Michigan in the driver’s seat for electric vehicle charging

Michigan in the driver’s seat for electric vehicle charging

by | Sep 27, 2021 | Transportation

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer puts Michigan in the driver’s seat for electric vehicle charging

This week on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, following two important announcements from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer solidifying Michigan’s commitment to electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, a conversation with two of the people helping to make the ideas a reality.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/episodes/9252771-gov-gretchen-whitmer-puts-michigan-in-the-driver-s-seat-for-electric-vehicle-charging

TMT - EV Charging

First, Elsa Givan, an analyst at Silicon Foundry who is working with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Michigan’s Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, will talk about why this is a leapfrog moment for Michigan and the future of automated and electric vehicles. In a second segment, Michele Mueller, a senior project manager at MDOT, explains the Request for Proposals (RFP) process.

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, while participating in the opening ceremony at Motor Bella, the governor announced an initiative to develop the nation’s first wireless charging infrastructure on a public road in the U.S. The development of a wireless dynamic charging roadway in Michigan is a step toward addressing range anxiety and will accelerate the transition to all-electric transit fleets in Michigan and beyond.

On Wednesday, Sept. 22, at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Mackinac Policy Conference, the governor followed up with two related announcements:

  • A “Lake Michigan EV Circuit,” a charging infrastructure network along Lake Michigan to support the region’s tourism industry; and
  • An initiative to prepare Michigan’s workforce for automotive mobility and electrification jobs and career pathways.

Givan explains why these EV announcements represent a leapfrog moment for Michigan and what other states are doing in the charging realm. She likens the charging initiative to the Cavnue project, suggesting this project gives Michigan the ability to rapidly accelerate its electrification strategy by adopting a technology on the five to 10-year mass-adoption horizon.

She also predicts that as automated EVs become the national standard, consumer expectations will shift toward complementary automated charging infrastructure, unlocking massive time and cost efficiencies for commercial freight, public transit, and private transportation.

Underscoring the economic and work force development imperative, Givan says that in order to “own the future of mobility, Michigan must place bold bets on electrification innovation.” Projects like the Electric Avenue signal to the private sector that the state is the most conducive and supportive environment nationwide for EV companies to launch and scale their businesses, which in turn leads to new high-paying jobs in the mobility sector and economic growth.

Michele Mueller

Later, MDOT’s Mueller joins the podcast to explain her role in overseeing the RFP for the wireless charging roadway concept. She explains why Michigan offers a holistic and supportive environment for developing charging technology and the collaboration among several state agencies.

Mueller also touts MDOT’s other pioneering efforts in mobility like Mcity at the University of Michigan and the American Center for Mobility as effective examples of those partnerships.

Because the RFP process encourages creativity and allows for developing innovative solutions, the expectation is for a number of companies to seize the opportunity to try out their concepts.

Mueller further underscores Givan’s comments about the value of this process providing myriad opportunities for companies here in Michigan to utilize and test their technology in a live environment.

Podcast photo: Elsa Givan, analyst at Silicon Foundry. Photo courtesy of Silicon Foundry.

Second portrait: Michele Mueller, MDOT senior project manager Connected and Automated Vehicles.

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

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.
Final Adopt-A-Highway cleanup of year starts Saturday

Final Adopt-A-Highway cleanup of year starts Saturday

by | Sep 20, 2021 | Transportation

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2021 

CONTACT: Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-4809
                      [email protected]

Final Adopt-A-Highway cleanup of year starts Saturday

Fast facts:
– The final Adopt-A-Highway cleanup of the year is Sept. 25-Oct. 3.
– Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect more than 60,000 bags of litter annually.
– Sections of highway are still available to adopt. Go to www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.

September 20, 2021 — Motorists should be on the lookout as thousands of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers in the popular Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) program fan out across the state to collect litter along highway roadsides from Saturday, Sept. 25, through Sunday, Oct. 3.

This is the third and final scheduled pickup period of the year.

Every year, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers regularly collect more than 60,000 bags of trash. The popular program began in 1990 and has grown to involve more than 2,900 groups cleaning 6,000 miles of highway.

Beginning Saturday, volunteers wearing high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests will clear up their adopted stretches of highway. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags, and arranges to haul away the trash.

Getting involved in the program is easy. Volunteers include members of civic groups, businesses and families. Crew members have to be at least 12 years old and each group must number at least three people. Groups are asked to adopt a section of highway for at least two years; there is no fee to participate. Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups are recognized with signs bearing a group’s name posted along stretches of adopted highway.

Sections of highway are still available for adoption. Interested groups should check the MDOT Adopt-A-Highway website at www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information and the name of their county’s coordinator, who can specify available roadsides.

Another bridge hit, another freeway closed

by | Sep 16, 2021 | Transportation

Another bridge hit, another freeway closed

Last week, after inspectors discovered severe damage to a bridge that carries rail cars over the US-23 freeway near Milan, Michigan, engineers made the difficult decision to close the road and pursue emergency repairs. The damage came to light upon a more in-depth inspection of the bridge that revealed severe structural damage from a high-load hit involving a truck traveling underneath in late August.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/9208140-another-bridge-hit-another-freeway-closed

TMT - Another bridge hit

As Pew Trust research underscored in 2019, “so-called bridge strikes occur all over the country when trucks or their loads are too tall to pass under highway bridges and overpasses. They damage valuable infrastructure, create epic traffic jams and can be hazardous for other drivers who may be pelted with fallen debris or forced to swerve into another car.”

Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), joins the podcast to explain the sequence of events and why the busy freeway needed to be closed. He also talks about the bridge engineers’ efforts to move quickly on emergency repairs, acknowledging the inconvenience to commuters who rely on the freeway every day, as well as freight haulers traveling farther north or south on the freeway.

The bridge is owned by the railroad and is important to the movement of freight. It is more than 80 years old, pre-dating the conversion of the original two-lane US-23 into a freeway. Chynoweth explains why the jurisdiction for railroad bridges is different than vehicle bridges that carry local roads over or under state-owned highways.

As of the podcast recording on Thursday, Sept. 16, MDOT officials were waiting to open bids and award a contract for the emergency repairs necessary to make the bridge safe for vehicles to pass underneath.

Chynoweth also talks about the importance of truck drivers planning their routes and obtaining permits for oversize loads. In Michigan, a permit is required for objects and/or vehicles at 13 feet, 6 inches or higher.

Know the height of your load


Podcast photo shows the Ann Arbor railroad bridge above US-23 near Milan. The view shows the yellow northbound bridge height sign.

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

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.
Michigan in the driver’s seat for electric vehicle charging

Measuring bridge conditions across the country

by | Sep 13, 2021 | Transportation

Measuring bridge conditions across the country and progress in Michigan

Coming off the successful return of a cool Michigan tradition, the Mackinac Bridge walk on Labor Day, this week’s podcast revisits the condition of our state’s other bridges and some creative proposals to fund replacement and repair of state and local structures.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/9171344-measuring-bridge-conditions-across-the-country-and-progress-in-michigan

TMT - Measuring bridge conditions

First, for some national perspective, a conversation with experts in performance management and bridge conditions at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO): Patricia Bush, AASHTO’s program manager for bridges and design, and Matthew Hardy, AASHTO’s program director for planning and performance management.

Matt Chynoweth

Later, Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation, talks about a pilot bridge bundling program for local agencies. An MDOT dashboard tracks the progress.
Patricia Bush, AASHTO

Bush explains why terms for bridge conditions, like structurally deficient and functionally obsolete, were abandoned, with discussion now focusing simply on conditions being good, fair or poor. She also talks about the condition of the nation’s bridges, overall, and what goes into decisions to close a bridge. Bush cites the decision to close a Memphis bridge in May after inspectors found a crack in the steel structure.
Matthew Hardy, AASHTO planning and performance program director

Hardy explains how performance management informs decisions and why all states must use the national bridge reporting measures. He also lays out the reasons for following asset management principles in making decisions about a transportation network.

Offering a focus on Michigan bridge conditions, Chynoweth explains how a decision two decades ago to focus on asset management has helped conserve resources and address state-owned bridges more efficiently. He also talks about some major bridge projects MDOT engineers are tackling this summer, including a bridge over M-55 near Manistee, which MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba visited this week.

Director Ajegba at the M-55 bridge project near Manistee

MDOT Director Paul Ajegba talks to engineers at the M-55 bridge site near Manistee, Michigan.

First portrait: Matt Chynoweth, MDOT chief bridge engineer

Second portrait: Patricia Bush, AASHTO’s program manager for bridges and design (Photo courtesy of Mario Olivero with AASHTO.)

Third portrait: Matthew Hardy, AASHTO’s program director for planning and performance management (Photo courtesy of Matthew Hardy.)

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

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.
Canadian currency toll rates at Blue Water Bridge to decrease

Canadian currency toll rates at Blue Water Bridge to decrease

by | Sep 8, 2021 | Transportation

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

CONTACT: Jocelyn Hall, MDOT Office of Communications, 989-245-7117
                  [email protected]

 

Canadian currency toll rates at Blue Water Bridge
to decrease effective Oct. 1

Fast facts:
– MDOT previously announced a currency parity policy effective April 1, 2016, for the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.
– The Canadian rate for eastbound traffic will be reviewed and adjusted April 1 and Oct. 1 of each year.
– The rate adjustments are rounded to the nearest $0.25 and calculated based on the prior six-month average daily exchange rates between U.S. and Canadian currencies.

September 7, 2021 — In accordance with the Blue Water Bridge parity rate adjustment policy, toll rates paid in Canadian currency (CAD) will decrease by $0.25 beginning Oct. 1.

Based on the current average daily exchange rate, the toll rates below will be in effect through March 31, 2022.

  • Passenger vehicle tolls will decrease to $3.75 (CAD) per trip.
  • Extra axles will decrease to $3.75 (CAD) per trip.
  • Trucks and buses per axle will decrease to $4 (CAD) per trip.

Travel restrictions to Canada have recently been updated by the Canada Border Services Agency. Please review border security criteria ahead of traveling to reduce frustration. U.S. Customs and Border Protection current travel restrictions are expected to remain in place through Sept. 21.
21,000 visit the Mackinac Bridge for annual bridge walk

21,000 visit the Mackinac Bridge for annual bridge walk

by | Sep 7, 2021 | Transportation

 

 
MBA header July 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                            MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2021

 

CONTACT: James Lake, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-0993, LakeJ1@Michigan.gov

 

21,000 visit the Mackinac Bridge for the ’21 annual bridge walk

 

September 6, 2021 – Chilly breezes and overcast skies turned to warm sunshine for the return of the Mackinac Bridge Walk, welcoming back a crowd of about 21,000 to the event after a one-year hiatus.

         “Returning for the walk this year after the only cancellation since 1958, we weren’t sure what to expect,” said Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA) Bridge Director Kim Nowack. “Although total participation is less than we’ve had in recent years, there were still thousands of very happy faces on the bridge today, all glad to revive this tradition.”

A time-lapse video of this year’s walk is now available to view. The bridge, which closed at 6:30 a.m. to all vehicle traffic for the walk, reopened just before noon as scheduled.

          Based on the success of the 2018 and 2019 events, the 2021 Annual Bridge Walk again started from both St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, which eliminates the need for busing and offers additional options for participants.

          The bridge walk has been an annual event since 1958, with the exception of 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 walk was the 63rd event. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people have participated in recent years.