Safety, innovations, and major project completions highlighted in new MDOT video

Fast facts:

• MDOT has release a new video highlighting the department's accomplishments in 2023.
• Key highlights include innovations and new firsts, like the nation's first in-road electric vehicle charging system and the state's first high-occupancy vehicle lane.
• Gov. Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program continued to rebuild the state highways and bridges (I, M and US routes) that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic.

LANSING, Mich. - As we begin the new year, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is committed to serving and connecting people, communities, and the economy through transportation. A new video released by MDOT looks back at the great strides made in 2023.

Innovations and new firsts are key highlights, with the installation of the first public in-road charging system in the United States and testing of electric vehicles in Detroit, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes along I-75 in Oakland County, and legislation to improve safety in work zones.

"Now we're the center for mobility overall," said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. "And we need to figure out how these innovations, and how these technologies can kind of come together to really serve the people and communities, and economy we serve."

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program continued to rebuild the state highways and bridges (I, M and US routes) that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic. The investment strategy is aimed at fixes that result in longer useful lives and improves the condition of the state’s infrastructure.

Several major construction projects wrapped up last year, including the $210 million Rebuilding Michigan project on I-69 in Calhoun and Eaton counties. Work involved rebuilding 25 miles of road from I-94 to Charlotte.

"It was really exciting for the communities that lined I-69," said State Rep. Angela Witwer (76th District). "It's a major thoroughfare for them to get back and forth between downtown Lansing, or anywhere they are going, and their home. It became safer, it's quieter, it's better built."

The westside of the state saw another Rebuilding Michigan project completed, with $66 million invested to rebuild I-196 from the ground-up from Hudsonville to Zeeland. The project will make for a better ride for those who travel to and from the area.

"It was nice to see just the results of the project," said Kevin Plockmeyer, City of Zeeland assistant city manager. "I know it's been two years in the making, and no one likes construction, but the end result has been fantastic."

In the state's most traveled region, two major projects will improve connecting people in MDOT's Metro Region, much to the delight of commuters and travelers alike. A first for the state, phase three of the Modernize I-75 project introduced Michigan to new HOV lanes covering nearly 14 miles of freeway in Oakland County. Passengers and travelers going to or from Detroit Metro Airport saw the $270 million I-275 project take shape, with 24 miles of road being rebuilt and 65 bridges being repaired.

"It's an outstanding project. They did a good job and good effort into it," said Nick Jarbou, owner of Ecorse Marketplace and Shell. "All the people behind the scenes, the planners, MDOT, the state police, and the State of Michigan did an outstanding job."

MDOT reminds drivers to stay focused on the task at hand and give a "brake" to workers in constructions zones. As we work Toward Zero Deaths on our highways, please remember a new hands-free law was enacted in 2023that places strict implications on drivers found to be using cell phones or other mobile electronic devices without the use of hands-free technology. Additional information regarding this legislation and the penalties associated are available through the Michigan State Police Office of Highway Safety Planning website at www.Michigan.gov/DistractedDriving.

More project information is available on the MDOT website.