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Governor Whitmer Inspects I-275 Project Near Canton

Government and Politics

April 29, 2022

From: Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

LANSING, MI -– On April 27th, Governor Gretchen Whitmer joined the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to tour a road construction project in Canton. The project is an active construction site where US 12 meets I-275 in Wayne County, which is one of the more heavily traveled corridors and provides access to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The governor is making a $270 million investment to fix 24 miles of highway between Will Carleton Road and 6 Mile Road, including 65 bridges and 10 interchanges. The repair project will support 3,249 jobs. 

“Since 2019, Michigan has fixed over 13,000 lane miles of road and over 900 bridges, supporting nearly 82,000 jobs,” said Governor Whitmer. “In my time in office, we will have invested 70% more in our roads than the previous four years. We have been fixing our roads with the right mix and materials, so they stay fixed. As we kick-off another busy construction season by making the largest investment in roads and bridges in our state’s history, we are going to move expeditiously and effectively to get the job done. New roads keep Michiganders safe as they go to work or drop their kids off at school and helps small businesses transport goods across the state. Let’s keep moving dirt.” 

Under Governor Whitmer’s leadership, Michigan has repaired, rebuilt, or replaced 13,198 lane miles of road and 903 bridges, supporting nearly 82,000 jobs.  

In 2020, the governor launched the Rebuilding Michigan Plan, a 5-year, $3.5 billion investment in our highways and bridges without an increase at the pump. Over 20 projects supporting 22,800 good-paying construction jobs are already underway.  

In 2021, Governor Whitmer secured funding to repair or replace nearly 100 local bridges in the bipartisan budget. She also continued Michigan’s partnership around the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a key trade corridor between Michigan and Canada that has already created 2,500 good-paying jobs for Michiganders. 

In 2022, Governor Whitmer launched the Michigan Infrastructure Office to ensure funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is spent and deployed effectively. She signed an executive directive to speed up pothole repairs by using all available resources, including overtime pay and contracted services. Recently, the governor signed the Building Michigan Together Plan, the largest infrastructure investment in Michigan history, which invests $317 million for bridge and road projects at the local and state level. 

The governor’s fiscal year 2023 budget would invest $6.3 billion into state and local roads, bridges, airports, transit, and rail programs —the largest infrastructure budget in Michigan history.