On this week’s Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, analysis and takeaways on two major announcements related to the future of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure.

Joann Muller, who writes the Axios Future of Mobility newsletter, discusses her coverage of an announcement from Ford Motor Co. on Monday, Aug. 11, billed ahead of time as the next "Model T moment."

As she wrote in her coverage, "The headline is that Ford will introduce a new family of EVs priced under $40,000 and will use a new manufacturing process to try to make them profitably."

In 2024, MDOT awarded a state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grant to the Calhoun County Road Department (CCRD) for road improvements related to Ford Motor Co.'s BlueOval Battery Park that will improve safety, reduce congestion and support 1,700 new jobs and $2.5 billion of private investment in Emmett and Marshall townships.

Later, Muller discusses an announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), also this week, about new guidance for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which surprised many who feared a withdrawal of funding.

USDOT is reopening the spigot for federally funded EV chargers after freezing the program (created in the previous administration) for six months.

"If Congress is requiring the federal government to support charging stations, let's cut the waste and do it right," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement Tuesday, Aug. 12.

On this week’s edition of the Talking Michigan Transportation podcast, a conversation with the state’s chief bridge engineer about the dire forecast for bridges without additional funding.

Beckie Curtis, director of the Bureau of Bridges and Structures at the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), explains the stark reality.

• Bridges must maintain a minimum condition to keep the transportation system open.
• Bridges are expensive investments in the highway network.
• Bridges are long-lived assets, and many bridges on the trunkline system were built in a short window of time as part of the interstate and other freeway systems.
• Because of these factors, combined with historic underfunding, widespread bridge closures can be expected in the next 10-20 years unless funding is increased.

On this week’s edition of the Michigan Department of Transportation podcast, Scott Bowen, director of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), addresses concerns about access to the beach for campers at the highly popular Traverse City State Park, which is divided by US-31.

Bowen explains that the MDNR is investing in major improvements at the park, including changes that require removing the 60-year-old pedestrian bridge over US-31 (Munson Avenue). The bridge pre-dates laws that require accessibility for people with disabilities.

The existing bridge is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. "This creates accessibility challenges, especially for pushing strollers, carrying coolers, etc.," the MDNR posted on Facebook. "Some campground patrons opt to drive between the campground and the day-use area, increasing traffic congestion and using limited beach parking."

When the agreement was inked to build a pedestrian bridge over the highway in 1965, MDOT was the Michigan State Highway Commission and the MDNR was the Michigan State Department of Conservation.

Photo credit: Traverse City State Park photo taken by Tyler Leipprandt and Michigan Sky Media LLC.