Talking Michigan Transportation

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Historic flooding takes a toll on roads and bridges across Michigan Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

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

A look at crash fatality numbers and an update on work zone safety cameras Apr 09, 2026

Show notes

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.

Reprise: After a pandemic spike in crashes, 2025 stats show positive trends Apr 06, 2026

Show notes

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.

Why falling ice leads to closing the Mackinac Bridge Mar 26, 2026

Show notes

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.

What’s next for regional transit in southeast Michigan? Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

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.

Michigan panel boosts funding to rebuild major highways Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

Michigan’s State Transportation Commission (STC) approved a fifth amending bonding resolution under Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan Program, focused on rebuilding state highways and bridges that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic.

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Patrick McCarthy, director of finance at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), explains the action.

The resolution, supported by all six members, amended resolution accurately reflects actual total costs of completed and upcoming construction projects from $3.5 billion to $4.3 billion.

Initially approved by the STC in 2020, up to a maximum of $3.5 billion of bonding principal were authorized. Together with the initial principal, any associated premium received from investors and interest earned may be used to fund the program.

New mobility comes at a cost Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation, conversations about automaker efforts to bring down the cost of electric vehicles (EVs), the impact of the EV pullback on the South and trends in safety.

Joann Muller, the transportation correspondent at Axios and author of their weekly Future of Mobility newsletter, joined the podcast to talk about those issues and more.

Some key topics:

· Ford’s efforts to make EVs more affordable.

· How public policy at the federal level will affect the development of autonomous vehicles, which are typically EVs.

· Safety concerns for robotaxis.

Reprise: Focusing on the work force as we enter a new road construction season Feb 26, 2026

Show notes

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.

Paying by the miles driven - where things stand Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

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.

Reprise: The people behind a most iconic international handshake Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

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.”

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