Transportation Archives - Page 25 of 48

Westbound I-696 closing from US-24 to I-275 this weekend

by orionontv | Feb 23, 2023 | Transportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA CONTACT

February 23, 2023 Diane Cross

Reminder: I-696 project gets under way with westbound I-696 closing from US-24 (Telegraph Road) to I-275 this weekend

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The I-696 Rebuilding Michigan project will require a complete closure this weekend to prepare for a traffic shift which will have both directions of I-696 sharing the westbound side.

Beginning 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, through 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, westbound I-696 from US-24 (Telegraph Road) to I-275 will close to prepare the freeway for setting up the traffic shift. The detour is westbound I-696 to southbound US-24 (Telegraph Road) to westbound M-102 (8 Mile Road) to northbound M-5 (Grand River Avenue) to northbound I-275.

Once it reopens 5 a.m. Monday, Feb. 27, through late fall, westbound I-696 from US-24 (Telegraph Road) to I-275 will have two lanes open. The Orchard Lake Road ramp to westbound I-696 will remain closed through late fall.

Beginning Friday, March 10, through late fall, eastbound I-696 from I-275 to US-24 (Telegraph Road) will have traffic shifted onto the westbound side with two lanes open in each direction.

Project information:

This $275 million project includes rebuilding the roadway from the base up, including storm sewer replacement work and rebuilding ramps at Orchard Lake Road, American Drive, Franklin Road, M-10 (Northwestern Highway), and US-24 (Telegraph Road).

During 2023 eastbound I-696 will be rebuilt from I-275 to Evergreen Road. Westbound lanes will be rebuilt in 2024. Project details can be found at DrivingOakland.com.

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 improves the condition of the state’s infrastructure.

Based on economic modeling, this $275 million investment is expected to directly and indirectly support 3,500 jobs.

Lt. Gov. Gilchrist shares optimism for I-375 conversion

by orionontv | Feb 16, 2023 | Transportation

Celebrating Black History Month, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist shares optimism for I-375 conversion

On part II of special Black History Month editions of the Talking Michigan Transportation, Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist talks about the importance of the project to convert the I-375 depressed freeway to an at-grade boulevard, reconnecting neighborhoods.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12251014-celebrating-black-history-month-lt-gov-gilchrist-shares-optimism-for-i-375-conversion

As a child growing up near those neighborhoods, and hearing the stories of relatives who recalled the razing of black-owned homes and businesses in the name of urban renewal, Gilchrist has personal reasons to be excited about the future, which he’s discussed previously.

In September, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Gilchrist, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and others to formally award the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) a nearly $105 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant to boost the project.

Gilchrist also underscores the social and environmental justice components of the I-375 project and how the same principles apply to developing the intermodal facility and rethinking Michigan Avenue.

Later, Gilchrist talks about a major economic development announcement this week that he participated in with Gov. Whitmer as Ford Motor Co. unveiled plans for a $3.5 billion electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.

$25 million for a key west Michigan freeway interchange

by orionontv | Jan 30, 2023 | Transportation

Legislature appropriates $25 million for a key west Michigan freeway interchange

On this episode of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about how supplemental appropriations legislation will boost a long-sought rebuilding of a freeway interchange that is vital to the regional flow of commuters, commerce and quality of life.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12145710-legislature-appropriates-25-million-for-a-key-west-michigan-freeway-interchange

First, Michigan Department of Transportation Grand Region Engineer Erick Kind talks about how the interchange at I-96 and Fruit Ridge Avenue in Walker, northwest of Grand Rapids, has been outdated and in need of improvement for several years. As with all transportation infrastructure in Michigan, decades-long underinvestment has made the improvements cost-prohibitive, despite the growing manufacturing, agricultural, service industry, and community needs in the corridor.

The interchange is categorized as functionally obsolete and in need of replacement. Fruit Ridge Avenue has five lanes north and four lanes to the south of the bridge over I-96, but the bridge has only two lanes, which presents congestion and safety challenges.

In the podcast’s second segment, State Rep. Carol Glanville, who helped secure the $25 million for the project, talks about her advocacy and success helping others understand why it’s a priority not just for the city of Walker but the broader region. She also explains how expanding the Fruit Ridge Avenue bridge will allow for nonmotorized lanes and connections between trails.

From previous federal grant applications for the project:

The I-96/Fruit Ridge Avenue interchange improvement project will redesign and rebuild an important freight-handling interchange located in the city of Walker, Michigan, an agricultural and manufacturing hub of west Michigan. The project serves a substantially rural workforce, which swells the city’s daytime population by more than 60 percent as they commute to and from Walker industries producing products for regional and international markets through Detroit, Chicago, the Muskegon Harbor Deepwater Port, and Canada.

Study examines feasibility of tolling some Michigan roads

by orionontv | Jan 23, 2023 | Transportation

Study examines feasibility of tolling some Michigan roads

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Eric Morris, Michigan office lead for HNTB, the transportation consultant selected to complete a tolling study.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12086503-study-examines-feasibility-of-tolling-some-michigan-roads

Some 35 states have at least one facility with tolling. But that number is a little deceiving because Michigan would be counted in that total since there is tolling on big bridges and/or international crossings but no tolling on non-bridge road segments.

Morris says the experts analyzed all 31 highways in Michigan for the study and determined that 14 could become toll roads, including large portions of Interstates 75, 94 and 96.

As Bridge Michigan reported, any tolls would take years to implement and require approval from the Legislature and the governor, among numerous hurdles.

Morris talks about the differences between various road user charge (RUC) options, including mileage-based user fees (MBUF) and tolling and how pilot programs seeking people to participate have been voluntary, so far, including one in Oregon that has generated a lot of discussion.

The Gordie Howe International Bridge takes shape

by orionontv | Jan 12, 2023 | Transportation

The Gordie Howe International Bridge takes shape

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Heather Grondin, vice president of corporate affairs and external relations at the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA), which is overseeing the building of the Gordie Howe International Bridge (GHIB).

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/12025056-the-gordie-howe-international-bridge-takes-shape

She talks about the progress made on the bridge in 2022, the busiest so far for construction. A WDBA video released in December offered year-in-review highlights.

In addition to facing the traditional challenges of any large infrastructure project, the worldwide pandemic also affected the project, though work continued with safeguards for the health of the workers.

Grondin explains that among other milestones in 2023, the towers on each side of the border will reach their full height – more than 700 feet, very close to the height of the tallest building at the Renaissance Center along the Detroit riverfront.

Soon, workers will begin connecting the first cables from the towers to the bridge and road deck. Also in 2023, work will begin on the main span over the Detroit River, which will be accomplished without any work in the river.

Other ongoing developments include:

All structures at the ports of entry are under construction.
Construction of the ramps connecting from the U.S. Port of Entry to I-75.

Grondin also highlights the sustainability components of the project, which are receiving international recognition. She also explained the varied community-benefit programs that are helping neighbors of the bridge with home improvements and offering funding for some 20 non-for-profits supporting local communities in the Delray neighborhood of Detroit and the Sandwich neighborhood in Windsor.

GHIB US site October 2022

Gordie Howe International Bridge progress on the United States side in October 2022.

Podcast photo: Gordie Howe International Bridge rendering.
Portrait photo: Heather Grondin, vice president of corporate affairs and external relations at the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA).

All images courtesy of the Point International Gordie Howe International Bridge website

A recap of 2022 major road and bridge projects

by orionontv | Dec 27, 2022 | Transportation

A recap of 2022 major road and bridge projects

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Brad Wieferich, MDOT chief operations officer and chief engineer, talks about major road and bridge projects completed on state trunklines in the past year, featured in MDOT’s year-end video.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/11917087-a-recap-of-2022-major-road-and-bridge-projects

Among the projects discussed:

I-69/I-475 in Flint, rebuilding bridges and 2 miles of highway.
I-75/US-23 in Mackinaw City, repaving and a new bridge for US-23 over I-75, $12.3 million.
US-2 in Bessemer, rebuilding of the road and storm sewer upgrades, $9 million,
I-496 in Lansing, rebuilding/repairing of 17 bridges and nearly 3 miles of road, $80 million.
US-31/I-94/I-196 in Benton Harbor, rebuilding 3.5 miles of I-94 and building new bridges at Britain Avenue and Benton Center Road, $94 million.
Second Avenue Bridge over I-94 in Detroit, replacing the original structure with the state’s first network tied arch bridge, $26 million
I-96 in eastern Kent County, rebuilding more than 2 miles of the expressway between Thornapple River Drive and Whitneyville Avenue, $15 million.

Wieferich also talks about some of the unique challenges MDOT staff and contractors face because of the pandemic, inflation, and supply chain issues.

Westbound I-696 closing from US-24 to I-275 this weekend

Lt. Gov. Gilchrist shares optimism for I-375 conversion

Celebrating Black History Month, Lt. Gov. Gilchrist shares optimism for I-375 conversion

$25 million for a key west Michigan freeway interchange

Legislature appropriates $25 million for a key west Michigan freeway interchange

Study examines feasibility of tolling some Michigan roads

Study examines feasibility of tolling some Michigan roads

The Gordie Howe International Bridge takes shape

The Gordie Howe International Bridge takes shape

A recap of 2022 major road and bridge projects

A recap of 2022 major road and bridge projects

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