Michigan budget provides a boost to public transportation
Public transportation advocates in Michigan are especially excited about components in the Fiscal Year 2026 budget that provide additional funding to transit agencies across the state.State Rep. Jason Morgan, D-Ann Arbor, a co-chairman of the Legislature’s transit caucus, touted it as an unprecedented investment."This is the largest increase in public transit funding in Michigan's history, as far as I'm aware," Morgan said. "This is a truly transformational investment."On this week's Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County and a long-time supporter of efforts to improve funding for transit services, explains why transportation is paramount for providing access for all.
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Why MDOT is solidifying policies for use of facilities
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has proposed administrative rules to provide guidance on the use of properties it maintains throughout the state. The proposed rules would improve safety and maintenance, and apply to all of Michigan's 61 rest areas, 82 roadside parks, 267 carpool lots, 23 scenic turnouts and 14 Welcome Centers.Greg Losch, head engineer for MDOT's University Region, has coordinated the drafting of the rules in collaboration with other state agencies. He spoke on the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast about the rules' objectives, chiefly ensuring the safe operation of the facilities.Losch also explains how a long-term lack of adequate transportation funding has caused MDOT to not have the needed resources available that have helped in some other states.For more information, visit Michigan.gov/ROWRules.
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New transportation hub a big step for travelers in Detroit
Michigan Central, opened in Detroit in 1913 and designed by the same architects as New York's Grand Central Terminal, was a towering landmark and the tallest train station in the world at the time. It was a symbol of the city’s industrial might and later, sadly, became a symbol of blight instead. Now, through the vision of Ford Motor Co. officials and others, it is a symbol again, this time of a great city’s rebirth. This week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined others in announcing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Michigan Department of Transportation, the City of Detroit and Michigan Central 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.This week’s podcast features two participants in the MOU announcement: Arun Rao, Amtrak senior director for network development in their Central Region, and Sam Krassenstein, chief of infrastructure for the City of Detroit.
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Michigan budget has good news for studying road usage charges
With Michigan’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement now signed into law, this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast focuses on a long-discussed pilot project for a road usage charge (RUC) system, which received funding.First, State Sen. Veronica Klinefelt of Eastpointe, who chairs the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and has been a strong advocate for studying alternative ways to fund transportation, explains why she advocated for the RUC pilot.Later, John Peracchio, a senior adviser to Michigan’s Council on Future Mobility and Electrification (CFME), offers his insights on how a RUC system has worked in other states and how the council can help with the education process.
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Reprise: What 2024 polling said about removing sales tax from fuel
As lawmakers complete a Fiscal Year 2026 budget agreement, one component involves removing the sales tax on fuel and adding a commensurate amount to the fuel tax and putting it toward transportation.This week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast revisits a 2024 conversation with a veteran Michigan pollster about his survey then showing an overwhelming number of voters want the taxes they pay at the pump to fix roads and bridges.Michigan is among states with a sales tax on motor fuels. That tax, 6 percent, does not go to roads and bridges. By law, the proceeds support the school aid fund, revenue sharing for local municipalities and a minor portion helps fund local transit services.Bernie Porn, president of the polling firm EPIC-MRA, explained that all survey respondents were asked, “Do you think that all of the taxes that you pay at the gas pump should or should not go toward funding improvements to Michigan’s roads and bridges?”
The Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features conversations with transportation experts inside and outside MDOT and will touch on anything and everything related to mobility, including rail, transit and the development of connected and automated vehicles.
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