MDOT lifts traffic restrictions to ease Memorial Day travel

MDOT lifts traffic restrictions to ease Memorial Day travel

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2023

 

MEDIA CONTACT
See regional contact
information below.

MDOT lifts traffic restrictions to ease
Memorial Day travel

Safety benefits:
– MDOT is suspending work and lifting traffic restrictions wherever possible this holiday weekend to ease congestion and increase safety (81 out of 146 projects).
– AAA Michigan estimates more than 1.2 million Michigan residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 9 percent increase from last year.
– Although some equipment and traffic configurations will remain over the weekend, suspending construction operations improves safety for workers and motorists.
– Remember to buckle up, stay alert and avoid distractions at all times when driving.

LANSING, Mich. – This Memorial Day weekend, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is removing lane restrictions on more than 55 percent of its road and bridge projects statewide to ease traffic delays for holiday travelers. AAA Michigan estimates more than 1.2 million Michigan residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 9 percent increase from last year.

Beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, May 26, and continuing until 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 30, 81 out of 146 projects statewide will have lane restrictions removed. While motorists will see suspended operations in most MDOT work zones for the weekend, drivers are advised that equipment and certain traffic configurations may remain in place, like temporary shifts or shoulder closures.

“With holiday traffic expected to be back to nearly pre-pandemic levels, this is a great time to remind drivers of safe habits as everyone takes to the road this summer,” said Acting State Transportation Director Brad Wieferich. “Don’t forget there is still a record amount of road and bridge work happening out there thanks to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program, which means you’ll probably be driving through a few of these work zones. We remind all drivers to slow down, stay alert and avoid distractions. You depend on us to fix the roads; road workers are depending on you with their lives. Let’s make sure everyone makes it home each and every night.”

MDOT oversees I, M, and US routes and is responsible for nearly 10,000 miles of state highways, which carry more than 50 percent of all traffic and approximately 70 percent of commercial traffic in Michigan.

The following is a list of work zones that will remain active or have lane restrictions during Memorial Day weekend. If necessary, detour routes will be posted at the project location. All closures are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information on MDOT projects, go to the Mi Drive website at www.Michigan.gov/Drive.

Upper Peninsula

– I-75 in St. Ignace, Mackinac County, has one lane open in each direction using the outside lanes.

– I-75, Chippewa County, will have one northbound lane open over the Pine River.

– M-26, Keweenaw County, is closed at the Silver River west of Brockway Mountain Drive. Detour via US-41.

– M-69 in Crystal Falls, Iron County, is closed at the Paint River bridge. Detour via North 6th Street, Fairbanks Drive and Wagner Street.

– M-123 north of Newberry, Luce County, has one lane open in alternating directions via temporary signals.

– US-2 in St. Ignace, Mackinac County, has the south side of the overpass over I-75 closed. One lane is open in each direction using the north half of the bridge.

– US-41 in Houghton, Houghton County, has one eastbound lane closed at Franklin Square.

– US-41, Houghton County, has one lane open in alternating directions at Massie Road north of Chassell via temporary signals.

– US-45, Ontonagon County, has one lane open in alternating directions over the East Branch of the Ontonagon River via temporary signals south of Rockland.

– US-141, Iron County, has one lane open in alternating directions over the Net River via temporary signals.

For more information, contact MDOT Superior Region Communications Representative Dan Weingarten at 906-250-4809. Follow the Superior Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_UP.

Northern Lower Peninsula

– I-75, Cheboygan County, will have northbound traffic shifted to southbound I-75 with a movable barrier wall.

– I-75 Business Loop (BL), Roscommon/Crawford county line, will have one lane of alternating traffic with a temporary traffic signal.

– M-119 in Harbor Springs, Emmet County, will have one lane of alternating traffic with a temporary traffic signal.

– US-23, Alcona County, is closed from Black River Road to F-41 with a detour on local roads.

– US-31 in Alanson, Emmet County, will have southbound traffic detoured on Milton Road.

For more information, contact MDOT North Region Communications Representative James Lake at 906-250-0993. Follow the North Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_Traverse.

West Michigan

– I-96 in Grand Rapids, Kent County, will have one lane open in each direction between Cascade Road and M-11 (28th Street). Lane closures are in effect on the ramps from M-11 to westbound I-96.

– I-196, Ottawa County, will have one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes open between Zeeland and Hudsonville.

– I-196 Business Route (BR) (Byron Road) in Zeeland, Ottawa County, is closed at the I-196 interchange. The westbound I-196 ramp to westbound I-196 BR is open while all other ramps at the interchange are closed.

For more information, contact MDOT Grand Region Communications Representative John Richard at 616-262-1565. Follow the Grand Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_West.

Southwest Michigan

– I-69, Eaton and Calhoun counties, will have the following restrictions:
     – One lane open in each direction between I-94 and Stine Road.
     – The southbound I-69 ramp to M-78 is closed.
     – The northbound I-69 ramp to eastbound I-94 closed and detoured.
     – The Ainger Road ramp to southbound I-69 is closed and detoured.

– I-94, Calhoun County, has two lanes open in each direction between Helmer Road and M-96 (Michigan Avenue).

– I-94, Kalamazoo County, has the westbound ramp to Portage Road closed. Portage Road has one lane open in each direction.

– US-12, Branch County, has single-lane closures in place with traffic shifts from Willow Lane to West Old Chicago Street in Coldwater, and one lane open over the Coldwater River with a temporary signal.

– US-31, Berrien County, has one lane open in each direction between US-12 and M-139.

– US-131, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties, has one lane open in each direction between Schoolcraft and Three Rivers.

For more information, contact MDOT Southwest Region Communications Representative Nick Schirripa at 269-208-7829. Follow the Southwest Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_Southwest.

Central Michigan and Thumb

– I-69, Lapeer County, will have one lane open in each direction from M-24 to Lake George Road with a traffic shift. The eastbound I-69 ramps at M-24, Wilder Road, and Lake Pleasant Road are closed.

– I-69, St. Clair County, has lane closures and traffic shifts in place from M-19 to Taylor Road. The westbound ramps at Wales Center Road and Taylor Road are detoured.

– I-69 Business Loop (BL) in Port Huron, St. Clair County, will have westbound lanes closed from 24th Street to I-94 BL; detoured via I-94 BL, Lapeer Street, and 24th Street.

– M-15 in Davison, Genesee County, will have shoulder closures and a reduced speed limit from Potter Road to Dodge Road.

– M-20 in Mt. Pleasant, Isabella County, will have one lane open in each direction with a center turn lane from Summerton Road to Mission Road.

– M-25, Sanilac County, will have a lane closure in place at Forester Creek with a temporary traffic signal.

– M-57 in Montrose, Genesee County, will have a traffic shift in place over the Flint River.

– M-65 in Twining, Arenac County, will have a single-lane closure over Big Creek with a temporary traffic signal.

– M-90 in Croswell, Sanilac County, is detoured over the Black River via Todd Road, Galbraith Line Road, and Wildcat Road.

– US-10, Bay County, will have westbound lanes closed from Bay City to the US-10/I-75 interchange; detour via M-13, M-84 and northbound I-75. The eastbound US-10 ramp to southbound I-75 is closed, along with 3 Mile Road over US-10.

– US-10 Business Route, Midland County, will have lane closures and traffic shifts. The Eastman Road ramp to eastbound US-10 is closed and detoured via the Wackerly Street entrance ramp.

For more information, contact MDOT Bay Region Communications Representative Jocelyn Garza at 989-245-7117. Follow the Bay Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_Bay.

Southern Michigan

– I-69, Clinton County, has one westbound lane closed between Lowell Road and I-96.

– I-75, Monroe County, has the following restrictions:
     – One lane closed in each direction with a traffic shift between Erie and Otter Creek roads.
     – The northbound exit ramp to Otter Creek Road is closed.

– I-94, Jackson County, has the following restrictions:
     – The westbound on and off ramps at Elm Avenue are closed and detoured.
     – The westbound on and off ramps at Parma Road are closed and detoured.

– I-496, Ingham County, has the following restrictions:
     – One lane is open in each direction between Grand Avenue and Lansing Road.
     – The Capitol Avenue and Pine Street bridges over I-496 are closed.

– M-60, Jackson County, has the northbound ramp to westbound I-94 closed and detoured.

– M-99, Hillsdale County, has one southbound lane closed with a temporary traffic signal near Camden Road.

– M-99, Ingham County, has one lane closed in each direction between Petrieville Highway and Wilbur Highway.

– US-23, Washtenaw County, has the following restrictions:
     – Willis Road is closed over US-23.
     – The southbound US-23/Willis Road entrance and exit ramps are closed.
     – The eastbound Willis Road entrance ramp to northbound US-23 is closed.
     – US-23 and US-12 each have one lane open in each direction at the interchange.

– US-127, Ingham County, has one lane closed in each direction between the Jackson County line and Howell Road.

– US-127/I-496, Ingham County, has the following restrictions:
     – The eastbound I-496 ramp to northbound US-127 is closed.
     – The southbound US-127 ramp to westbound I-496 is closed.

– US-127, Jackson County, has one lane closed in each direction just north of McDevitt Road.

For more information, contact MDOT University Region Communications Representative Aaron Jenkins at 517-243-9075. Follow the University Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_LanJxn and www.twitter.com/MDOT_A2.

Metro Detroit

Macomb County

– I-94 has one lane open in each direction between 23 Mile Road and County Line Road with the westbound I-94 exit ramp to 23 Mile Road closed, along with the 23 Mile Road entrance ramp to eastbound I-94 closed.

– M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) has two southbound lanes open between 9 Mile and 8 Mile roads.

– M-3 (Gratiot Avenue) has two lanes open in each direction between 14 Mile and Wellington Crest roads.

– M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue) has two southbound lanes open at 14 Mile Road.

– M-59 has the eastbound right-turn lane to Schoenherr Road closed.

Oakland County

– Cass Avenue is closed over I-94.

– Grand River Avenue is closed over I-94.

– Grand Boulevard (MacArthur Bridge) bridge to Belle Isle has the right lane closed.

– I-75 has the southbound ramp to eastbound 14 Mile Road closed.

– I-75 Business Loop (BL)  has all southbound lanes closed from Prospect Street to South Boulevard, with one northbound I-75 BL lane closed from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to South Boulevard.

– I-96 has two lanes open between Kent Lake Road and I-275, with ramp closures.

– I-696 has two lanes open between I-275 and Lahser Road, with ramp closures.

– M-1 (Woodward Avenue) will have two lanes open between M-102 (8 Mile Road) to I-696.

Wayne County

– I-94 has the westbound ramps to northbound and southbound M-10 closed.

– I-94 has the eastbound ramp to Grand River Avenue closed.

– I-96 has the westbound ramps to M-39 (Southfield Freeway) closed.

– I-96 has lane closures from Schaefer Highway to M-8 (Davison Highway).

– I-275 has two lanes open from Eureka Road to 5 Mile Road.

– I-375 has lane closures at Madison Street and M-3 (Gratiot Avenue). There is one lane open on the ramp to Madison Street. The southbound M-3 ramp to I-375 closed, along with the northbound I-75 ramp to southbound I-275 closed.

– M-10 (Lodge Freeway) has the ramps to eastbound I-94 closed.

– M-102 (8 Mile Road) will have two lanes open from M-1 (Woodward Avenue) to M-53 (Van Dyke Avenue).

– US-12 (Michigan Avenue) will have two lanes open from Elm Street to Firestone Street.

– US-24 (Telegraph Road) will have two lanes open between 6 Mile Road and M-102 (8 Mile Road).

For more information, contact MDOT Metro Region Communications Representative Diane Cross at 248-752-0336. Follow the Metro Region on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MDOT_MetroDet.

 

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles lifesaving potential

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles lifesaving potential

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles explains their lifesaving potential

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Jeff Farrah, executive director of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA).

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12902175-chief-advocate-for-driverless-vehicles-explains-their-lifesaving-potential

 

TMT - Chief advocate for driverless vehicles

As discussed in previous installments, U.S. traffic deaths jumped 10.5 percent in 2021 to 42,915, marking the highest number killed on American roads in a single year since 2005.

Jeff Farrah

Farrah talks about the safety benefits of autonomous vehicles, both in terms of passenger vehicles and commercial trucks.

He observes that many vehicles on the road today have driver assistance technologies, which help to save lives. The evolution of the technology will only enhance those safety benefits.

On next week’s edition, the focus on safety continues as Jake Nelson, director of traffic safety advocacy and research for AAA, joins the podcast to talk about the troubling crash data and what can be done.

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles lifesaving potential

Bans on hand-held phone use by drivers: Do they work?

Bans on hand-held phone use by drivers: Do they work?

Michigan is poised to become the 26th state to implement a ban on the use of hand-held phones while driving. The new laws, passed as House bills 42504251 and 4252, are headed to Gov. Whitmer’s desk for her signature and are expected to take effect on June 30.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12866497-bans-on-hand-held-phone-use-by-drivers-do-they-work

TMT - Cell Phone Ban

This follows adoption of similar legislation in Ohio in April. An early analysis of data tracking the use of hand-held mobile devices in vehicles indicates distracted driving may have dropped as much as 9 percent during the first weeks of implementation there.

Ryan McMahon

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Ryan McMahon, senior vice president for strategy at Cambridge Mobile Telematics, explains how his firm gathers the data and why it’s important.

McMahon said the media coverage and attention to the legislation in Ohio and other states with similar laws contributes to the reduction in distracted driving crashes, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says accounted for more than 3,500 crash deaths in 2021.

Listen now at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205.

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.

Resurfacing project begins on I-75 from M-15

Resurfacing project begins on I-75 from M-15

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     MEDIA CONTACT

May 15, 2023                                                                          Diane Cross

                                                                  CrossD2@Michigan.gov

 

 Resurfacing project begins on I-75 from M-15 (Ortonville Road) to Oakland/Genesee county line

 

VILLAGE OF CLARKSTON, Mich. ­– The Michigan Department of Transportation is investing approximately $160 million to resurface and repair I-75 from M-15 (Ortonville Road) to the Oakland/Genesee county line. This project includes resurfacing I-75, repairing 11 bridges, drainage improvements, culvert replacements, signs, and guardrail. Various work will be performed in different locations with different schedules throughout the 15 miles over four years.

Beginning 7 a.m. Monday, May 22, Belford Road, Davisburg Road, and Holcomb Road will all be closed over I-75 for bridge repairs through late July. I-75 will remain open under these roads although there may be lane closures, as needed, for the bridge work above.

Beginning Tuesday, May 30, through late fall, temporary crossovers will be built along with bridge work and pavement repairs on northbound and southbound I-75 between M-15 (Ortonville Road) to the county line. The schedule for daytime and nighttime work will be announced closer to the start date. The current plan is to leave two lanes open, unless absolutely necessary for isolated work.

In 2024, work will include milling and resurfacing northbound I-75 from M-15 to the county line. There will be two lanes of northbound and southbound traffic sharing the existing southbound roadway.

In 2025, milling and resurfacing will occur on southbound I-75 from the county line to M-15. Traffic will share the existing northbound roadway.

In 2026, work will include removal of the temporary crossovers and remaining miscellaneous activity.

Funding for this project is made possible by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program to rebuild the state highways and bridges that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy is aimed at fixes that result in longer useful lives and improve the condition of the state’s infrastructure.

Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 1,936 jobs.

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles lifesaving potential

Michigan infrastructure still needs help

The grades are in and Michigan infrastructure still needs help

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released their infrastructure report card for Michigan at a May 8 news conference and gave the state a cumulative grade of C-, which counts as improvement since the previous grade was D+.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12829012-the-grades-are-in-and-michigan-infrastructure-still-needs-help

TMT - Report Card

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, two people who participated in the news conference talk about the roads component of the report card.

Ron Brenke

First, Ron Brenke, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Michigan and the Michigan section of ASCE, talks about how decades of underinvestment in transportation infrastructure put Michigan where it is.

Later, Amy O’Leary, executive director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG), explains the vital transportation needs of the communities served by her organization.

Amy OLeary

Michigan’s grade for roads showed slight improvement, largely because of investments in state trunklines, the heaviest-traveled roads, from the MDOT’s Rebuilding Michigan program.

From the report:

Traffic volumes have returned from pandemic-era lows. Vehicle miles traveled in 2021 were 97 billion, 95 percent of the 2019 number. Fortunately, the condition of roads Michiganders are driving on are improving, thanks in part to a 2017 funding package. Of Michigan’s 120,000 miles of paved federal aid-eligible roads, 25 percent are in good condition, up from 20 percent good in 2017. Forty-two percent of the roads are rated as fair, and 33 percent are in poor condition. Gov. Whitmer’s 2020 “Rebuilding Michigan Program” included $3.5 billion of one-time bond financing, accelerating major highway projects on state trunklines. To erase decades of underinvestment and meet future needs, decision-makers should increase dedicated funding for roads, re-tool fee models, prioritize traffic safety, and improve resilience to worsening environmental threats.


First portrait: Ron Brenke, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Michigan. Photo courtesy of ACEC.

Second portrait: Amy O’Leary, executive director of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG). Photo courtesy of SEMCOG.

Chief advocate for driverless vehicles lifesaving potential

Let’s talk about sunflowers, bees, and roadways

For Earth Day 2023, let’s talk about sunflowers, bees, and roadways

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about the success of efforts by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to attract pollinators with roadside sunflowers and other vegetation.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12689097-for-earth-day-2023-let-s-talk-about-sunflowers-bees-and-roadways

TMT - Earth Day 2023

Amanda Novak, a resource specialist in MDOT’s Bay Region, talks about the origins and successes of MDOT’s pollinator program and how the experience of other state departments of transportation (DOT), including North Carolina, inspired the program.

Amanda Novak

Novak talks about MDOT’s efforts planting sunflowers, dubbed pollinator superheroes, along state highways. 

From a 2015 issue of “The Scenic Route,” a publication of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas: 

The alarming loss of habitat over the past two decades has left untold millions of bees, butterflies, and other wild pollinators hungry and homeless. The small creatures on which we depend for a significant portion of our food supply have hardly been without their champions; public support for monarch butterflies alone has been estimated in the billions of dollars. Still, the pollinator prognosis remained dire. But over the past 18 months, support for pollinators has undergone a seismic shift, led by President Obama, who called for a national Pollinator Task Force in the spring of 2014. Less than a year later, in a book-length “Strategy to Protect the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators,” the federal government set ambitious goals that include the restoration or enhancement of 7 million acres of land for pollinator habitat over the next five years. Roadsides will comprise a significant portion of that acreage.

Novak also talks about “Show Stopper” wildflowers to be planted at the Port Huron and Coldwater welcome centers.

MDOT Margaret Barondess

A second segment reprises a 2021 conversation with Margaret Barondess, manager of MDOT’s Environmental Section, explaining the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and how it informs Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and DOT decision making.

Listen now at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205.

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.