Federal Grant for MDOT Bridge Bundling Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 4, 2021 Contact: Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, WeingartenD@
Governor Whitmer Announces Federal Grant for MDOT Bridge Bundling Program
LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer today announced that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) received nearly $978,000 from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to expand the state’s bridge bundling efforts on local agency routes, something the governor has put forward under her $300 million executive budget recommendation to repair or replace hundreds of local bridges. MDOT expects bridge bundling, which covers several projects under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes.. MDOT expects bridge bundling, which covers several projects under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes.
“Investing in infrastructure creates good-paying jobs, supports working families and communities, and drives our economy forward,” said Governor Whitmer. “I am grateful for the support from our federal partners who recog
”We need to build our economy back better than ever before,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a release announcing the grants. ”These grants support innovative and cost-effective new approaches to delivering safe, high quality transportation projects for the American people.” said in a release announcing the grants. ”These grants support innovative and cost-effective new approaches to delivering safe, high quality transportation projects for the American people.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced more than $5.6 million in Accelerated Innovated Deployment (AID) Demonstration program grants to seven states on May 26. The AID Demonstration program assists states in implementing innovative practices. This grant was one of only seven awarded nationwide.
MDOT expects bridge bundling, which covers several bridge construction projects under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes around the state. The program groups or ”bundles” several bridges into one contract using criteria such as proximity, environmental factors, type of work, external coordination required, or complexity. MDOT is working to expand the approach, already in use on state trunkline projects, to address locally owned bridges.
This AID grant funding to further our local agency bridge bundling project represents national validation of our approach,” said Matt Chynoweth, MDOT’s Chief Bridge Engineer. ”MDOT is concerned with the safety and adequacy not only of trunkline bridges, but with all of these publicly used structures in Michigan.”
By combining several contracts into one, bridge bundling allows one contractor, or one group of contractors, to work on all the bridges, Chynoweth explained. This can bring taxpayer savings through the sharing of equipment and mobilization costs.
One key component of the bridge bundling plan: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer put forward a plan to allocate $300 million under her executive budget recommendation to expand the state’s bridge bundling program to repair or replace hundreds of additional local bridges that are closed or in critical condition.
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Mackinac Bridge enters busy season for traffic and maintenance
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kim Nowack, Mackinac Bridge Authority, 906-643-7600
Mackinac Bridge enters the busy season for traffic and for maintenance work
May 25, 2021 — As traffic picks up on the Mackinac Bridge for the traditional increase in warmer season travel, so does the work required to maintain this engineering icon.
Contractor Seaway Painting is wrapping up five seasons devoted to stripping and repainting the bridge’s twin ivory towers. At the same time, the Mackinac Bridge Authority’s (MBA) team of dedicated maintenance staff is out on the bridge deck, replacing pieces of the original decking, repairing deck joints, and cleaning off a winter’s worth of grit tracked onto the bridge.
“Like with road work and maintenance anywhere else, the season for taking care of the Mackinac Bridge coincides with the peak of tourism travel in northern Michigan,” said MBA Executive Secretary Kim Nowack. “We realize the views of the Straits of Mackinac are tempting, but we need customers to focus their attention on driving, especially when passing work zones on the bridge.”
Delays for work on the bridge are generally minimal, as most lane closures are removed for holidays and peak traffic periods, but in some cases those lane closures must remain in place even when traffic picks up.
“We’re all in a hurry to get where we’re going, particularly when we’re on vacation, but it’s critically important that drivers slow down and set aside any distractions when they are passing through one of our work zones,” Nowack said. “A moment of inattention could result in a terrible tragedy.”
What typically results in traffic backups at the bridge is the surge of weekend traffic from late spring through fall, particularly from 2 to 6 p.m. on Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Even with all toll booths open, the sheer volume of traffic sometimes exceeds the capacity of the toll workers. The bridge takes many types of payment now, including cash, credit/debit cards, Apple Pay/Google Pay, and MacPass, which is the fastest transaction type.
“Our toll workers are always doing the best they can to get drivers through the toll booths as quickly as possible,” Nowack said. “We just ask that customers exercise their patience as they approach the booths.”
Live traffic camera views of the bridge, updates on bridge conditions, toll rates, and information on the MacPass program can all be found on the MBA website: www.MackinacBridge.org.
Welcome Centers to reopen for Memorial Day weekend
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-4809
Michigan Welcome Centers to reopen for
May 24, 2021 — In accordance with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ May 15, 2021, Gatherings and Face Mask Order, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will resume tourist information services at all Michigan Welcome Centers prior to the Memorial Day holiday weekend. MDOT Welcome Center tourism services will resume on May 28, with appropriate safety protocols in place. Gov. Whitmer’s MI Vacc to Normal plan ties loosening coronavirus restrictions to vaccination rates. Since more than 55 percent of eligible Michiganders had received at least one dose by May 10, businesses are allowed to resume in-person work starting May 24. “MDOT Welcome Centers play a key role in highlighting all Michigan has to offer both to in-state and out-of-state travelers,” State Transportation Director Paul Ajegba said. “Our knowledgeable Welcome Center staff have a wealth of Pure Michigan information to help travelers find the destinations, events and activities they’re looking for.” Demand for travel and tourism information is expected to be high over the long Memorial Day weekend. The American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasts more than 1 million Michigan residents will take a trip during the holiday period, a nearly 57 percent increase from last year. Quick and cost-free COVID-19 testing continues to be available at the following high-volume Welcome Centers: Dundee (Monroe County) on northbound US-23, Coldwater (Branch County) on northbound I-69, New Buffalo (Berrien County) on eastbound I-94, and Monroe (Monroe County) on northbound I-75. A map of MDOT Welcome Centers is available online. “Pure Michigan is ready and eager to welcome back visitors and help drive Michigan’s recovery by promoting safe travel across the state,” said Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. “Our Welcome Centers play a critical role in ensuring a positive ‘first impression’ visitor experience, and the safe reopening of the Welcome Centers is great news for the industry.” Taking proactive steps to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, MDOT closed the information lobbies at the state’s 14 Welcome Centers in March 2020. For travel information, visit www.Michigan.gov/Drive and www.Michigan.org. For current and up-to-date information regarding the Coronavirus, visit http://www.Michigan.gov/ |