Pressing ahead on 50 proposed transportation projects around the state could help to propel Michigan’s economic turnaround, a report released today says.
Heading the “Top 50 Surface Transportation Projects to Stimulate Michigan’s Economic Recovery” list is a new bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor. The report was put together by TRIP, a nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C., that promotes transportation policies to improve safety, protect the environment and enhance economic productivity.
Projects on the list cover everything from freight trains and bridges to roads and rapid transit systems and come with a combined price tag of nearly $12 billion. They are spread across the state in 21 counties.
“The physical condition of Michigan’s transportation system will play a significant role in determining how successfully the state’s economy will perform in future years,” said Frank Moretti, TRIP’s director of policy and research. “Investments in transportation today would represent a critically important down payment for a stronger Michigan economy in the years to come.”
The report—a blueprint for reversing Michigan’s economic slide—points out that much of Michigan’s success in the 20th century came as a result of its top-notch transportation system.
But years of neglect and the failure to make needed improvements and expansions have taken their toll. Unless Michigan takes quick action to meet its transportation needs, it faces the very real possibility of becoming a secondary player in the global economy, the report says.
TRIP ranked the projects based on a scale that provided points for a number of categories, including short-term economic benefits, such as job creation; improvement in the condition of transportation facilities, including safety improvements; improved access and mobility; and long-term improvement in regional or state economic performance and competitiveness.
