FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                        MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021 

CONTACT: Dan Weingarten, MDOT Office of Communications, 906-250-4809
                      WeingartenD@Michigan.gov

Michigan Welcome Centers to reopen for
Memorial Day weekend

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/Coronavirus or http://www.CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                 WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2021

CONTACT: Rob Morosi, MDOT Office of Communications, 248-483-5107, MorosiR@Michigan.gov

Extensive bridge work requires closing I-75

this weekend in Oakland County and Detroit

Fast facts:

– Southbound I-75 will be closed from I-696 to I-94; northbound I-75 will be closed from M-102 (Eight Mile Road) to I-696.  

– Closures begin at 9 p.m. Friday and end by 5 a.m. Monday.

– 13 Mile Road will be closed under I-75 over the weekend.    

May 12, 2021 —      Weather permitting, bridge demolition, beam setting, and substructure work will require southbound I-75 to be closed in sections from I-696 to I-94, and northbound I-75 to be closed from M-102 (Eight Mile Road) to I-696. These closures will begin at 9 p.m. Friday, May 14, and end by 5 a.m. Monday, May 17. One lane of southbound I-75 will remain open from M-102 to M-8 (Davison Freeway) for local traffic.

Further north, 13 Mile Road will be closed under I-75 to allow crews to safely set new bridges beams on the bridge that carries southbound I-75 over 13 Mile Road. The closure, between Molly and Concord drives, starts at 9 p.m. Friday, May 14, and ends by 5 a.m. Monday, May 17. During the closure, traffic will be detoured to 12 Mile Road.

Prior to the freeway closure, crews will begin closing ramps at 7 p.m. and start freeway lane closures at 8 p.m. All ramps to northbound I-75 will be closed from Davison Freeway to 9 Mile Road. All ramps to southbound I-75 will be closed from 14 Mile to 9 Mile Road in Oakland County. In Detroit, ramps to southbound I-75 will be closed from 7 Mile Road to Clay Street.

During the closure, northbound I-75 traffic will be detoured west on 8 Mile Road to northbound M-1 (Woodward Avenue), then eastbound I-696 back to northbound I-75. Southbound I-75 through-traffic will take westbound I-696 to southbound M-1, then westbound M-8 (Davison Freeway) to southbound M-10 (Lodge Freeway) to get back to southbound I-75.

“Working with three separate contractors to align all this work into one weekend to minimize the impact on the motoring public requires extensive coordination,” said Metro Region Engineer Kimberly Webb. “This direction benefits the public by limiting the number of times a freeway needs to close and provides a safer environment for both workers and drivers.”

Sharing on behalf of the Michigan Fitness Foundation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                        April 30, 2021

Michigan Students Get Moving on Bike to School Day

Lansing, Mich — Michigan students from around the state, along with their parents, teachers, and community leaders, will join students around the country for Bike to School Day (B2SD) on May 5th. Organized by the Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF) Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program staff in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), this day celebrates the benefits of cycling.

SRTS is an international movement—and now a federal program—to make it safe, convenient, and fun for children, including those with disabilities, to bicycle and walk to school. SRTS initiatives also help ease traffic jams and air pollution, unite neighborhoods, and contribute to student’s readiness to learn in school.

“When students have safe routes to travel, they can incorporate more physical activity into their daily routine,” said Mike Kapp, administrator, MDOT Office of Economic Development. “By having a day dedicated to biking to school, we can show families what’s possible in their community.”

The MFF SRTS program works with schools, families, and communities across the state to enhance active transportation through various modes.

“It is exciting to see the different ways schools embrace this event to encourage healthy habits and build excitement around biking to school,” said Katie Alexander, SRTS program director. “This event encourages students to get the daily physical activity they need and learn safe biking skills.

To learn more about B2SD, visit https://michiganfitness.org/events/school-events/bike-to-school-day/.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2021

CONTACT: Courtney Bates, MDOT Office of Communications, 517-242-0950, BatesC@Michigan.gov

National Work Zone Awareness Week:
Drive Safe. Work Safe. Save Lives.

Fast facts:

• National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is April 26-30.
• Five workers were killed in Michigan work zones in 2020.
• Slow down through work zones and stay focused at all times.

April 26, 2021 — Fall 2020 was a time of tragedy for Michigan’s road and bridge workers. In a matter of three months, five road workers had been struck and killed and three more injured in work zone crashes.

As the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and other road agencies around the state begin another season of rebuilding and maintaining Michigan’s roads and bridges, it is critical that drivers, passengers, and workers take work zone safety seriously. In 2020, preliminary work zone crash information shows that there were:

• 15 fatalities,
• 69 serious injuries,
• 785 injury crashes, and
• 4,900 total crashes.

Michigan is hosting National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW), the annual spring campaign to encourage safe driving through work zones, being held April 26-30. This year’s theme, “Drive Safe. Work Safe. Save Lives,” emphasizes the importance of driving safely and workers making safety a priority to ensure that we all work together to save lives in work zones.

A media event will be held on April 27, featuring transportation, safety, and government officials from across the country. Watch it live on MDOT’s Livestream channel at https://livestream.com/mdot/2021nwzawkickoff.

As Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan program gets underway, major work will be happening on some of the state’s most vital freeways and bridges over the next few years. Motorists are urged to think about the people doing that work and the risks they face when drivers speed through work zones.

“As we deliver on the promise to fix Michigan’s roads and bridges, the safety of our road workers is our priority,” said Gov. Whitmer. “Michigan’s road workers should be able to safely do their jobs without fear of a crash. We can all help by committing to slowing down and paying attention in work zones as the construction season gets under way.”

“The number one safety feature in any vehicle is the driver,” said State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. “Lives can be saved and tragedies avoided if rules are followed and focus is maintained at all times, but we all need to work together.”

To show your support for the safety of road workers and everyone on the road, MDOT and its statewide safety partners are asking you to “Go Orange” this Wednesday, April 28. At home or in the field, show your support by sharing a photo on social media of you or your team wearing orange, including the hashtags #Orange4Safety and #NWZAW.

MDOT reminds everyone to know before you go. Check www.Michigan.gov/Drive for active work zones on state roads (I, M and US routes) before heading out.

Since 2000, NWZAW is part of the Toward Zero Deaths (TZD) national safety campaign, a vision of eliminating fatalities on our nation’s roads.

2021 National Work Zone Awareness Week Poster