:

• The Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission approved the final 2023–2026 Michigan Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP).
• The SHSP incorporates the Safe System Approach (SSA), a human-centered, holistic approach that aims to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries.
• The SHSP also introduces equity to ensure an equitable investment in underserved communities and prioritizes safety for all road users.
• Michigan’s goal is zero road fatalities and serious injuries by 2050.

LANSING, Mich. ­– The Governor’s Traffic Safety Advisory Commission recently approved the final version of the 2023-2026 Michigan Strategic Highway Safety Plan (SHSP). The SHSP is a data-driven, four-year comprehensive plan that identifies key safety needs and guides investment decisions to eliminate fatalities and serious injuries on Michigan roads. The plan allows highway safety programs across the state to work together in an effort to align and leverage resources, as well as address Michigan’s safety challenges.

The SHSP provides strategic direction to the Highway Safety Improvement Program and the Highway Safety Plan, as well as other statewide, metropolitan and regional plans, to ensure alignment of roadway safety and the prioritization of zero fatalities and serious injuries.

A new change to the SHSP is that it incorporates the Safe System Approach (SSA). This approach is different from the traditional way of addressing safety. It is based on six core principles: death/serious injury is unacceptable, humans make mistakes, humans are vulnerable, responsibility is shared, safety is proactive, and redundancy is crucial. The SSA shares the responsibility of a crash between five elements: safe road users, safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe roads, and post-crash care. It requires all parts of the transportation system be strengthened, so that if one part fails, the other parts still protect people. It promotes shared responsibility between all stakeholders with the goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries.

“Implementing the Safe System Approach is a start, along with changing MDOT’s safety culture so that we practice what we ask of others,” said Acting State Transportation Director Brad Wieferich. “Last year, approximately 1,120 people lost their lives and 5,780 were seriously injured on Michigan roads. We all have a role in creating a safe transportation network and all road users, whether they walk, bike, ride or drive, deserve to arrive at their destinations safely.”

The SHSP also introduces equity in order to ensure an equitable investment in underserved communities. Equity will help prioritize safety for all road users, regardless of the mode of transportation, because everyone has the right to move safely in their communities. 

Katie Bower, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, said strengthening the SHSP will help all roadway users.

“With traffic safety partners and programs utilizing the Safe System Approach, we will be able to improve our outcomes in keeping Michigan’s roadway users safe, especially the most vulnerable,” Bower said. “This approach is an impactful step as we work together on our shared goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads.”

With the implementation of the SSA and introduction of equity, the SHSP will improve safety for all road users, regardless of their mode of transportation. These changes provide an opportunity to make a significant impact on eliminating road fatalities and serious injuries. Working together, local and state agencies across Michigan can achieve the safety goal of zero deaths.

State of Michigan announces Mobility Wallet Challenge
partners to improve equity and access to public transit

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) announce Michigan Mobility Wallet Challenge awards under the mobility wallet pilot program, which aims to increase the interoperability of transit services and create greater access and equity to personal mobility for Michigan residents. These selections are Ecolane Inc., Feonix – Mobility Rising, and the Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan (RTA).

The program’s goal is to simplify the transit payment process by allowing riders or third-party stakeholders to load funds and/or connect bank accounts to a single platform and create a streamlined mechanism for fare payment and collection, thereby increasing access to vital mobility services in Michigan. The Michigan Mobility Wallet Challenge is a collaborative effort, including MDOT, OFME, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), and the Michigan Poverty Task Force (PTF).

“Michigan is on the forefront of innovations in developing new technologies for public transit users, Acting State Transportation Director Brad Wieferich said. “These mobility wallet solutions will help provide easy and equitable access to various transportation providers across the state.”

Ecolane LLC will develop a mobility wallet solution using their X4MaaS platform that enables transportation providers to integrate all their modes (fixed route, ADA, micro-transit, demand-response, rideshare, and bikeshare) into a single mobile app for a unified rider experience. The mobility wallet solution will integrate ZIG, a sensor technology developed by ZED Digital, which lets public transit users pay from their smart phone without removing the device from their pocket, or by using a smart card if they do not have a smart phone. The platform also includes carbon footprint information for the various transportation options. X4MaaS integrates with one of the first hands-free mobile wallet solutions to be introduced in the U.S. market, an internet of things-based sensor technology that is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A video demonstrates ADA compliant ticketing for ZIG Super Wallet technology. Awarded $888,800 for this project, Ecolane’s mobility wallet will be deployed to nine transit agencies in Michigan.

“We are honored to have been selected by the Michigan Department of Transportation for this opportunity to offer our mobility wallet to agencies across the state,” said Spiro Gjorgjievski, president of Ecolane. “Ecolane’s focus with the Mobility Wallet will be to ensure an integrated customer experience through our single mobility as a service platform X4MaaS, which unifies all mobility modes – including fixed route, ADA, paratransit, microtransit, scooters, bike rentals, and others – operated by an agency for trip planning, booking, and payment while empowering riders to achieve all of that through their mobile devices.”

Active in Michigan since 2018, Feonix – Mobility Rising is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing mobility solutions for the health and well-being of every person in every community. The mobility wallet that Feonix will deploy will support Detroit, Grand Rapids, Jackson, and surrounding areas. The initial focus will be on meeting the needs of veterans, with the project launch planned for Aug. 7, recognizing Purple Heart Day. In January 2024, Feonix will use the mobility wallet to fill transportation gaps for families and individuals experiencing poverty. Development partners of the mobility wallet technology and deployment include SkedGo, MoCaFi, Metro Strategies, Menlo Innovations, Sundberg Ferar, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Uber, and Token Transit.

Michigan community partners and transportation partners joining Feonix include: West Michigan Veterans Coalition, Disability Advocates of Kent County, Mobile GR-City of Grand Rapids, HOPE Network, Kent County Essential Needs Task Force, Metro Detroit Council – Navy League of United States, The Welcome Home Organization, Michigan Works Southeast, Region 2 Area Agency on Aging, Western Washtenaw Area Value Express (WAVE), City of Hillsdale, Key Opportunities, Jackson County Military Coalition, The Rapid, Jackson Area Transportation Authority, Lenawee Public Transportation Authority, Ride Your Way, Care on Wheels, Superpedestrian, Lime, and Boaz Bikes. Feonix – Mobility Rising was awarded $1.5 million for this project.

“Feonix is honored by the opportunity to work alongside such incredible partners and advocates in urban and rural communities to break down critical transportation barriers in accessing healthcare, employment, and essential needs for Michigan veterans and individuals and families experiencing poverty,” said Valerie Lefler, executive director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Feonix – Mobility Rising. “The benefits of mobility to public health as well as the broader economy cannot be understated.”

The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is responsible for developing a regional master transit plan, coordinating regional transit projects and programs, and distributing federal and state transit formula funds in the four-county region of Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties. The RTA in partnership with regional mobility providers, including the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Detroit at Work, and Downtown Detroit Partnership developed a mobility wallet pilot and project development approach focused on the principles of universal basic mobility.

The pilot program will deliver an account-based mobility wallet that meets the five key functions established by ITS America. The mobility wallet will have the capability to access multiple transportation services, including DDOT, SMART, QLine, People Mover, MoGo, and at least one scooter company. In addition, the mobility wallet pilot will seek to test methods for deploying fare-capping across multiple providers and subsidy programs with a focus on equity and access for a largely cash-based transit rider population.

The unique element of this project is that the partners have decided to take a phased human-centered design approach to this challenge due to the diversity of mobility options that are being integrated, the existing fare technology involved, and the scale of the mobility equity issues for potential wallet users. The RTA was awarded $1 million for this project.

“The Regional Transit Authority of Southeast Michigan is thrilled to receive a grant to be the lead agency coordinating efforts for the Michigan Mobility Wallet Challenge in our region. We look forward to collaborating with our partners from MDOT, MEDC, and the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification on this project,” said Ben Stupka, interim general manager of the RTA. “This initiative will help transform the transit landscape in Southeast Michigan by using this innovative technology to simplify the transit payment process. We hope the knowledge gained during this pilot program can be used as a blueprint that can be replicated and introduced across the state. Creating a streamlined mechanism for fare payment is a significant step toward improving the transit experience for Michiganders.”

To learn more about how Michigan is leading in transportation mobility and electrification visit www.michiganbusiness.org/mobility. For more information about the Michigan Mobility Wallet Challenge, email mobilitywalletChallenge@michigan.gov.