Talking Michigan Transportation

As rains continue and in some areas of Michigan, rivers and tributaries continue to rise, crews from across state government and local agencies are working to protect and monitor the condition of dams, roads and bridges.
Bill Wahl, associate region engineer for the Michigan Department’ of Transportation's North Region, is keeping a close eye on the damage to roads and bridges across all of the norther lower peninsula. He spoke on the podcast the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, about all that’s going on in the moment.
Below is a list of bridges that have been closed and/or damaged by the floods already beginning with each structure number (STR):
 Arenac County
STR 445 State Road over Rifle River 
Muskegon County
STR 14563 Holton-Duck Lake Rd over Cedar Creek
 Manistee County
STR 6460 Johnson Road over Big Bear Creek failed; closed prior to failure
STR 6450 River Road over Big Bear Creek 
Grand Traverse County
STR 3059 – failed; closed prior to failure
Farmington Hills
STR 14367 Tuck Road over Upper Rouge River 
MDOT Grand Region
STR 8593 M-66 over Middle Branch River
STR 7551 M-120 over Cedar Creek 
MDOT Superior Region
STR 6792 US-2 over Big Cedar River 
Menominee County
STR 6867 30 Mile Road over Little Cedar River
STR 6868 31 Mile Road over Little Cedar River
STR 6871 41 Mile Road over Big Cedar River
STR 12855 Route 358 over Little Cedar River 
Midland County
STR 6980 Schreiber over Weeks Drain

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a follow-up conversation on numbers recently released by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) showing a decline in highway fatalities in 2025.
Gregg Brunner, chief operations officer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), talks about measures that can help reduce crashes, which saw a 7 percent decline from 2024 to 2025 in Michigan. Nationwide, annual fatality numbers returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2025.
As road construction season kicks off in earnest in Michigan, Brunner also discusses work zone safety. National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is April 20-24.
Finally, Brunner also explains continuing efforts to implement a work zone safety camera program, despite some hurdles, after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation in December 2024 to authorize their use. 
An Illinois official explained on the podcast in 2022 how the cameras have helped reduce crashes there and saved lives. The experience has been the same in more than 20 other states.

Annual numbers are out from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the rate of fatal crashes on our nation’s roads continued to trend in the right direction in 2025. 
That was true in Michigan as well following 2020 and 2021 when the number of fatal crashes spiked during the earliest months of the pandemic as law enforcement agencies observed people driving at much higher speeds and many even abandoning seat belt use. 
Next week, some Michigan officials will join the podcast to talk about the trends.  This week, listen to a reprise of an episode from 2021 when experts from Michigan State University and the Washington, D.C.-based Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) talked about the disturbing trends then.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, questions and explanations about the increasing frequency of melting ice falling from the Mackinac Bridge cables, creating hazards for motorists and the need to close the bridge for many hours at a time. This video illustrates the danger. 
First, Joe Shampine, maintenance supervisor for the Mackinac Bridge Authority, talks about the dangers the heavy ice presents to travelers below and the decision-making process for closing and reopening the bridge. He also offers praise for maintenance staff members who have to explain to frustrated drivers why the bridge has to be closed during these events.
Later, Matt Chynoweth, the former chief bridge engineer at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and now bridge practice leader for the consulting firm RS&H, returns to the podcast to offer broader perspective based on his research and conversations with other bridge owners across the country and world.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with Ben Stupka, executive director of the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) of Southeast Michigan.
After nearly four decades of on-again, off-again discussions, Public Act 387 of 2012 established the RTA.
Stupka talks about leading the funding, planning and coordination for all public transit systems across the four-county footprint. Services include D2A2, an express bus service connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor; the Detroit Air Express (DAX), a pilot express bus service connecting downtown Detroit to Detroit Metro Airport; and the MyRide2 mobility management system.
The RTA efforts gained a boost recently with Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield proposing a budget with increased funding for public transit in the city, including the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus system and the Detroit People Mover. The RTA operates the Qline.