Could MI shift from fuel taxes to road user charges?

by orionontv | May 9, 2024 | Transportation

Could Michigan shift from fuel taxes to road user charges to fund roads? As lawmakers in the Legislature continue negotiations for the state’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, one addition specific to transportation involves a $5 million appropriation for a pilot program to assess replacing traditional fuel taxes with a mileage-based road usage fee. Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/15039387-could-michigan-shift-from-fuel-taxes-to-road-user-charges-to-fund-roads This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features another conversation with Baruch Feigenbaum, senior managing director of transportation policy for the Reason Foundation. Feigenbaum has done extensive study on the need for long-term changes to funding policy for roads and bridges. He’s also testified before legislative committees at the federal level and in several states. He recently told Michigan lawmakers that a fuel tax is akin to “a rock star on his farewell tour” as increased fuel efficiency diminishes returns on fuel taxes. Listen now at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205. Stay connected by subscribing to Talking Michigan Transportation e-mail updates.

MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways Program

by orionontv | Apr 22, 2024 | Transportation

MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways Program
promotes career advancement in transportation

Fast facts:

• MDOT’s Transportation Career Pathways Program (TCPP) provides those interested in a transportation-related career with opportunities for hand-on experience.
• The TCPP runs from May through September.
• Participants must be at least 18 years old and possess a valid driver’s license. 

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has announced the launch of its Transportation Career Pathways Program (TCPP), a dynamic initiative designed to equip individuals with hands-on experience and propel their careers forward in the transportation sector.

Running from May through September, the TCPP provides participants with the unique opportunity to explore various career paths, including transportation maintenance worker, transportation technician, and skilled trades helper positions. Through practical work and introduction to diverse transportation functions, participants will gain valuable skills and insights into this ever-evolving field. Participants must be 18 years old prior to the start of the program, possess a valid driver’s license, and will work 40 hours a week. Participants may join later in the season (most finish by September) and can expect to earn up to $17.50 an hour.

“The TCPP is an exceptional paid internship opportunity to gain on-the-job experience in transportation careers at MDOT,” said State Transportation Director Brad C. Wieferich. “This program empowers participants to build a strong foundation for their professional journeys while contributing to the continued development of our communities.”

The program is available in the following MDOT regions: Bay, North, Metro, Southwest, Superior, and University. For more information and to apply, go to www.Michigan.gov/TCPP.

Slow but steady progress to protect road workers

by orionontv | Apr 18, 2024 | Transportation

Slow but steady progress on legislation to protect road workers Late last month, a Michigan Senate committee advanced legislation to enable the use of automated technology to enforce speeding laws on segments of roads under construction. Pennsylvania became the latest to join dozens of other states employing the technology, with positive results. This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast revisits the issue with conversations with two advocates for safer work zones. Listen now: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1374205/14912046-slow-but-steady-progress-on-legislation-to-protect-road-workers First, Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), talks about how his experience in the underground and road construction industries have informed his views and passions for the protection of workers. Later, Juan Pava, Safety Programs Unit chief, Bureau of Safety Programs and Engineering at the Illinois Department of Transportation, talks about his state’s pioneering role in implementing the use of cameras to deter drivers from speeding in work zones. Michigan House Bill 4132 passed the lower chamber in June 2023 with bipartisan support and received similar support in the Senate Transportation Committee last month. Key points: In 2006, Illinois became the first state to authorize the use of automated traffic enforcement programs to enforce speed limits in highway work zones, with implementation coming a few years later. The enabling legislation provided a legal framework for photo enforcement of speed limits in highway work zones. In summer 2022, some Michigan lawmakers, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) officials, leaders in labor organizations, and the road building industry witnessed demonstrations on Michigan freeways on how the technology works.

The Mighty Mac’s expanded Antarctic connection

by orionontv | Apr 17, 2024 | Transportation

The Mighty Mac’s expanded Antarctic connection

ST. IGNACE, Mich. – When Brendan Fisher began his 13-month adventure as a heavy equipment mechanic for the United States Antarctic Program (USAP), he brought pieces of the Mackinac Bridge with him. When he returned, he brought a piece back, as well as stories to accompany it, that he presented this month to the Mackinac Bridge Authority (MBA).

At the MBA’s April 5 meeting in Dimondale, Fisher presented the authority with a shadowbox containing a piece of the bridge’s original deck grating and photos from his time at the South Pole. A noticeable circular piece is absent, representing a disc that is now part of the ceremonial South Pole marker more than 9,000 miles away.

Fisher, whose assignment in Antarctica ran from October 2022 to November 2023, and fellow South Pole adventurer Hans Suedhoff brought the gift and a photo book documenting the Mackinac Bridge pieces that were incorporated into a sign, photo frame, and both the ceremonial and geographic South Pole markers.

Fisher had previously built the sign from a 38-foot piece of the original deck grating he purchased through auction in November 2020, proclaiming the distance from the South Pole to the Mackinac Bridge (9,394 miles), which is on permanent display at the station.

There are two pole markers since the Antarctic 9,300-foot-thick ice sheet (roughly a third of the length of the Mackinac Bridge) moves about 10 meters per year. “There’s Mackinac Bridge in both of them now,” Fisher said.

The Authority thanked Fisher and Suedhoff for the gift, which recognizes the bridge and the team in the Antarctic.

“I think it’s absolutely fantastic,” said MBA Member Barbara Arens. “You’re very talented.”

Each year, the geographical South Pole is replaced on Jan. 1. Once the year’s marker is retired, it joins its predecessors in a display cabinet at the Antarctic station for 20-30 years until the cabinet fills to capacity. After that, the markers are sent to the Smithsonian, where they stay “until the end of eternity,” Fisher said.

The team also used pieces of round steel stock from the bridge to make four bolts that joined corners of a photo frame for a picture of last year’s “winterover” crew at the station, which included Fisher and Suedhoff.

MDOT launching public survey to collect travel data

by orionontv | Apr 16, 2024 | Transportation

MDOT launching public survey to collect travel data vital to
transportation planning in the state

Fast facts:

• MDOT is launching a household travel survey, MI Travel Counts, this week.
• Randomly selected households in Michigan will have the opportunity to participate via smartphone application, web or telephone.
• Data collected from this survey will provide information on how travel behavior has changed over the past 10 years and inform forecasts to help shape Michigan’s transportation system.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is kicking off a household travel survey that will provide information necessary to set transportation priorities for the next 20 years. Starting April 15, randomly selected households across Michigan will have the opportunity to provide details regarding how they travel.

The survey, MI Travel Counts, will be conducted by nationally recognized research firm Resource Systems Group, Inc. (RSG) on behalf of MDOT. Survey results will help transportation planners better understand how, when, where, and why people travel in and around the state of Michigan. Last conducted in 2015, this update will help planners account for the many changes in travel that have occurred, like the prevalence of remote work, the increase in online shopping, and greater use of ridesharing and delivery services.

Randomly selected households will receive an invitation to participate in the survey via U.S. Mail. Upon accepting the invitation, household members will provide demographic data and then report their travel either via a smartphone application, online or by telephone. The information provided to MI Travel Counts will be anonymized and aggregated to calculate statistics for study purposes.

This survey will be conducted in three phases. The first is scheduled from April 15 through early June, with additional phases anticipated in spring 2025 and fall 2025.

Invited households will be selected at random across the state, with survey materials available in English, Spanish and Arabic. Participation is possible through smartphone application, web or telephone. For more information about MI Travel Counts, visit www.MITravelCounts.com.

About RSG:

RSG conducts research on behalf of public and private sector clients using software applications, smartphones, websites, surveys, computers, tablets, and other means of collecting data. They specialize in designing, implementing and applying sophisticated data-driven models with in-depth analytics to help clients understand why people and systems do what they do.

Annual spring weight restrictions changing on Michigan’s roads

by orionontv | Mar 26, 2024 | Transportation

Annual spring weight restrictions
changing on Michigan’s roads

LANSING, Mich. ­- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) continues to adjust spring weight restriction areas in an annual move to protect roads.

Effective 6 a.m. Monday, April 1, weight restrictions will be lifted on all state trunkline highways from the southern Michigan border north to and including US-2/US-141 at the Menominee River bridge west of Iron Mountain then east on US-2 to St. Ignace, then north on I-75 to M-134, then east to and including M-134 on Drummond Island.

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 US-2, I-75, and M-134 and on M-185 on Mackinac Island. 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 seasonal weight restrictions, which usually, but not always, coincide with state highway weight restrictions. Signs are generally posted to indicate which 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. 

###

Work zones are temporary,
Bad decisions behind the wheel can last forever.