National Transportation Week is May 13-19;
$574 million spent on improving Southeast Michigan's transportation system in 2006

A lot of progress was made in improving Southeast Michigan's transportation system in 2006, according to SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. During National Transportation Week, May 13-19, 2007, SEMCOG announces that 214 projects totaling $574 million were implemented during 2006. Nearly two-thirds of that money, or $366 million, was invested in repairing or rehabilitating existing road and transit systems.

Accomplishments include:

• repaving, rehabilitating, or reconstructing 320 lane miles of existing pavement;
• repairing or replacing 83 bridges;
• adding 16 lane miles to existing roads to reduce congestion;
• adding 35 miles of new facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists;
• signal improvements along 135 miles to increase the flow of vehicles on the region's road system without adding lanes;
• acquiring or leasing 121 large buses to provide an alternative to automobile travel; plus
• 10 enhancement projects that contribute to the aesthetics of the highway system.

Major project highlights this past year include:

• work on M-14 in Wayne County, consisting of freeway reconstruction from the Washtenaw County line to Sheldon Road, pavement patching from Sheldon Road to Haggerty Road, and work on a number of bridges(approximately $46.8 million);
• reconstruction of M-10 (the Lodge Freeway) from Lahser Road to Beck Road, including new signage, pavement markings, and bridge work ($39.8 million);
• ongoing road construction and bridge work on M-153 (Ford Road) from Mercury Drive to US-12 (Michigan Avenue) ($28.8 million); and
• replacement of bridge decks on M-1 (Woodward Avenue) at M-102 (Eight Mile) ($7.2 million).

Since 2004, 1,226 lane miles of road have been resurfaced, reconstructed, or rehabilitated; 72 miles of roadway have been widened; 316 bridges have been rehabilitated, reconstructed, or replaced; and 530 transit vehicles have been acquired.

"We have invested more than $1.7 billion in our transportation system over the last three years," said Paul Tait, Executive Director of SEMCOG. "Our transportation system is large and much of it is old, so we need to continue this ongoing commitment to improving Southeast Michigan's existing transportation system."

National Transportation Week (NTW), May 13-19, 2007, provides an opportunity for the transportation community to join together on a national level to demonstrate the importance of transportation to our economy and society as a whole. The Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau is proud to host NTW 2007 in Detroit. Established in 1962 by President Kennedy, NTW celebrates the historical significance of transportation in the United States and focuses on its future impact in our country. For more information, please visit www.ntweek.org.

SEMCOG is a regional planning partnership of governmental units serving the seven-county region of Southeast Michigan, striving to enhance the region's quality of life.

Local Governments Advancing Southeast Michigan

Read recent SEMCOG news releases

Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
535 Griswold Street, Suite 300 Detroit, MI 48226-3602
313-961-4266 - Fax 313-961-4869
www.semcog.org