SEMCOG
Southeast Michigan Council Of Governments

Projects improve transportation in Southeast Michigan

| transportation

Carmine Palombo

Carmine Palombo

Carmine, Deputy Executive Director for SEMCOG, has more than 30 years of experience in various phases of transportation planning. Carmine retired from SEMCOG in June 2018.

Other posts by

Over the past few years, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and local agencies have invested significant dollars in improving some of the more heavily traveled roadways in Southeast Michigan, including:

  • Major portions of I-96
  • Major portions of I-275
  • Portions of I-94 in Washtenaw County
  • Portions of M-59 in Macomb County
  • Woodward Avenue in Detroit
  • QLine in Detroit

Projects set to begin later this year or next year include:

  • I-75 in Oakland County
  • I-75 over the Rouge River in Wayne County
  • Expanded bus service along major Detroit and suburban routes

Projects in the planning stage include:

  • I-375 in Detroit
  • Gordie Howe International Bridge

While construction has caused some major disruption to normal travel patterns, the projects will result in improved, more efficient, and safer travel for years to come. Last week, SEMCOG’s Executive Committee moved important transportation projects forward when they approved a new Transportation Improvement Program, identifying projects to be constructed from 2017 to 2020. They approved over 300 projects throughout Southeast Michigan totaling some $4.4 billion of investment over the coming four years.

The program includes projects that modernize our roads, construct bike paths and other nonmotorized pathways, fix bridges, purchase new buses for public transit, address specific safety concerns, and invest in technology that will help smooth out traffic, making the system run more efficiently and safer for users.

Some examples include:

  • Reconstructing Rochester Road in Troy
  • Replacing bridges over the I-94 freeway in Detroit
  • Purchasing new buses for DDOT and SMART
  • Filling in a gap in the Iron Belle Trail in Shelby Township

These and the other approved projects will result in improved, safer, and more reliable multi-modal travel from home to work, to medical appointments, to parks and other recreational opportunities.

You can view all of the approved projects at SEMCOG’s website. Be careful during construction, but be prepared to see improvements in your travel throughout Southeast Michigan.

Learn more about past projects with SEMCOG’s interactive map of Implemented Transportation Construction Projects, 2010 – 2014:

2010-2014 Implemented Projects

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *