Challenges of falling ice on the Mackinac Bridge

Challenges of falling ice on the Mackinac Bridge

by | Apr 7, 2022 | Transportation

The challenges and perils of falling ice on the Mackinac Bridge

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, questions and explanations about the increasing frequency of melting ice falling from the Mackinac Bridge cables, creating hazards for motorists and the need to close the bridge for many hours at a time. This video illustrates the danger.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/10397904-the-challenges-and-perils-of-falling-ice-on-the-mackinac-bridge

TMT -Mack Bridge Ice

As this record shows, closures because of falling ice have happened with increasing frequency.

Matt Chynoweth

First, Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation, explains what causes the big chunks of ice to come crashing down and the challenges other bridge operators across the country and world have had in managing the problem.

In Toledo, the Ohio Department of Transportation has been forced to close the Veterans Glass City Skyway over the Maumee River because of falling ice.

Chynoweth also explains the challenge in striking a balance between the cost of delays to travelers and the expensive solutions being discussed elsewhere.
James Lake, MDOT media relations representative

Later, James Lake, MDOT North Region media relations representative who also supports the Mackinac Bridge Authority, talks about his efforts in explaining the issues to media outlets and social media users.

Mack Bridge Ice Smashed Vehicle

In February 2019, ice falling from the Mackinac Bridge smashed the windshield of a pickup truck.

Podcast photo: Ice builds up on the iconic green Mackinac Bridge cables.

First portrait: Matt Chynoweth, chief bridge engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Second portrait: James Lake, MDOT North Region media relations representative.
Bridge bundling projects move forward

Bridge bundling projects move forward

by | Apr 7, 2022 | Transportation

MDOT E-mail

MDOT on facebook MDOT on Twitter MDOT on YouTube Mi Drive - Know before you go. MDOT on Instagram Sign up for E-mails form MDOT
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                MEDIA CONTACT
April 6, 2022                                                                                        Dan Weingarten
906-250-4809
WeingartenD@Michigan.gov

Bridge bundling projects move forward

Fast facts:
– The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will be executing Phase II of the local agency bridge bundling program, focusing on closed and load-posted bridges, some of which will be permanently removed and others replaced.
– The bridge bundling pilot project currently encompasses major improvements of 19 locally owned bridges in 2022. Five bridge projects have already started.
– MDOT expects the bridge bundling pilot project, which covers several projects under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes.
– MDOT’s online dashboard at Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling allows the public to track progress on the projects.

LANSING, Mich. ­- $196 million in federal COVID relief funds appropriated by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Legislature will allow the state to execute Phase II of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling program, beginning later this year.

A list of the 59 candidate bridges, which were prioritized based on regional mobility and safety, is available here as part of MDOT’s bridge bundling program online dashboard. This phase focuses on closed and load-posted bridges. Some will be permanently removed while others will be fully replaced.

Major repairs on local bridges are already under way as this year’s MDOT bridge bundling pilot project moves forward. Five bridge bundling projects started in March. All of the bridges encompassed by the program will be completed and reopened to traffic within 60 or 90 days from the start of repairs. The five projects currently range from 38 to 77 percent complete.

“We’re making good progress toward our goal of improving 19 local bridges throughout the state this year,” said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. “These projects should keep the bridges in service for another 50 years, continuing to connect communities, travelers and businesses. This pilot program will accelerate repairs, streamline construction, spark innovations, and create economies of scale, helping to rebuild Michigan’s infrastructure more efficiently.”

This year’s project, the first of its kind in Michigan, will repair 19 bridges in serious or critical condition that are owned by local agencies. Each bridge will have its superstructure replaced, which includes full removal and replacement of the bridge deck and supporting beams.

The pilot project is funded by Federal Highway Improvement Program (HIP) dollars. MDOT bridge staff and consultants are doing all the design and construction administration work for the bridge bundling program.

An online dashboard at Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling provides project updates and shows percent completion, detour routes, and other information for each of these projects. Clicking on the interactive map pulls up details on each project, including photos documenting the ongoing work.

MDOT expects bridge bundling, which covers several bridge locations under one contract, to streamline coordination and permitting, increase economies of scale, and improve bridge conditions on local routes around the state. MDOT is working to expand the approach, already in use on state trunkline projects, to address locally owned bridges.

The other 14 bridges to be rebuilt this year, along with scheduled start dates and contracted length of the project, are listed here.

MDOT estimates $2 billion is required just to get all state-owned bridges up to good or fair condition, and another $1.5 billion to do the same for all local agency-owned bridges.

###

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bridge dashboard

A snapshot of the dashboard for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling pilot program shows progress on the Bentley Street bridge over Farmer’s Creek in Lapeer. The interactive website (Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling) tracks progress on local agency bridge projects that have been grouped together for more efficient work. Nineteen locally owned bridge repair jobs are included in the pilot program, with five projects currently under way. $196 million in targeted COVID relief funds will allow 50 or more bridges to be rebuilt in Phase II of the program, beginning next year. (MDOT image) 

bridge work snapshot

A photo from the new dashboard (Michigan.gov/BridgeBundling) for the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) bridge bundling pilot program shows work on the abutment for the Byron Road bridge over the Black River in Ottawa County. The interactive website allows stakeholders and the general public to access progress statistics and photos on local agency bridge projects that have been grouped together for more efficient work. (MDOT photo)

 
Bridge bundling projects move forward

Bridge demolition requires closing part of I-94

by | Apr 5, 2022 | Transportation

MDOT E-mail

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                     MEDIA CONTACT

April 5, 2022                                                                             Rob Morosi                                                                                                                                                               248-361-6288                                                                         MorosiR@Michigan.gov

Bridge demolition requires closing a portion of  

I-94 in Detroit this weekend  

Fast facts:

– MDOT is replacing the Grand River Avenue bridge over I-94 in Detroit.  

– Demolition of the Grand River overpass requires closing I-94 between I-96 and I-75 starting Friday night.

– Crews will keep the westbound I-94 ramp to I-96 closed until late May.  

 

DETROIT, Mich. ­- Weather permitting, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) contract crews will be removing the Grand River overpass above I-94 in Detroit this weekend. This work will require closing I-94 between I-75 and I-96 starting at 9 p.m. Friday, April 8. Both directions of I-94 are expected to reopen by 5 a.m. Monday, April 11.

 

Westbound I-94 traffic will be detoured via southbound I-75 and westbound I-96 back to westbound I-94. Eastbound I-94 traffic will be detoured via eastbound I-96 to northbound I-75 back to eastbound I-94. All entrance ramps to eastbound I-94 from 30th Street to M-10 (Lodge Freeway), and westbound I-94 from Mt. Elliott to Linwood streets, will be closed by 9 p.m. Friday and will reopen by 5 a.m. Monday.

 

Starting at 5 a.m. Monday, the following closures will remain in place until late May:

– The right lane of westbound I-94 from Linwood Street to I-96, and

– The westbound I-94 ramp to eastbound and westbound I-96.

Ramp traffic will be detoured using southbound I-75 to I-96. Detours will be posted for local traffic using Grand River Avenue over I-94.

 

The new overpass will replace the original structure built in 1952. All work on this $14.6 million investment is scheduled to be completed in early 2023.

 

Follow the I-94 modernization project on the web at https://I94Detroit.org or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/I94Detroit or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/I94Detroit.
Challenges of falling ice on the Mackinac Bridge

Talking Michigan Transportation: Fuel tax pauses

by | Apr 4, 2022 | Transportation

Fuel tax pauses, why U.S. transit projects cost so much, and EVs saving lives

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a semi-regular conversation with Lloyd Brown, formerly director of communications at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and now with the consulting firm, HDR.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/10356213-fuel-tax-pauses-why-u-s-transit-projects-cost-so-much-and-evs-saving-lives

Talking Michigan Transportation player

Topics include:

Fuel tax pauses

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s veto of a bill to pause the state tax on gas and diesel fuel. Meanwhile, the governor signaled support for a temporary freeze on the sales tax on fuel.

Governors and lawmakers in several other states are implementing or debating similar measures, but Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said this week he would not support lowering his state’s 24.8 cent gas tax.

Lloyd Brown

Transit infrastructure building costs

An in-depth look by Marketplace at the soaring cost of building transit infrastructure in the U.S. According to a 2021 Eno Center analysis, the U.S. spent an average of 50 percent more on a per-mile basis for both at-grade and tunnel transit systems than other peer countries. Highways and roads are costly, too.

From the story: “We do spend a lot more money here in this country, and it seems to be particularly acute in New York. But the kind of a cost per mile of building new transit, you know, is substantially higher than other developed countries with similar economies and democratic structures,” said Paul Lewis, policy director of the Eno Center for Transportation, a nonprofit think tank.

The reasons are many and varied, but one expert cites the attention to ongoing maintenance and rebuilding that is prioritized in other countries.

“In Paris, for instance, they’ve been continually building and improving and upgrading and expanding their [subway] system, you know, for about a century now. While in New York, we basically took 60 to 70 years off, and we’re not sort of maintaining our system,” Eric Goldwyn, assistant professor and program director of the transportation and land use program at NYU Marron, told Marketplace.

Electric vehicles (EVs) and saving lives

A major shift to EVs and a clean power grid in the U.S. could save tens of thousands of lives over the next few decades, according to a new report by the American Lung Association.

A story in The Verge says a drop in pollution from tailpipes and power plants would prevent up to 110,000 premature deaths by 2050, the report projects. It would also avoid 2.8 million asthma attacks and 13.4 million lost workdays. All in all, that would amount to $1.2 trillion in public health benefits.
Challenges of falling ice on the Mackinac Bridge

Whitmer joins MDOT to celebrate hurdle cleared for I-375

by | Mar 17, 2022 | Transportation

Gov. Whitmer joins MDOT, community partners to celebrate a hurdle cleared for I-375

This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast puts a spotlight on the project transforming I-375, a stub freeway built six decades ago, piercing the City of Detroit and displacing whole neighborhoods in the era of urban renewal.

Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/10269467-gov-whitmer-joins-mdot-community-partners-to-celebrate-a-hurdle-cleared-for-i-375

TMT - 375 Meeting

Gov. Whitmer and Director Ajegba listen as interested parties discuss the I-375 FONSI.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Paul C. Ajegba, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and interested parties this week at a roundtable discussion after MDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). This follows thorough documentation and review of public comments, which is the final National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) decision document. The document describes why the I-375 improvement project will not have any significant environmental impacts expected to occur upon implementation of the selected alternative design.

Tony Migaldi of the infrastructure design firm HNTB is managing the project in consultation with MDOT planners and engineers. He joins the podcast to talk about the significance of this week’s milestone, the work that brought the project to this point, and what lies ahead.

Tony Magaldi

Migaldi talks about the amount of listening that went into the process and the robust engagement with the owners of businesses along the corridor and the residential neighbors. He also discusses excess property that will be freed up with a conversion of a sunken freeway to an at-grade urban boulevard, which will include options for cyclists and pedestrians and connections that were lost to the freeway.

This animation offers an idea of what to expect with the finished product.

Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, who has some family history in the neighborhoods lost to the freeway, spoke on the podcast previously about what the project could mean to the city and acknowledging mistakes of the past. When work to build I-375 began in 1959, the thriving black neighborhoods of Black Bottom and Paradise Valley were demolished to make way for the freeway. Built through a thriving Hastings Street, the new I-375 opened in 1964 and created a barrier between the central business district in Detroit and the neighborhoods to the east, resulting in decades of underinvestment and a lack of opportunity for the predominantly Black communities on the other side of the freeway.

I-375 FONSI Meeting

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined MDOT Director Paul C. Ajegba, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and interested parties at a round table discussion after MDOT and the FHWA issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for I-375.

Portrait of Tony Migaldi courtesy of HNTB.

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

Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.
toll rates at the Blue Water Bridge to remain the same

toll rates at the Blue Water Bridge to remain the same

by | Mar 9, 2022 | Transportation

MDOT E-mail

MDOT on facebook MDOT on Twitter MDOT on YouTube Mi Drive - Know before you go. MDOT on Instagram Sign up for E-mails form MDOT
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 8, 2022

 

 MEDIA CONTACT
Jocelyn Garza
989-245-7117
GarzaJ10@Michigan.gov

Canadian currency toll rates at the Blue Water Bridge
to remain the same

 – The Canadian rate for eastbound traffic on Port Huron’s Blue Water Bridge into Canada will remain as is following the latest currency parity review.
– MDOT previously announced a currency parity policy effective April 11, 2016, for the bridge.
– The Canadian rate for eastbound traffic is 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 the U.S. and Canadian currencies.
 

SAGINAW, Mich. ­- In accordance with the Michigan Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Blue Water Bridge (BWB) parity rate adjustment policy, toll rates paid in Canadian currency (CAD) for traffic heading into Canada will remain the same.

Based on the current average daily exchange rate, the roll rates below will be in effect through Sept. 30, 2022.

  • Passenger vehicle rates will remain $3.75 (CAD) per trip.
  • Extra axles will remain $3.75 (CAD) per trip.
  • Trucks and buses will remain $4 (CAD) per trip.

In 2016, MDOT announced the currency parity policy. The Canadian rate for eastbound traffic is reviewed and adjusted April 1 and Oct. 1 of each year, rounded to the nearest $0.25 and calculated based on the prior six-month average daily exchange rates between the U.S. and Canadian currencies.

Travel restrictions to Canada have recently been updated by Canada Border Services Agency. Please review border security criteria ahead of traveling to reduce frustration.

The BWB is currently enrolling customers in a discounted commuter pass program. Customers are encouraged to explore the Edge Commuter Pass, offering a discounted toll rate for non-commercial vehicles with no more than two axles. The Edge pass also offers pass holders a dedicated toll lane and 24-hour access to manage accounts online. Questions regarding the Edge pass can be sent to MDOT-BWB-CustomerCare@Michigan.gov.