by orionontv | Mar 31, 2025 | Transportation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2025 |
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MEDIA CONTACT
Dan Weingarten
906-250-4809
[email protected] |
Year’s first Adopt-A-Highway pickup starts Saturday, April 5
Fast facts:
- The first Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway pickup of the year is April 5-13 for the Lower Peninsula.
- The first pickup for the Upper Peninsula will be from May 10 to 18.
- Sections of highway are still available to adopt. Go to Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.
LANSING, Mich. - It’s a spring event as predictable as the return of the robins: volunteers will hit the roadsides across lower Michigan beginning Saturday as Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) groups pick up litter on state highways from April 5-13.
The year’s first AAH pickup for the Upper Peninsula will be later (May 10-18) when spring has had more time to set in for the northern part of the state.
“Each year, our Adopt-A-Highway volunteers show their dedication to their communities by keeping the roadsides clean,” said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. “These thousands of groups make a huge difference every year. Please help them stay safe while they’re out there. Stay alert for the volunteers and drive cautiously during the pickup periods.”
The AAH program began in Michigan in 1990. Today, 35 years later, around 2,600 groups have adopted more than 6,000 miles of state highway. Last year alone, these volunteers collected 36,000 bags of trash.
Volunteers pick up litter three times each year. Statewide, there will be a summer pickup from July 12 to 20 and a fall pickup from Sept. 20 to 28.
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.
by orionontv | Mar 31, 2025 | Transportation
MDOT Paint the Plow program returns to brighten Michigan’s roads
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Paint the Plow program. This program offers a unique opportunity for MDOT to partner with area schools, using students’ creativity to communicate safe winter driving practices for all Michigan residents.
The Paint the Plow program is open to all Michigan high schools, including technical and vocational programs. Students are invited to submit a creative and original design reflecting their individual school, while promoting a selected safety theme. This year’s safety theme is “Give plows space; it’s not a race.”
The safety theme reminds everyone that driving safely on winter roads is crucial to preventing crashes and ensuring road user safety. Snow and ice can make roads slippery, reducing traction and increasing stopping distances. Slowing down gives drivers more time to react to changing conditions and helps maintain control. It’s especially important to be cautious around snowplows, which travel at reduced speeds and have limited visibility. By slowing down and giving plows plenty of space, drivers can help keep Michigan’s roads safer for everyone.
MDOT will accept Paint the Plow design applications through Friday, May 16. Selected schools will be notified before the end of the 2025 school year and arrangements will be made for the delivery of their plow blade in the fall. Depending on location throughout the state, schools will have approximately six weeks to complete their design before MDOT staff return for the completed plow blade in time to ready trucks for the winter maintenance season. Painted plow blades will be visible along various state trunklines (I, M and US routes) in Michigan through the winter.
Interested schools can visit www.Michigan.gov/PaintThePlow for more information and to submit their design.
Superior Region’s Newberry High School designed this plow blade for last year’s Paint the Plow program.
Bay Region’s Heritage High School painted this plow for the 2024-2025 season.
University Region’s Western High School painted this snowplow blade for the 2024-2025 Paint the Plow program.
by orionontv | Mar 21, 2025 | Transportation
03/21-03/24/25 WEEKEND WORK for MDOT (I, M, US roads)
This is weekend construction, in addition to on-going projects other than these locations. Always check Michigan.gov/drive for this info and for ALL projects and follow @MDOT_MetroDet.
Multiple work crews may be involved in these closures. WEATHER AFFECTS ALL WORK AND MAY CAUSE DELAYS OR CANCELLATIONS.
I-75:
Oakland – NB Dixie Hwy/Saginaw Rd RAMP CLOSED to I-75, Mon 7am-early Nov for construction.
Oakland – EB/WB E Holly RAMP CLOSED to NB I-75, Mon 7am-early Nov for construction.
Oakland – SB I-75 RAMP CLOSED to EB I-696, Fri 9am-3pm, for pavement markings.
Wayne – NB I-75 RAMP CLOSED to I-94, Sat 9am-10:30am, freeway cleaning.
Wayne – NB I-75 RAMP CLOSED to WB M-8/Davison, Sat 10:30am-noon, freeway cleaning.
Wayne – NB I-75 Service Drive at 8 Mile, 3 lanes open, Fri 7am-early April, pump station.
I-94:
Macomb – WB I-94 at 9 Mile, 1 LANE OPEN, Sat 9am-noon, then reopens to 2 LANES, Sat noon-4pm, bridge inspection.
Wayne – WB I-94 RAMP CLOSED to SB I-275, Mon 9am-Wed 5am, drainage maintenance.
Wayne – EB I-94, Middlebelt to Inkster, 2 LANES OPEN, Sat 7am-5pm/Sun 5am-2pm, median work.
Wayne – WB I-94 CLOSED, US-24/Telegraph to Middlebelt, intermittently, Sun 6am-10am, cable crossing.
I-696:
Oakland – WB I-696, Farmington Rd to Halsted Rd, 2 LANES OPEN, Sat 9am-3pm, sign installation.
Oakland – WB I-696, M-10 to Telegraph Rd, 2 LANES OPEN, Mon 7am-Wed 4/2, slope restoration, etc.
M-8: (Davison)
Wayne – EB M-8 RAMP CLOSED to SB M-10, Sat 1pm-2:30pm, freeway cleaning.
M-10: (Lodge)
Oakland – SB M-10 at 8 Mile Rd, 2 LANES OPEN, Fri 9:30am-noon, bridge inspection.
Oakland – NB M-10 at Greenfield, 2 LANES OPEN, Fri Noon-3pm, bridge inspection.
Oakland – SB M-10 at 8 Mile, 2 LANES OPEN, Mon to early April, retaining wall.
Oakland – NB/SB Greenfield RAMP CLOSED to SB M-10, Mon 6am-early April, retaining wall.
Oakland – SB M-10 Service Drive, 8 Mile to 7 Mile, 1 LANE OPEN, Mon 6am-early Apr, retaining wall.
M-102: (8 Mile)
Oakland – WB M-102, M-10 to Northland Dr, 3 lanes open, Fri 9am-3pm, utility work.
REMINDERS:
I-75, M-15 to Genesee County line, 2 lanes open
EB/WB I-96 FLEX Route now in operation
EB 696 CLOSED M-10 to I-75
EB M14/96, Sheldon-Newburgh, 1 LANE OPEN
by orionontv | Mar 20, 2025 | Transportation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2025 |
|
MEDIA CONTACT
Dan Weingarten
906-250-4809
[email protected] |
Annual spring weight restrictions on Michigan state roads
changing at noon today
LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues to adjust spring weight restriction areas in an annual move to protect roads.
Effective noon today, March 20, weight restrictions will be lifted on all state trunkline highways from the southern Michigan border north to and including the route beginning on M-43 at the I-196 Business Loop intersection in South Haven continuing to the US-131 interchange in Kalamazoo County, then south on US-131 to the I-94 interchange, east on I-94 to the I-69 interchange in Calhoun County, north on I-69 to the I-96 interchange in Eaton County, east on I-96 to the M-59 interchange in Livingston County, and then east on M-59, ending at the I-94 interchange in Macomb County.
Frost restrictions are still in effect for the remainder of the state and will be imposed and enforced on all state trunkline highways north of the route detailed above. State routes typically carry M, I, or US designations.
In the restricted areas, the following will apply:
- On routes designated as “all-season” (designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be no reduction in legal axle weights.
- All extended permits will be valid for oversize loads in the weight-restricted area on the restricted routes. Single-trip permits will not be issued for any overweight loads or loads exceeding 14 feet in width, 11 axles, and 150 feet in overall length on the restricted routes.
- On routes designated as “seasonal” (designated in solid or dashed red on the MDOT Truck Operators Map), there will be a posted weight reduction of 25 percent for rigid (concrete) pavements and 35 percent for flexible (asphalt) pavements, and maximum speed of 35 mph for some vehicles.
Drivers must follow the speed limits for weight restricted roads, per state law. Go online for speed restrictions for trucks and the rules for propane fuel delivery and public utility vehicles.
When roads that have been frozen all winter begin to thaw from the surface downward, melting snow and ice saturate the softened ground. During the spring thaw, the roadbed softened by trapped moisture beneath the pavement makes it more susceptible to damage. This contributes to pothole problems already occurring due to this winter’s numerous freeze-thaw cycles.
MDOT determines when weight restrictions begin each spring by measuring frost depths along state highways, observing road conditions and monitoring weather forecasts. Weight restrictions remain in effect until the frost line is deep enough to allow moisture to escape and the roadbeds regain stability.
County road commissions and city public works departments put in place their own local road seasonal weight restrictions, which usually but not always coincide with state highway weight restrictions. Signs are generally posted to indicate which local routes have weight restrictions in effect.
For weight restriction information and updates, call 800-787-8960, or you can access this information on MDOT’s website at www.Michigan.gov/Truckers, under “Restrictions.” All-season routes are designated in green and gold on the MDOT Truck Operators Map, which is available online. You also may sign up to receive e-mail alerts.
Trucking companies located in New Jersey and Canada can obtain information by calling 517-373-6256.
Muller also shares insights from reporting on a 
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As talks heat up between Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over various 
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).