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Biden admin. announces $66.9 million for Detroit, Kalamazoo and Menominee infrastructure

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Biden admin. announces .9 million for Detroit, Kalamazoo and Menominee infrastructure

Washington — The Biden administration has awarded about $66.9 million to three infrastructure improvement projects in Michigan, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

The funds will go toward new shared-use paths in Detroit, a multimodal mobility network across 3.5 miles in Kalamazoo, and several improvements at Menominee Harbor on the Upper Peninsula.

“Because of a lack of investment infrastructure in America had been getting into worse and worse condition for decades until President Biden’s arrival,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a call with reporters. “These are projects that are going to improve everyday life and the cost of living in communities across the country.”

The announcement reflects the latest effort by the Biden administration to allocate funds from the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021. It also reflects an election-year push by President Joe Biden to convince voters that his administration has been uniquely successful at directing much-needed resources to the country’s roads, bridges, ports, walkways and more.

Detroit

The Detroit project will fund the construction of two shared-used paths that will be part of the Joe Louis Greenway and Iron Belle Trail systems. The City of Detroit will receive about $20.7 million, and construction is expected to begin in October 2025.

A description of the project from U.S. DOT says: “Improvements will occur on Woodmere Street and will include a shared-use path that will be constructed within the right-of-way between Fort Street and Vernor Highway. Improvements will also occur on Dequindre Street including a shared-use path and a sidewalk that will be constructed within the right-of-way between Mack Avenue and Warren Avenue.”

Its benefits, the agency said, include protecting non-motorized travelers through infrastructure and reduced speeds, and reduced air pollution because of less motor vehicle travel. It will also provide an overall “quality of life” improvement as a result of new active transport opportunities, reduced vehicle dependence and connections to transit corridors.

Kalamazoo

The Kalamazoo project will rebuild five segments of streets in the city to improve safety and make them more friendly to walkers and bikers. The city of Kalamazoo will receive $25 million and construction is expected to begin in August 2027.

The street segments specifically include West Michigan from Douglas to Michigan, South from Stadium to South Pitcher, Lovell from Stadium to Portage, Stadium from Lovell to Michigan and Douglas from Kalamazoo to West Michigan.

The safety improvements, according to U.S. DOT, will be achieved through the construction of sidewalks, lighting, bicycle lanes, traffic calming measures and improved traffic flows.

Menonimee

Buttigieg specifically called out the Menominee Harbor project, which will receive about $21.3 million with construction estimated to start in January 2026, in his remarks.

“A port essential to local businesses, by both shipping and receiving commodities like pulp and pig iron, is getting the improvements that it needs. It’s had a deteriorating dock wall and lacks some of the rail infrastructure that’s needed to efficiently quickly and reliably move more goods, which in turn means (fewer) heavy trucks need to move over that port,” he said.

The project is expected to include reconstruction of the dock wall, installation of three rail spurs with shipping capability, the addition of covered, and installation of various types of cargo handling equipment.

Those improvements, according to U.S. DOT, “will reduce the number of heavy-duty trucks on roads which is anticipated to enhance safety for motorized and nonmotorized travelers… The project will also increase freight movement by increasing maritime berthing and rail capacity at the KKIL Terminal.” The shift away from truck trips will also reduce air pollution, per the agency.

Other projects

The Michigan awards announced Wednesday are among 148 across the country through the RAISE discretionary grant program, short for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity.

For example, a project in Toledo, Ohio will receive about $19.1 million to build a multi-use path as part of the Glass City Riverwalk initiative.

Buttigieg noted that there were more than 1,000 applications for projects this year, all of which came directly from communities around the country.

“Zero out of that number was invented or cooked up here at U.S. DOT headquarters in Navy Yard in Washington DC. These are community visions,” he said. Buttigieg added that his agency is committed to working with applicants who fell just short of winning an award this year so they may be more successful in the future.

The awards bring the program’s funding total to $7.2 billion for 550 projects across the country, the transportation department said in a news release. Eight Michigan projects, with funds totaling about $94 million, received awards in past cycles during the Biden administration.

The RAISE program has gone by other names in the past, like TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) during the Obama administration and BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) during the Trump administration. Fifteen Michigan projects won awards totaling almost $180 million across those eras.

A map of all past projects, along with descriptions and funding information, is available on the Department of Transportation website.

gschwab@detroitnews.com

@GrantSchwab

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