At the turn of the last century, a young bicycle enthusiast and entrepreneur named Horatio "Good Roads" Earle began a movement to improve road transportation throughout the state when he organized concerned professional road builders and engineers. That young man’s work and dedication brought him national prominence and focused the attention of Michigan residents on the growing good-roads movement. In the spring of 1905, voters in all 83 counties approved an amendment to the State Constitution that authorized spending for roads and on July 1st of that year, Michigan became the 18th state in the union to establish an agency to oversee road improvements. And Mr. Earle became the first Highway Commissioner of the newly created State Highway Department.

Since its beginnings in 1905, Michigan’s Highway Department has been a leader in the country, and in the world, for its many transportation initiatives that included safety innovations, engineering, highway beautification, and technological advances. Many of the nation’s most important developments in road improvements happened in Michigan, including –

New Buffalo) in 1960

In 1973, the Michigan Department of State Highways was reorganized and became the Michigan Department of Highways and Transportation and expanded its jurisdiction to all transportation modes and programs. The new Department’s areas of responsibility included aeronautics, railroads, buses, ridesharing, water transportation, and port development, in addition to non-motorized transportation. Then in 1978, the Department became the Michigan Department of Transportation, which continues today to work for the improvement, protection, and preservation of Michigan’s transportation infrastructure, making our state a great place to live, work, play, and visit.

As they celebrate their first 100 years, MDOT is planning for the future. Their new 2005–2009 Five Year Transportation Program continues to emphasize preservation of the transportation system and provision of safe mobility to motorists. The program focuses on making government effective, efficient, and inclusive; providing a safe and secure transportation system; protecting natural resources, air quality, and improving land use practices; and providing economic development opportunities.

The Program will invest more than $5.9 billion on system preservation through the repair and maintenance of Michigan’s roads and bridges. In addition, more than half of the investment programmed for capacity improvements will go toward preserving existing roadway adjacent to those new lanes, thereby helping to grow Michigan’s economy simultaneously through both preservation and capacity enhancement. And investments in Michigan’s transportation system will focus on a comprehensive safety program and increase emphasis on elderly mobility and expanded work zone safety efforts.

The new Five Year Transportation Program continues the implementation of the Governor’s Preserve First initiative which began in 2003. The Preserve First program places an increased emphasis on preserving our transportation system rather than expanding it. MDOT has made substantial progress toward their future pavement condition goal of having 95 percent of the freeways and 85 percent of the non-freeways in good condition by 2007.

For more information about MDOT, visit their website at www.michigan.gov/mdot. And to learn more about MDOT’s first 100 years, go to their Centennial site at www.michigan.gov/mdot100. For information about the WMRPC’s transportation activities, contact Dave Bee at 616-774-8400 or dbee@wmrpc.org. Or visit the Regional Planning section of our website (www.wmrpc.org) to link to the Transportation Planning and Asset Management programs. Our site also includes links to many transportation agencies and resources.

There are seven MDOT regions within the state as well as 26 Transportation Service Centers located throughout the state. The three MDOT regional offices within the WMRPC’s region are:

The counties within Region 8 served by MDOT's Grand Region are Ionia, Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Ottawa.

1420 Front Avenue, NW

Grand Rapids, MI  49504

Phone: 616-451-3091

Allegan County is served by MDOT's Southwest Region.

1501 Kilgore Road

Kalamazoo, MI  49001

Phone: 269-337-3900

Osceola County is served by MDOT's North Region.

2927 D&M Drive

Gaylord, MI  49735

Phone: 989-731-5090

What: The purpose of this forum is to provide citizen groups, law enforcement, local governments, elected officials, road commissions, and emergency management personnel with the tools they need to increase the safety of their rural communities. Focusing on new and innovative safety concepts will increase our awareness of the unique problems facing our rural areas. The Forum will also encourage the formation of cross-disciplinary safety partnerships that will better serve local communities. There is no cost to attend the forum, but registration is required, by September 8th. For more information, or to register, contact Steve Stepek at 616-774-8400 or sstepek@wmrpc.org.

When: Monday September 12, 2005 – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Montcalm Community College M-TEC Center