Talking Michigan Transportation

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.