As road agencies across the state prepare for the 2026 road and bridge construction season, this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast is a reprise of an August 2025 episode that focused on jobs tied to road and bridge building.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sent a letter Aug. 7, 2025, to the directors of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), calling on them to compile and publicly release data on the impact of the state’s road funding cliff and federal funding rollbacks and policies on Michigan’s economy and employment. 

First, Heath Salisbury, financial secretary and training director for Operating Engineers 324, talked about what investments in infrastructure mean to people in the skilled trades and the thousands of jobs involved. 

Salisbury offers his own perspective as a veteran of the industry, working in the trenches, then later in training workers and developing a work force capable of building in a modern environment where technology is evolving rapidly.

Later, Karen Faussett, who manages MDOT’s statewide and urban travel analysis section, talked about how her team tracks the economic benefits of investment in transportation infrastructure.

On this week’s episode of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, conversations about Michigan’s study and eventual pilot of a road user charge (RUC) system of funding roads and bridges and what is going on in other states and countries.

First, Barbara Rohde, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Mileage-Based User Fee Alliance (MBUFA), talks about her organization’s history and their work.

Rohde also talks about her conversations on the issue with members of Congress about the need for a sustainable funding solution as the fuel tax, the major source of bridge and road revenue since the early 20th century, provides diminishing returns as people drive more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Later, Patrick McCarthy, finance director at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), joins the podcast to offer an update on the RUC pilot and study mandated in 2025 legislation.

By now, you may have seen a photo taken high above the Detroit River of two iron workers, one from Canada and one from the United States, shaking hands to mark the completion of the deck on the Gordie Howe International Bridge.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with those iron workers, Jason Huggett of Canada and Casey Whitson of Michigan.

Both are second-generation iron workers. Jason’s father helped build the twin span of the Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Michigan, with Sarnia, Ontario. Casey’s father worked on the Renaissance Center in Detroit as well as Joe Louis Arena.

They talk about what working on this once-in-a-lifetime project means to both of them and how honored each of them was to participate in the handshake.

They each spoke about it to the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority after the handshake:

Said Huggett: “I said it was about time we got to shake hands after seeing each other from a distance for almost two years, it was really something special. That handshake means a lot to my family, my two sons and my father, who helped build the twin span for the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia.”  

And Whitson: “We would see each other, but we were far, across the river, apart for all these months working. To actually get to be able to meet each other and shake hands and say hello is really cool. It’s the biggest moment in my career and I now share something with my father, who helped build the Renaissance Center in Detroit.”  

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Mike Hayes, a former Midland lawmaker who is stepping down from the State Transportation Commission (STC) after 14 years of service, the past two as chairman.

Hayes was a business executive who has been active in community affairs for many years and served in the Michigan House of Representatives. He talks about how his background as a community leader and lawmaker informed his thinking about transportation infrastructure and how his views have evolved. 

Also discussed: 

• The commission’s role and what he considers their most significant action in recent years: approving the bond sale in 2020 for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s $3.5 billion Rebuilding Michigan initiative; 
• How commissioners can stay abreast of rapidly developing technologies and innovations in transportation; and
• His service representing Michigan on the International Authority, the body overseeing construction of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, which will continue. The International Authority consists of six members with equal representation from Canada and Michigan. 

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with the new chief administrative officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) about his role and his first big challenge, overseeing a legislatively mandated study and pilot of a road user charge (RUC) program.

Paul McDonald joined the department in November, coming from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). He talks about his perceptions of transportation coming into the department, and what his new portfolio includes.

This week, he chaired the first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee, made up of people both inside and outside government who will offer expertise as the process moves forward.

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.