Two Northwest Michigan Transportation Projects to Benefit from Changes in Transportation Bill

WASHINGTON – Two federally funded transportation projects in northwest Michigan will be able to move forward thanks to a technical corrections bill that passed the Senate today, Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow (both D-Mich.) announced. The bill will next go to the House of Representatives for final passage and then sent to the President for his signature into law.

The technical corrections bill amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to fix some problems that became apparent in the transportation bill passed by Congress almost three years ago. The technical corrections affect projects in Grand Traverse County and its neighboring counties, and Otsego County.

“Sometimes small corrections make a big difference,” Levin said. “As traffic around Grand Traverse County continues to worsen, the need for a comprehensive transportation and land use study that encompasses the adjoining counties becomes even clearer. I encourage all of my constituents in Grand Traverse and the surrounding four counties to attend the upcoming Grand Vision workshops. In Otsego County, once Milbocker and McCoy are reconnected in Gaylord, drivers will have a much easier time traveling east and west.”

“This legislation will vastly improve the flow of traffic and more importantly driver safety throughout Northern Michigan,” said Stabenow. “Not only will it fund a study taking the necessary steps to improve the road and transportation system in Grand Traverse County, but it will also improve transportation infrastructure in four surrounding counties, providing a larger benefit to the region. As a result of this legislation a much needed option for travelers heading east or west under I-75 in Gaylord will also be provided.”

Grand Traverse County
The 2005 transportation bill appropriated $3.3 million for a comprehensive regional study of the transportation needs in Grand Traverse County. The 2007 technical correction adds the counties contiguous to Grand Traverse County – Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau and Wexford – to the “Grand Vision,” a comprehensive transportation and land use study. Information on the upcoming workshops is available at the Grand Vision web site, www.thegrandvision.org.

Otsego County
The scope of work on I-75 in Gaylord will be changed. In 2005, the transportation bill provided $12 million for construction of a new at-grade crossing and I-75 interchange to reconnect Milbocker and McCoy Roads, and a new overpass to reconnect Van Tyle to South Wisconsin Road in Gaylord. Under the 2007 technical corrections bill, the project will elevate I-75 so that Milbocker and McCoy Roads can be reconnected. This upgrade will improve east-west travel between miles 279 and 282.