LANSING, Mich. -- With road and bridge projects getting underway across the state, a new Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) video highlights how Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Rebuilding Michigan program is already making a difference for state highways and bridges (I, M and US routes) that are critical to the state's economy and carry the most traffic.
"This Rebuilding Michigan bond program is really going to impact and improve the quality of people's lives across Michigan," Gov. Whitmer said at a recent visit to the completed I-496 rebuilding project between I-96 and Lansing Road in Eaton and Ingham counties.
"I think the governor is right," added State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba. "This year is going to be the most we've ever spent on infrastructure in the state of Michigan's history."
Thanks to the $3.5 billion raised through the sale of Rebuilding Michigan bonds, additional funding will be available over the next four years to rebuild critical roads and bridges in Michigan that otherwise would not have been addressed for years due to limited resources. In addition, projects originally scheduled by MDOT to resurface or otherwise repair roads and bridges will now be upgraded to be full rebuilding projects, lasting much longer and providing more value for taxpayer dollars. This bond funding will also free up funding to invest in other MDOT projects as well.
"These can actually be, rather than patch jobs and kind of papering over things, real road reconstruction," said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist. "This is really a matter of public safety."
Among the projects highlighted in the video:
- I-69 in St. Clair, Genesee, Clinton, Eaton, and Calhoun counties,
- I-75 in Monroe County,
- I-496 in Ingham County,
- I-94 in Jackson County, and
- I-196 in Allegan County.
As the governor stated in her State of the State address in January 2020 announcing the Rebuilding Michigan program, "From now on, when you see orange barrels on a state road, slow down and know that it's this administration fixing the damn roads."
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