MDOT to conduct surveys at Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge
Contact:
Phil Becker, International Bridge Administration, 906-635-5255, ext. 112
Agency:
Transportation
June 12, 2009 -- The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge Administration (IBA) has announced that the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is planning to conduct voluntary survey interviews of drivers entering and leaving Michigan. These are typically conducted at border crossings and state border entry and exit points. The last survey at the Sault Ste. Marie crossing was conducted in 2000.
The surveys will be conducted from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, and Wednesday, June 17. The voluntary survey interviews will be conducted on the roadside in the area immediately south of the toll plaza on the Michigan end of the bridge. The surveys will be conducted by as many as 12 trained MDOT survey staff, and the interviews will take a couple minutes to complete.
The purpose of the survey is to obtain information about vehicle trip origin, destination, purpose and bridge crossing frequency. In addition, data on truck load commodities will be gathered.
MDOT routinely conducts the surveys around the state to continually accumulate the necessary data to plan and improve the state transportation system. Past studies have provided vital information on the types and amounts of commodities moving at different locations in the state. The accumulated travel data also provides trip length averages used to model the different car movements and commodity flows.
The truck study will provide data to MDOT and the IBA on freight type, volumes and commodity values of trucks that use the bridge. The updated data will benefit decision making regarding potential investments in the crossings. Also, MDOT analysis of the data can discern the percentages of trucks that start or end their trips in Michigan, and, for the through-trips, how many will make stops in the state. These trips have direct and indirect effects on the Michigan economy and are a large portion of traffic that deteriorates state roadways.
Passenger vehicle trip information will be key in studying the commuter portion of crossing traffic, as well as help discern economic influences on trip purpose and distance.
The survey activities will not impact traffic. Drivers are asked to use caution when approaching and exiting the south side of the toll booths as the MDOT employees conduct interviews.
Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge: Bridging Our Past, Connecting Our Future
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