On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about the vital message to drive to the conditions, especially during winter storms.

First, Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Michael Shaw offers his insights on the causes of multi-vehicle crashes like the one that occurred between Hudsonville and Zeeland in Ottawa County on I-196 Monday, Jan. 19.

Later, Bruce Smith, a National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist in Grand Rapids, talks about how the NWS defines various warnings and advisories and what was in place Monday when the crashes occurred.

Surface transportation reauthorization is the regular federal legislative process to renew and fund U.S. transportation programs for highways, transit, rail and safety, setting policies and priorities for billions in spending, with the current major authorization (part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) set to expire Sept. 30, 2026, prompting ongoing discussions for the next bill. 

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Zach Rable, a federal policy specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talks about priorities for Michigan.

He explains those priorities largely dovetail with those the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) are pushing.

Photo by Adam Michael Szuscik on Unsplash.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Peter Anastor, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of Rail, about where things stand for passenger rail service at Michigan Central in Detroit. 

Anastor also offers an update on plans to link passenger rail service in Michigan with service in Canada and create a link between Chicago and Toronto.

In October, MDOT, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin preliminary assessments for a new multimodal transportation hub located within the 30-acre Michigan Central Innovation District on a parcel just southwest of the station.

Key provisions include:

• The partners will utilize a $10 million grant awarded to MDOT through the Federal Transit Administration's Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program (now known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grant program), plus an additional $30 million in state funds.
• This proposed hub would include infrastructure for passenger rail and intercity bus service.
• Decisions about final project designs, funding and timelines will be shared as the exploratory phase progresses. 

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about key road, bridge and rail projects completed across the state.

Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Director Bradley C. Wieferich joined the conversation to talk about details of projects highlighted in MDOT's year-end video. Many were made possible by Gov. Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan program while others received help from lawmakers working in bipartisan fashion to improve travel in their communities. 

From the western Upper Peninsula to Kalamazoo in the southwest part of the state and Oakland County in the southeast, MDOT officials oversaw work that will improve safety, reduce congestion and make commuting and the delivery of goods more efficient.

Laura Mester, who has served as the chief administrative officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) since 2011, is retiring from state government in January. She joined the podcast to reflect on her career in state government, including the past 15 years at MDOT. 

Mester talks about her perceptions of the department before she joined, and what she learned about the need for a multimodal focus to serve all users. She also discusses the challenges facing the department with decades of inadequate funding to do all the things the public expects. 

In her role, she oversaw the Bureau of Finance and the Office of Passenger Transportation, which (among other things) oversees and supports the state’s transit agencies, including the Office of Rail.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation about a new study that confirms that flashing LED lights, used strategically, can improve safety on curves.

The study is part of a larger project looking for effective speed warning technologies, said Timothy Gates, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan State University, who talked about the findings on the podcast. 

The research is funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).

The state tallied 128,517 crashes on curved roadways during winter weather conditions between 2018 and 2022, causing 175 serious injuries and fatalities, plus 1,360 less serious and suspected injuries, the study said. 

The study concluded that curves on flat roads (called horizontal curves by highway engineers) "present a major challenge to drivers, especially when there is a significant difference between the posted speed limit and the curve advisory speed."

In the second installment of podcasts focusing on significant road and bridge project completions by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), conversations about a new roundabout on busy routes near Traverse City and a new bridge over I-96 in Walker.

First, Jeff Shaw, supervisor of Elmwood Township in Leelanau County, talks about what the roundabout means for traffic flow in the area, safety benefits and the connections for pedestrians and cyclists.

“Now we're able to take a look at the corridor and the improvements that have been made and know how much of a benefit this is going to be for the people that motor through here, that bike through here, that walk through here," said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich at a celebration event on Oct. 31.

Former U.S. Department of Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, a Traverse City resident, also attended the celebration.

“I know folks grumble about roundabouts, but a well-placed roundabout can reduce injury crashes by 80 percent or more," Buttigieg said of the new M-72/M-22 intersection, a centerpiece of the project. "I want to commend MDOT, the contractors and, above all, the workers who, in partnership with this community, made sure this was a success."

At another celebration in October, City of Walker officials joined MDOT engineers and lawmakers to celebrate completion of a $30 million Fruit Ridge Avenue bridge over I-96.

The investment replaced the original bridge and interchange from 1961. Contractors widened the new bridge from two lanes to five and included non-motorized paths, linking heavily used trails on each side.

Art Green, manager of MDOT’s Grand Rapids Transportation Service Center (TSC), joined the podcast to talk about the long-time needs for the improved bridge and interchange, how the funding came about and improvements already showing up in traffic flow.

"Projects like this don't happen overnight," said City of Walker Mayor Gary Carey at the event. "They take vision, persistence, partnership, and a shared belief that our infrastructure is worth investing in."

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about celebrations of major road and bridge projects completed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) in communities across the state.

This week, a focus on the expansion of the U.S. 131 interchange with the U.S. 131 Business Route that links the freeway with downtown Kalamazoo. Jill Bland, executive vice president at Southwest Michigan First, talks about her decades of advocacy for the project and what it will mean to businesses her organization supports, as well as commuters.

Later, Trevor Block, manager of  MDOT’s Transportation Service Center (TSC) in Davison, talks about a celebration of another phase of rebuilding a segment of the I-475 corridor in Flint. 

This phase rebuilt approximately three miles of I-475 from the Flint River to Carpenter Road as part of a $141 million investment.

Next week, the focus on project completions with conversations about a new bridge carrying Fruit Ridge Avenue over I-96 west of Grand Rapids and a roundabout replacing the traditional intersection of M-72 and M-22 just outside Traverse City.

Public transportation advocates in Michigan are especially excited about components in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget that provide additional funding to transit agencies across the state.

State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, a co-chairman of the Legislature’s transit caucus, touted it as an unprecedented investment.

"This is the largest increase in public transit funding in Michigan's history, as far as I'm aware," Morgan said. "This is a truly transformational investment."

On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County and a long-time supporter of efforts to improve funding for transit services, explains why transportation is paramount for providing access for all.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has proposed administrative rules to provide guidance on the use of properties it maintains throughout the state. The proposed rules would improve safety and maintenance, and apply to all of Michigan's 61 rest areas, 82 roadside parks, 267 carpool lots, 23 scenic turnouts and 14 Welcome Centers.

Greg Losch, head engineer for MDOT's University Region, has coordinated the drafting of the rules in collaboration with other state agencies. He spoke on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast about the rules' objectives, chiefly ensuring the safe operation of the facilities.

Losch also explains how a long-term lack of adequate transportation funding has caused MDOT to not have the needed resources available that have helped in some other states.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov/ROWRules.