Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council Releases Annual Road & Bridge Report

MAY 2, 2018

CONTACTS:

Joanna I. Johnson, TAMC Chair 269-381-3170 ext. 220 jjohnson@kalamazoocountyroads.com

Gloria Strong, MDOT analyst 517-373-2250 strongg@michigan.gov

May 2, 2018 – Today, the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC) delivered the Michigan 2017 Roads and Bridges Annual Report to the Michigan Legislature and the State Transportation Commission. Michigan Law, MCL 247.659a(9), requires TAMC to file an annual report with the Legislature and State Transportation Commission by May 2 of each year. The report summarizes road and bridge conditions and provides condition projections into the future. The report also provides a synopsis of TAMC program activities and events over the past year.

During 2017, the TAMC rated the pavement condition of the paved federal-aid eligible roads for the fourteenth consecutive year. This data collection included 63% of some 88,000 lane miles of paved roads in Michigan, including State Freeways and Highways, City Major Streets and County Primary Roads. This effort was achieved through a cooperative effort of individuals from county road agencies, city and village engineering staffs, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), regional planning agencies, and metropolitan planning organizations. In addition, the TAMC also collected pavement conditions on some of Michigan’s paved non-federal aid eligible roads as well.

In terms of surface condition, the report reveals continued deterioration of Michigan’s federal aid eligible roads. The 2017 condition data indicates 20% of these roads are in good condition, 40% are in fair condition, and 40% are in poor condition; in 2016, the breakdown was 18% good, 43% fair, and 39% poor. The report further indicates that while the condition of nearly 17% of roads improved in 2017, the condition of nearly 20% of pavements fell from “good” to “fair” or from “fair” to “poor.” Michigan’s roads are on a continuous deterioration cycle.

The report also includes data on the condition of all public bridges in Michigan, where the trend is similar. An analysis of the 2017 bridge condition data indicates that state and local bridge condition will begin to decline after this year, as 11.3% of bridges deteriorated while only 6.3% were improved. This year’s report also shows that Michigan has 10.3% of bridges rated as “structurally deficient.” By way of comparison with other Midwest states, Michigan has a significantly higher percentage of structurally deficient bridges than other Great Lakes states, with Indiana having 7.1%, Illinois 8.3%, Minnesota 5.3%, Ohio 5.8% and Wisconsin 7.8% structurally deficient bridges.

The TAMC Performance Measure Dashboards have been updated to show the condition, operation, and investment in the federal-aid eligible road system and in Michigan’s 11,125 public bridges. The TAMC website also contains an interactive map viewer that allows the public to view road and bridge conditions used in creating the annual reports. In addition to the 2017 Roads and Bridges Annual Report, the TAMC website has previous annual reports available for viewing under the “About Us” section. The 2017 report was approved by the TAMC on April 11, and can be viewed, along with other past reports, at this link (scroll down on screen to select “Annual Reports”): http://tamc.mcgi.state.mi.us/TAMC/#/aboutus.

The TAMC includes representatives from MDOT, Michigan Municipal League (MML), Michigan Association of Counties (MAC), Michigan Townships Association (MTA), Michigan Association of Regions (MAR), Michigan Transportation Planning Association (MTPA), the County Road Association of Michigan (CRA), and the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget-Center for Shared Solutions (MCSS).

Transportation asset management is a process of managing public assets, such as roads and bridges, based on the long-range condition of the entire transportation system. The TAMC, created in 2002 by the Michigan Legislature, promotes the concept that the transportation system is unified, rather than separated by jurisdictional ownership. Its mission is to recommend an asset management strategy to the State Transportation Commission and the Michigan Legislature for all of Michigan's roads and bridges.

Chair: Joanna Johnson, CRA; Vice-Chair: Bill McEntee, CRA; Bob Slattery, MML; Gary Mekjian, MML; Jon Start, MTPA; Dave Wresinski, MDOT; Brad Wieferich, MDOT; Don Disselkoen, MAC; Derek Bradshaw, MAR; Jennifer Tubbs, MTA; Rob Surber, MCSS

Carpenter St. Reconstruction Project Begins Monday, Apr. 30

--from the City of Midland website:

April 27, 2018 – Beginning Monday, April 30, E. Carpenter Street will be closed to through traffic between Patrick Road and Mill Street as crews begin Phase I of a street reconstruction and water main installation project on Carpenter.

The total project entails a street reconstruction and water main replacement on Carpenter Street from Patrick to Ashman Street. The entire project is estimated to finish in August 2018.

For more information, contact City Engineering at 989-837-3348 or view project updates at http://bit.ly/midlandroads. Updates will also be shared on the City of Midland Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofmidlandmi and on Twitter at @CityofMidlandMI.

Residents are reminded that due to the nature of construction activities, the information provided above may change at any time. Should an issue arise that would change this schedule, the City will provide updates via the methods listed above.

Midland County Begins Spring Aerial Mosquito Treatment

Midland County Mosquito Control will be conducting aerial larviciding for mosquitoes beginning Monday, April 23, 2018 and may take up to 14 days to complete, weather permitting.  Airplane tail numbers are as follows:  N30454, N9152F, N8499K, N4016H and N4533J and will be conducting repetitive flights over woodland.  Midland County residents can take a look and see if they are included in the aerial program on our website at https://www.co.midland.mi.us/MosquitoControl/SpringAerialSchedule.aspx.   Vectobac 12AS liquid and Vectobac G granular Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) will be applied to woodland pools in the highlighted areas by airplane between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and dusk as weather permits. The material used in this program is a naturally-occurring soil bacterium which is toxic to mosquitoes and related biting flies but nontoxic for humans, pets and all other life forms.

In addition to the areas treated by airplanes, Mosquito Control crews will be treating additional woodland pools during April and May.  Residents with questions about the program can call Mosquito Control at (989) 832-8677. 

Proposed Amendment to the 2017-2020 MATS Transportation Improvement Program report

Recent changes in Federal transportation legislation have resulted in the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration requiring a concerted effort on behalf of states and metropolitan planning agencies to develop transportation plans and programs that are rooted in a performance-based planning process.  One component of the requirements is that the TIP be in compliance with the performance-based planning regulations and requirements for target setting by states and MPOs.  Therefore, MATS has amended the TIP report to add a chapter, called PERFORMANCE MEASURES that describes these changes, and the ways that MATS planning processes will change in response.

Because this is a proposed amendment, we are seeking input and comment, either here on this page, via Facebook or Twitter, at info@midlandmpo.com or by phone at 989-832-6333. 

Public Meeting for Midland County Parks and Recreation property

APRIL 10 PUBLIC MEETING

Swanton Memorial Center

7:30 pm-

6460 N Water Road, Edenville, MI  48620

Midland County Parks and Recreation invites you to a public meeting to gather input as it develops a master plan for the 117 acre property east of Sanford Lake Road. The county has acquired this property from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. We want to maximize county resources and establish a vision for the property that balances good stewardship, county-wide recreation needs and a reflection of your interests and your values.
 
This event will give you a chance to provide input regarding features that will be considered in the Site Master Plan for this facility.

5 (Data-backed) Reasons to Make Biking a Priority in 2018

The following is a guest post from mycitybikes.com

Biking is growing fast as a form of recreation and transportation. That's why cost-effective digital bike mapping is becoming a priority for communities across the country. But don't take our word for it! These 5 statistics show why it's important to make biking a priority for your service area this year.

103.7 million Americans ride bikes.

SOURCE: PeopleForBikes
One in 3 Americans ride a bike at least once a year. For comparison, the same study found that 2 in 5 Americans ran or jogged outside at least once a year.

TAKEAWAY: Biking is mainstream. It’s become almost as common as jogging!

The number of Americans biking has grown 29% in the past 5 years.

SOURCE: Statista
The number of people who said they rode a bike in the past 12 months grew from 47.1 million Americans in 2008 to 51.1 million in 2012 to 66.2 million in 2017.

TAKEAWAY: More people are riding bikes today than at any point in the past 10 years.

Cyclists spend more at local businesses than any other group.

SOURCE: Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia
Per capita per week, cyclists spent the most money at local businesses. More than pedestrians, drivers, or those who take public transportation.

TAKEAWAY: Local businesses benefit when people bike.

The number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled between 2001-2009.

SOURCE: National Household Travel Survey, American Community Survey
From coast to coast, the National Household Travel Survey showed that the number of trips made by bicycle in the U.S. more than doubled from 1.7 billion in 2001 to 4 billion in 2009.

TAKEAWAY: Biking to get around has become a popular mode of transportation.

3 in 4 bike share users travel in groups of two or more, and most don’t identify as "cyclists".

SOURCE: Virginia Tech Capital Bike Share Study
A survey of casual bike share users in Washington, D.C. found that 75% were traveling in groups of two or more, and that 60% did not identify themselves as "cyclists".

TAKEAWAY: Bike share and rental is a social activity, and most people who use these resources aren’t bicycling enthusiasts. They’re just regular folks!

My City Bikes creates cost-effective interactive and PDF bike maps to accurately document local bike facilities and help you show residents where to ride.
 

To learn more, contact My City Bikes here.

Public input sought for Midland land use

The landscape of Midland is changing faster than what is reflected in its future land use map, which is in the process of being updated.

As part of the process of reviewing the city’s master plan, there will be multiple ways for community members to provide feedback during open houses, in the form of written comments, and during upcoming planning commission meetings. Check out the Midland Daily News article here.

Get Engaged! A Guide to Getting Involved in Your Community - Mid-Michigan

Get Engaged is a new MSU Extension program for people interested in learning how to get involved and make a difference in their community. The program provides valuable training on the skills needed to be an active community member, while giving participants hands on practice by walking them through a planning process for a local engagement effort.

Find out more here.