Talking Michigan Transportation

Michigan Department of Transportation

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.

  1. Reprise: The people behind a most iconic international handshake

    4d ago

    Reprise: The people behind a most iconic international handshake

    By now, you may have seen a photo taken high above the Detroit River of two iron workers, one from Canada and one from the United States, shaking hands to mark the completion of the deck on the Gordie Howe International Bridge. On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with those iron workers, Jason Huggett of Canada and Casey Whitson of Michigan.    Both are second-generation iron workers. Jason’s father helped build the twin span of the Blue Water Bridge linking Port Huron, Michigan, with Sarnia, Ontario. Casey’s father worked on the Renaissance Center in Detroit as well as Joe Louis Arena.    They talk about what working on this once-in-a-lifetime project means to both of them and how honored each of them was to participate in the handshake.    They each spoke about it to the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority after the handshake:    Said Huggett: “I said it was about time we got to shake hands after seeing each other from a distance for almost two years, it was really something special. That handshake means a lot to my family, my two sons and my father, who helped build the twin span for the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia.”      And Whitson: “We would see each other, but we were far, across the river, apart for all these months working. To actually get to be able to meet each other and shake hands and say hello is really cool. It’s the biggest moment in my career and I now share something with my father, who helped build the Renaissance Center in Detroit.”

    20 min
  2. ITSA meetings to showcase transportation innovation in Detroit

    Jun 4

    ITSA meetings to showcase transportation innovation in Detroit

    The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) convenes its annual conference in Detroit next week, so John Peracchio, a member of the Michigan Transportation Commission and a long-time participant in the ITSA, returns to the podcast to talk about what to expect. In its mission statement, the organization “is a leading nonprofit uniting government, industry and academia to champion policies and investments that make our transportation systems safer, more innovative and more efficient. We work with agencies and industry leaders to advance technology-driven solutions that improve how people and goods move - enhancing quality of life, supporting a thriving economy and maintaining America’s global competitiveness.” Peracchio talks about what that means and how ITSA's work can ultimately reduce crashes.

    30 min
  3. U.S. House makes progress on transportation funding

    May 21

    U.S. House makes progress on transportation funding

    On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Susan Howard, director of government relations and policy for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), talks about the highlights in the legislation. Leaders of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee this week formally introduced the BUILD America 250 Act, a bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in America’s roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs. With a dollar figure of $580 billion for five years, the bill preserves the core federal-aid formula program structure, puts emphasis on project delivery and streamlining, makes major increases in bridge investments and restructures some climate and equity programs.

    27 min
  4. Legislation aims to teach new drivers how to navigate work zones

    May 14

    Legislation aims to teach new drivers how to navigate work zones

    This week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation highlights proposed legislation to include driving through work zones as a focus of driver’s training curriculums. House Bill 5767 would amend the Driver Education Provider and Instructor Act to provide, beginning Jan. 1, 2027, that all participants in a driver education course must complete a work zone safety education course, developed in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) and approved by the Department of State (DOS). First, Brian Sarkella, chapter president for the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), talks about his advocacy for the legislation and testimony he provided to a Michigan House committee on Tuesday, May 12. Later, Tom Robins of Work Zone Safe talks about his work to adopt legislation in work zone driver’s training in Oklahoma and how it has informed efforts in other states.

    33 min
  5. Three years later, is the hands-free law reducing Michigan crashes?

    May 6

    Three years later, is the hands-free law reducing Michigan crashes?

    On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, an update from Ryan McMahon of Cambridge Mobile Telematics, a Massachusetts firm that tracks data from drivers(participating voluntarily with their insurance carriers) to analyze statistics and driver behavior.  McMahon spoke on the podcast previously, including a few months after Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the lawin 2023 making it illegal to use a hand-held electronic device while driving. Following a report in April from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showing crash numbers declining to pre-pandemic levels, McMahon talks about how that correlates to distracted driving related to the use of electronic devices. He said the significant drop in 2023 has been sustained but further progress has plateaued through 2025. “Looking at this year through April 30, I see a slight trend upward,” McMahon said. A recent State Farm survey found that distracted driving is the top roadway safety concern among U.S. licensed drivers ages 18 to 75. The survey also found that roughly 70 percent of drivers agree that hands-free laws would help reduce driver distraction.  McMahon also talks about his firm’s findings about what areas of Michigan have the highest use of electronic devices while driving and a specific place that has the least.

    35 min
  6. What we learned from a Michigan maritime policy panel

    Apr 30

    What we learned from a Michigan maritime policy panel

    This week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast features conversations with two key participants in a panel discussion convened to discuss the need for a Michigan maritime strategy and sustainable funding. First, Elisha Wulff, a freight policy specialist at the Michigan Department of Transportation who has been leading maritime efforts, talks about the potential benefits from implanting the strategy and the challenges in finding agreement on a sustainable funding source. Later, John Peracchio, a member of the Michigan State Transportation Commission who moderated the panel discussion, talks about his takeaways and why he also believes a key priority is identifying a funding source.

    35 min
  7. How MDOT is protecting people, animals and plants on Earth Day 2026

    Apr 22

    How MDOT is protecting people, animals and plants on Earth Day 2026

    On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, Amanda Novak returns to talk about progress on a federal grant to implement a pilot program for analyzing wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in the hope of designing safer crossings. Novak, a resource specialist in the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Bay Region, previously spoke about the grant on the podcast in September 2024. She talks about things she and her colleagues are learning from counterparts in other states, including efforts by the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). MoDOT described the research as “extremely pertinent” as, from 2019 to 2023, Missouri suffered 17,609 WVCs with 8 to 10 percent of them resulting in an injury or fatality. The state also ranked 17th in the nation for WVCs in both 2024 and 2025, according to the agency’s study. Michigan ranked fourth in the 2025 State Farm Insurance annual analysis. A previous edition of the podcast covered some creative things being done in western states and provinces as part of the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative. Novak also recaps important work being done to expand wildflower and tree plantings at MDOT facilities and medians to enhance habitat for pollinators. The importance of the topic was highlighted in a 2015 issue of “The Scenic Route,” a publication of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas.

    22 min
  8. Historic flooding takes a toll on roads and bridges across Michigan

    Apr 16

    Historic flooding takes a toll on roads and bridges across Michigan

    As rains continue and in some areas of Michigan, rivers and tributaries continue to rise, crews from across state government and local agencies are working to protect and monitor the condition of dams, roads and bridges. Bill Wahl, associate region engineer for the Michigan Department’ of Transportation's North Region, is keeping a close eye on the damage to roads and bridges across all of the norther lower peninsula. He spoke on the podcast the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, about all that’s going on in the moment. Below is a list of bridges that have been closed and/or damaged by the floods already beginning with each structure number (STR):  Arenac County STR 445 State Road over Rifle River  Muskegon County STR 14563 Holton-Duck Lake Rd over Cedar Creek  Manistee County STR 6460 Johnson Road over Big Bear Creek failed; closed prior to failure STR 6450 River Road over Big Bear Creek  Grand Traverse County STR 3059 – failed; closed prior to failure Farmington Hills STR 14367 Tuck Road over Upper Rouge River  MDOT Grand Region STR 8593 M-66 over Middle Branch River STR 7551 M-120 over Cedar Creek  MDOT Superior Region STR 6792 US-2 over Big Cedar River  Menominee County STR 6867 30 Mile Road over Little Cedar River STR 6868 31 Mile Road over Little Cedar River STR 6871 41 Mile Road over Big Cedar River STR 12855 Route 358 over Little Cedar River  Midland County STR 6980 Schreiber over Weeks Drain

    25 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.7
out of 5
16 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Michigan Department of Transportation
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    272
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Talking Michigan Transportation
  • Show Website
    Talking Michigan Transportation

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