Michigan Notes

[JREwing78]

Over 400 wrong-way crashes per year - and likely the vast majority of the drivers were drunk.

West Michigan officials expanding use of wrong-way detectors to save lives
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/west-michigan-officials-expanding-use-wrong-way-detectors-save-lives

Hoping to avoid deadly collisions, Michigan transportation and police officials plan to add new wrong-way detection systems to a busy stretch of highway in Grand Rapids — an effort that transportation officials around the state are watching with interest.

The high-tech systems, attached to existing "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter signs," automatically trigger lights and cameras whenever a driver tries to enter the highway using the wrong ramp. Drivers pulling onto an off-ramp will immediately see flashing lights alerting them to their potentially catastrophic error, police will be notified, and cameras will begin recording footage of the incident, allowing authorities to rule out false alarms.

[afguy]

A DDI design was chosen for the rebuild of the I-75/M-32 interchange in Gaylord.

Beginning in 2026, MDOT plans to replace the northbound and southbound I-75 bridges over M-32 in Gaylord and rebuild M-32 between Edelweiss Village Parkway/Meecher Road and Wisconsin Avenue. These bridges were built in 1961, are currently in poor condition, and need to be replaced. This provides an opportunity to consider alternatives for this interchange that provide safe and efficient movement of people and goods through the Gaylord area and accommodate future increased traffic.

"Choosing the DDI design was guided by our meetings with the public and local advisory committee members, as well as our design consultants," said Chelsea Kramer, cost and scheduling engineer for MDOT's Gaylord Transportation Service Center (TSC) and the interchange project manager. "This design had support from the community and provides the best balance of improvements to the movement of traffic, as well as safety and convenience for all users, drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians."

A DDI is an alternative interchange that improves safety, increases traffic flow, and can reduce construction costs. They have been successfully implemented at several locations throughout Michigan in recent years, helping reduce crashes and congestion.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/25/diverging-diamond-interchange-selected-for-i-75-m-32-in-gaylord

[Flint1979]

Over 400 wrong-way crashes per year - and likely the vast majority of the drivers were drunk.

West Michigan officials expanding use of wrong-way detectors to save lives
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/west-michigan-officials-expanding-use-wrong-way-detectors-save-lives

Hoping to avoid deadly collisions, Michigan transportation and police officials plan to add new wrong-way detection systems to a busy stretch of highway in Grand Rapids — an effort that transportation officials around the state are watching with interest.

The high-tech systems, attached to existing "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter signs," automatically trigger lights and cameras whenever a driver tries to enter the highway using the wrong ramp. Drivers pulling onto an off-ramp will immediately see flashing lights alerting them to their potentially catastrophic error, police will be notified, and cameras will begin recording footage of the incident, allowing authorities to rule out false alarms.

This made me think of something that I saw this morning in Saginaw. Mason Street is a one way street and I observed a car drive in the wrong direction for several blocks. I thought it was strange seeing a car oncoming down a one way street.

[JREwing78]

A DDI design was chosen for the rebuild of the I-75/M-32 interchange in Gaylord.

As rapidly as Gaylord west of I-75 has developed, it's definitely overdue. 70 years ago, the commercial strip of Gaylord was the stretch of US-27 coming in from Lake Otsego on the south side (today's exit 279). But in the past 25 years all the new development's gone to M-32 on the west side, and it's utterly overloaded the interchange.

The FB commentary from the locals was rather hysterical, with dire predictions of a traffic apocalypse about to descend on the "small town" of Gaylord. Except, actually, that apocalypse is already here. The diverging diamond should help the Brodozers towing McMansions keep from flipping their rigs.

[KelleyCook]

A DDI design was chosen for the rebuild of the I-75/M-32 interchange in Gaylord.

Except, actually, that apocalypse is already here.

Absolutely true.  I-75 NB wishing to exit backs up about 1/2 mile onto the freeway.  All from people wanting to turn left.

Personally I would have gone with a dog-bone, but the DDI despite being a slight overkill IMO, but it will be a lot better than what is there now.



Also on a related rant:  for years MDOTs website had unreadable URLs being hexadecimal hashes, but the content acutally was chock full of useful information for major projects -- like actual CAD drawings and monthly updates.  Now they have fixed the page names, but you are lucky to get a solitary rendering and the ubiquitous link to the sporadically updated MIDrive website along with its 1990s webcams.

[Flint1979]

A Michigan State Police trooper was fatally struck while conducting a traffic stop Wednesday near Birch Run. The trooper was investigating an impaired driver on NB I-75 when he was struck.

[JREwing78]

East Lansing and Meridian Township (eastern suburb of East Lansing) are proposing road diets for two major streets from 4-lane to a 3-lane with TWLTL and bike lanes:
- Hagadorn Rd between Grand River Ave (M-43) and Burcham Dr.
- Mount Hope Rd between Hagadorn Rd and Okemos Rd.

The section of Hagadorn apparently is well within AADT limits of a 3-lane roadway (approx 16,000 vpd at peak). It's not clear why the City of East Lansing is only proposing the 3-lane conversion for south of Burcham Dr; continuity would be much better if the 3-lane section extended to Haslett Rd. The section north of Saginaw St (Bus I-69) is already 3-lane with TWLTL. Obviously turn lanes are needed for the short section between Haslett Rd and Saginaw St, but that shouldn't be too terrible.

The section of Mount Hope between Hagadorn and Okemos should be a no-brainer; traffic is well within limits (peak of about 12,000 vpd near Okemos Rd), and one lane instead of two should calm traffic in this residential area. The primary complaint is that on Spartan football days, there's less available throughput. It's a bit academic because only one lane of left-turning traffic from Okemos Rd is available. Also, only an issue 6 days a year.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/local/2024/01/29/meridian-township-east-lansing-road-diet-conversion-mt-hope-hagadorn/72338073007/

[JREwing78]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

[Rothman]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

Heh.  Wonder if people will go for the VMT tax.

[Flint1979]

Out in the middle of Saginaw County very heavy police presence at the Bridgeport exit on I-75 exit 144. Today is the funeral of the officer that was killed last week.

[7/8]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

The MDOT article states:

One possible funding tool is road usage charges, which means drivers would pay a few cents for each mile driven versus paying based on how much gas they buy. Charging based on miles driven could make the system fairer for drivers who cannot afford newer, more fuel-efficient cars, while also ensuring that the state continues to have the resources needed to maintain roads in the future as vehicles become more fuel efficient or rely on alternative fuels.

On the flip side, shouldn't people who drive smaller and more fuel-efficient cars be rewarded? A gas tax would become outdated if EV adoption becomes widespread, but even then, we should be encouraging people to buy vehicles that require less "fuel" (whether that be gasoline, diesel, or electricity).

[wanderer2575]

On the flip side, shouldn't people who drive smaller and more fuel-efficient cars be rewarded? A gas tax would become outdated if EV adoption becomes widespread, but even then, we should be encouraging people to buy vehicles that require less "fuel" (whether that be gasoline, diesel, or electricity).

Spending less money on fuel is the encouragement.  The fuel efficiency of a vehicle has no connection to the construction/maintenance/repair needs of roads, so it should not be a factor in a funding formula.  Actually, maybe EV drivers should pay more to cover the extra costs of building in-road and other additional charging infrastructure.

[7/8]

On the flip side, shouldn't people who drive smaller and more fuel-efficient cars be rewarded? A gas tax would become outdated if EV adoption becomes widespread, but even then, we should be encouraging people to buy vehicles that require less "fuel" (whether that be gasoline, diesel, or electricity).

Spending less money on fuel is the encouragement.

Should be, but the rise in SUV and pickup truck sales suggest that that alone isn't sufficient. Steeper fuel taxes may swing the balance away from larger vehicle adoption.

The fuel efficiency of a vehicle has no connection to the construction/maintenance/repair needs of roads, so it should not be a factor in a funding formula.

I see your point, but I'd counter argue that the government should be encouraging lower carbon emissions, so might as well "get two birds stoned at once" (i.e. get necessary transportation funding while also penalizing inefficient vehicle users).

Actually, maybe EV drivers should pay more to cover the extra costs of building in-road and other additional charging infrastructure.

Discouraging EV adoption is certainly an opinion...

[JREwing78]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

MDOT announced that they're still totally cool getting your opinion, but they've supposedly received so many responses they ran out of funds to pay new survey respondents the $10.

[triplemultiplex]

Not surprising.  "You mean the guv-mint will pay me to tell them what I think of them?  Sign me up!"

[JREwing78]

The Lansing Convention and Visitors Bureau posted video and slides from a MDOT presentation for the upcoming work on I-496/US-127 in Lansing and East Lansing.

https://www.lansing.org/plan-your-trip/maps-and-directions/us-127-construction-project/

[JREwing78]

And, a blast from the past - scenes from US-27 (and one from US-127):
https://99wfmk.com/old-27-vintage-photos/

[catch22]

And, a blast from the past - scenes from US-27 (and one from US-127):
https://99wfmk.com/old-27-vintage-photos/

Thanks for the link, lots of interesting pictures.  I'm old enough to remember visiting the Underground Forest while camping at Otsego Lake.  When I-75 opened, they moved up the road to Gaylord and became the Call of the Wild Museum.  I'm surprised that the old facade still exists.

Edit:  Looks like someone is working on the old building.  Google street view from last September:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/o1GmHHJrTjEqf7FY6

[michiganguy123]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

I was one of the first to respond to the survey (I'm on their mailing list) and still haven't gotten my gift card 

I said if they increase the gas tax, it should only be increased in the winter when gas is less than 3 dollars a gallon, and should be lowered in the summer time where gas can be 4-5 dollars a gallon.

[wanderer2575]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

I was one of the first to respond to the survey (I'm on their mailing list) and still haven't gotten my gift card 

I said if they increase the gas tax, it should only be increased in the winter when gas is less than 3 dollars a gallon, and should be lowered in the summer time where gas can be 4-5 dollars a gallon.

Tell us you're unclear on the concept without saying you're unclear on the concept.

[michiganguy123]

MDOT is paying Michigan residents $10 for their opinion on changing the road funding model, potentially resulting in replacing the gas tax outright with a different funding source. Those completing the survey may also participate in a pilot demonstration that could potentially provide additional incentives of $75 to $500.

https://www.michigan.gov/mdot/news-outreach/pressreleases/2024/01/30/mdot-launches-road-usage-charges-survey--to-gauge-public-interest

I was one of the first to respond to the survey (I'm on their mailing list) and still haven't gotten my gift card 

I said if they increase the gas tax, it should only be increased in the winter when gas is less than 3 dollars a gallon, and should be lowered in the summer time where gas can be 4-5 dollars a gallon.

Tell us you're unclear on the concept without saying you're unclear on the concept.

It asked for additional comments so I provided... I chose to keep the gas tax because the mileage tax is going to cost more money for me as my little civic gets 34mpg on the highway.
30 cents (current michigan gas tax) / 34 = 0.88 cents which is less than the "few cents per mile" they suggested in the survey.

[texaskdog]

Over 400 wrong-way crashes per year - and likely the vast majority of the drivers were drunk.

West Michigan officials expanding use of wrong-way detectors to save lives
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/west-michigan-officials-expanding-use-wrong-way-detectors-save-lives

Hoping to avoid deadly collisions, Michigan transportation and police officials plan to add new wrong-way detection systems to a busy stretch of highway in Grand Rapids — an effort that transportation officials around the state are watching with interest.

The high-tech systems, attached to existing "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter signs," automatically trigger lights and cameras whenever a driver tries to enter the highway using the wrong ramp. Drivers pulling onto an off-ramp will immediately see flashing lights alerting them to their potentially catastrophic error, police will be notified, and cameras will begin recording footage of the incident, allowing authorities to rule out false alarms.

This made me think of something that I saw this morning in Saginaw. Mason Street is a one way street and I observed a car drive in the wrong direction for several blocks. I thought it was strange seeing a car oncoming down a one way street.

When I was a Lyft driver my weekend wasn't complete unless I saw a wrong-way driver

[Flint1979]

Over 400 wrong-way crashes per year - and likely the vast majority of the drivers were drunk.

West Michigan officials expanding use of wrong-way detectors to save lives
https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-government/west-michigan-officials-expanding-use-wrong-way-detectors-save-lives

Hoping to avoid deadly collisions, Michigan transportation and police officials plan to add new wrong-way detection systems to a busy stretch of highway in Grand Rapids — an effort that transportation officials around the state are watching with interest.

The high-tech systems, attached to existing "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter signs," automatically trigger lights and cameras whenever a driver tries to enter the highway using the wrong ramp. Drivers pulling onto an off-ramp will immediately see flashing lights alerting them to their potentially catastrophic error, police will be notified, and cameras will begin recording footage of the incident, allowing authorities to rule out false alarms.

This made me think of something that I saw this morning in Saginaw. Mason Street is a one way street and I observed a car drive in the wrong direction for several blocks. I thought it was strange seeing a car oncoming down a one way street.

When I was a Lyft driver my weekend wasn't complete unless I saw a wrong-way driver

I see a lot of stupid stuff around here. It seems like the bigger the city in Michigan the worse the drivers are.

[afguy]

The Mayor of Lansing penned an op ed in the Lansing State Journal today calling for the city to seek a federal grant to put a cap over a portion of I-496 through Lansing.
I'm the mayor of Lansing. We need a federal grant to fix harm caused by I-496. | Opinion

Today, thanks to federal financing provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, my city is seeking to reconnect the 400 isolated households and businesses with the community to which they originally belonged. And we want to recognize and give power to those who were forcibly displaced and dispersed throughout the city.

Divided and disconnected neighborhoods are an all-too-common consequence of urban highway construction during the 1960s and 1970s. When U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg launched Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants, he said, "These highways, roads, and railways are not rivers, lakes, or mountains, they're not divinely ordained. They're decisions. And we can make better decisions than what came before." The federal funds seemed tailor-made for Lansing. But our application in 2022 was not successful. The pool of money available then was modest – about $188 million. The requests nationally were far greater – totaling $2 billion. And so remains the demand.

Undeterred, we have reapplied. This time we have assistance from the Local Infrastructure Hub, a national program created in 2022 – and led by a consortium of philanthropic and nonprofit groups – to offer pro-bono resources to cities like ours. The federal government has made more than $3 billion available this round. That gave us hope. And the Local Infrastructure Hub gave us the tools for a vastly improved proposal. We knew we had a compelling history to tell. The program's experts showed us how to back it up and equipped us with tools to make our case.

Our new application underscores national data that shows people, especially families with children, living close to expressways experience poor lung health, including asthma, pulmonary disease, and reduced lung-function growth among young people. Additional research has shown increased rates of heart problems as a result of air pollution sourced from roadways. We also know that property facing or adjacent to expressways experience reduced property values. Bloomberg Philanthropies, by forming a coalition of national charitable organizations and civic groups including the Ballmer Group, Emerson Collective, Ford Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, Results for America and more, has leveled the playing field for localities lacking armies of grant writers, lawyers, and statisticians — like ours. In addition to bringing together the support and specialists, the program also connects mayors representing municipalities of all sizes with federal agency heads overseeing these programs, as well as with each other. Now, Lansing is applying for a $1.3 million grant to seek community views and design corrective options. Our preference would be a cap, or deck, over a portion of I-496 to connect those isolated blocks to the rest of the city with parks, housing, even a memorial recognizing how a Black community was separated.

The Historical Society of Greater Lansing has collected oral histories from current and former residents. We want those voices to be heard. Just six months ago we released "They Even Took the Dirt", a documentary about that dislocation.

Lansing is a city of 113,000; one out of four of our residents is Black. This federal grant is written for our community's experience. But we're not alone. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 displaced more than 475,000 households across the country, most of them in communities of color.

We can't rebuild what has been destroyed. But we can still correct a wrong. And like that third grader years ago bouncing a ball at the Main Street School, we'll succeed if we persist. If we can reconnect communities, we can begin to unite a nation.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/03/07/i-496-lansing-expressway-infrastructure-interstate-federal-grant/72698665007/

[michiganguy123]

The Mayor of Lansing penned an op ed in the Lansing State Journal today calling for the city to seek a federal grant to put a cap over a portion of I-496 through Lansing.
I'm the mayor of Lansing. We need a federal grant to fix harm caused by I-496. | Opinion

Today, thanks to federal financing provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, my city is seeking to reconnect the 400 isolated households and businesses with the community to which they originally belonged. And we want to recognize and give power to those who were forcibly displaced and dispersed throughout the city.

Divided and disconnected neighborhoods are an all-too-common consequence of urban highway construction during the 1960s and 1970s. When U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg launched Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants, he said, "These highways, roads, and railways are not rivers, lakes, or mountains, they're not divinely ordained. They're decisions. And we can make better decisions than what came before." The federal funds seemed tailor-made for Lansing. But our application in 2022 was not successful. The pool of money available then was modest – about $188 million. The requests nationally were far greater – totaling $2 billion. And so remains the demand.

Undeterred, we have reapplied. This time we have assistance from the Local Infrastructure Hub, a national program created in 2022 – and led by a consortium of philanthropic and nonprofit groups – to offer pro-bono resources to cities like ours. The federal government has made more than $3 billion available this round. That gave us hope. And the Local Infrastructure Hub gave us the tools for a vastly improved proposal. We knew we had a compelling history to tell. The program's experts showed us how to back it up and equipped us with tools to make our case.

Our new application underscores national data that shows people, especially families with children, living close to expressways experience poor lung health, including asthma, pulmonary disease, and reduced lung-function growth among young people. Additional research has shown increased rates of heart problems as a result of air pollution sourced from roadways. We also know that property facing or adjacent to expressways experience reduced property values. Bloomberg Philanthropies, by forming a coalition of national charitable organizations and civic groups including the Ballmer Group, Emerson Collective, Ford Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, National League of Cities, Results for America and more, has leveled the playing field for localities lacking armies of grant writers, lawyers, and statisticians — like ours. In addition to bringing together the support and specialists, the program also connects mayors representing municipalities of all sizes with federal agency heads overseeing these programs, as well as with each other. Now, Lansing is applying for a $1.3 million grant to seek community views and design corrective options. Our preference would be a cap, or deck, over a portion of I-496 to connect those isolated blocks to the rest of the city with parks, housing, even a memorial recognizing how a Black community was separated.

The Historical Society of Greater Lansing has collected oral histories from current and former residents. We want those voices to be heard. Just six months ago we released "They Even Took the Dirt", a documentary about that dislocation.

Lansing is a city of 113,000; one out of four of our residents is Black. This federal grant is written for our community's experience. But we're not alone. The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 displaced more than 475,000 households across the country, most of them in communities of color.

We can't rebuild what has been destroyed. But we can still correct a wrong. And like that third grader years ago bouncing a ball at the Main Street School, we'll succeed if we persist. If we can reconnect communities, we can begin to unite a nation.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/03/07/i-496-lansing-expressway-infrastructure-interstate-federal-grant/72698665007/

Atleast i-96 goes around the city. Dunno why other states decide to have the main cross country highway go straight through the city instead of having the main designation be around the city with spur routes going into cities. (Think i-475 in Macon, GA, really they should be flipped with the shortcut away from Macon being i-75 and the route into Macon being i-475) Last time I was on i-496 the highway was EMPTY, although it was a sunday so that probably made a difference.