This section provides a summary of the purpose of the proposed project and cites the reasons that the project is needed. The entire Purpose and Need can be found in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Chapter 2, Purpose Of And Need For The Proposed Action.

Purpose of the Proposed Action

The purpose of the Interstate 94 (I-94) Rehabilitation Project is to improve capacity, safety, pavement, and bridges in a 10.8-kilometer (6.7-mile) segment of I-94 in the city of Detroit. The project will also enhance local traffic circulation by separating local traffic from I-94 traffic.

This section of I-94 was constructed in the late 1940s and early 1950s and is one of the oldest urban interstates in the US. This portion of I-94 is deteriorating and requires frequent maintenance. It also has outdated design at various segments and interchanges. Obsolete design and high traffic volumes contribute to inadequate capacity, especially during the morning and evening rush hours. The Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) in the project area ranges from 120,000 to over 160,000 vehicles and is expected to grow by more than 25 percent by the year 2020. This growth does not account for future heavy-truck demand, which is difficult to predict. Because of I-94's link to international border crossings and the growing economy in southeast Michigan, the volume of heavy truck traffic on southeast Michigan interstates is expected to grow three times faster than passenger vehicle volume.

Since the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, it has been estimated that the AADT within the project area is expected to grow by more than 35 percent by the year 2025.

Project Background

The I-94 corridor serves a critical function to the economy and lifestyle of those living or traveling through southeast Michigan. The importance of this freeway can be seen in the following bullets and are described in more detail in Chapter 2 of the DEIS:

• I-94 is a primary east-west connector linking Michigan to Ontario, Canada, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. - I-94 functions as a central and critical link in a freeway system vital to the economy of southeast Michigan, the state of Michigan, and the nation.
• International trade is increasingly important to Michigan's economy. - In 1996 the Detroit area was the nation's top exporting metropolis, selling a total of $27.5 billion in merchandise to foreign markets.
• Several studies completed in the last 12 years highlight the critical role of I-94 as part of the interstate system in southeast Michigan.
• I-94's contribution to Detroit and the region and its role as part of an international trade corridor continue to grow at a rapid rate.
• Approximately 2.9 million trucks and $80 billion US dollars in trade crossed the Ambassador Bridge in 1998.
• I-94 links four regional airports in southeast Michigan and is the primary access to the proposed regional intermodal freight terminal in southwest Detroit.
• The city of Detroit is experiencing an economic renaissance resulting from several redevelopment activities. The project area includes locations that are candidates for residential, commercial, recreational, and industrial redevelopment.
• Large traffic generators that are dependent on I-94 include Wayne State University (WSU), the New Center area, the General Motors Cadillac Plant, the Detroit Medical Center, Wayne County Community College, the Center for Creative Studies, General Motors World Headquarters, Henry Ford Hospital, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Museum of African American History.

Need for the Proposed Action

Construction on this portion of I-94 began in 1947 and was completed in the early 1950s. The deteriorated condition, inadequate roadway capacity, and outdated design of this segment of I-94 drive the need for reconstruction and rehabilitation. The proposed project will enhance I-94 so that it can continue to function as a modern interstate and meet the traffic demands of a growing region.

Sufficiency Rating

The condition of I-94 within the project area is described by sufficiency rating scores given to the various segments of I-94 and its interchanges with M-10 and I-75. MDOT produces a sufficiency report, which includes a point system for evaluating and comparing the adequacy of each segment of roadway under state jurisdiction. The sufficiency rating is a combination of points from four categories: traffic crashes, roadway capacity, physical condition of the roadway base, and physical condition of the roadway surface. The maximum points for these categories are 30, 30, 15, and 25, respectively. As shown in Table 1, a facility in excellent condition has a sufficiency rating between 90 and 100 points.

 

Table 1 MDOT Sufficiency Ratings
Rating Scale	Description
0-49	Poor
50-64	Tolerable
65-79	Fair
80-89	Good
90-100	Excellent

Table 2 contains the sufficiency ratings for I-94, M-10, and I-75. This table indicates that segments within the project area are in poor condition, except for one segment on M-10 and a segment on I-75 that are ranked as tolerable.

An analysis of each of the categories indicates that all of the segments have adequate base and drainage, but the other components (pavement surface, crash rate, and capacity) are deficient.

Bridge Conditions

I-94 bridge superstructures are constructed of steel that requires maintenance because of harsh weather conditions and the use of salt for deicing. Condition ratings indicate that many of the bridges within the project limits need major repairs and the bridges on or over I-94 have loading and structural deficiencies and limited vertical clearances (the height of a bridge above the pavement). The 1998 MDOT bridge sufficiency ratings list 57 bridges within the project limits. Thirty-six are rated structurally deficient and eight are rated functionally obsolete. The bridges require either extensive repair or complete replacement.

Traffic Congestion

The AADT on I-94 in the study area ranges from 120,000 to over 160,000 vehicles and is expected to grow by more than 25 percent by the year 2020. This growth does not account for future demand by heavy trucks. Truck traffic has been growing steadily on I-94 at a rate of five to seven percent each year. Current truck traffic ranges from five to 10 percent of the total traffic within the project limits.

Since the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, it has been estimated that the AADT within the project area is expected to grow by more than 35 percent by the year 2025.

The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) 2020 Regional Transportation Plan identified I-94 as capacity deficient. I-94 within the project limits is currently operating over capacity. The number of lanes is not sufficient to efficiently carry the number of vehicles that use the facility.

Traffic using this section of I-94 during peak hours, particularly the evening period, operates under congested conditions resulting in frequent stopping of vehicles. This situation is often made worse by traffic incidents that block I-94. Inadequate shoulder width prevents disabled vehicles with mechanical failure or flat tires to park completely out of the outside driving lane.

Safety

Traffic crashes cause property damage, injuries, and loss of life and also add to driver delay and frustration. The number of traffic crashes at many locations along this section of I-94 is more than twice the average expected for similar locations in southeast Michigan.

Traffic management on the interstate system is especially difficult when traffic incidents occur. Traffic along I-94 is often delayed for long periods of time while traffic crashes are investigated and cleared. Because I-94 is used extensively by local and regional traffic and for regional, interstate, and international goods movement, traveler delay and lost productivity caused by traffic crashes can be extensive.

Transit, Pedestrians, and Bicyclists

Twenty four percent of those responding to the Citizens Impact Survey taken in the project area do not own a car. According to the survey, 16 percent use transit, which makes it an important element in providing mobility to the area's population. Although I-94 is a direct route to downtown Detroit and other important destinations, it is not conducive to bus use. Many of the surface streets in the study area are circuitous, and the service drives are not continuous. Buses do not have easy access to I-94.

Pedestrians and bicyclists have no through access adjacent to I-94 because sidewalks are discontinuous. Although sidewalks are present along the existing service drives, the sidewalks end where the service drives end.

Some of the existing pedestrian bridges, which are used by pedestrian and bicyclists, are in poor repair and in need of replacement. Pedestrian bridges would be combined with vehicular bridges that would have sidewalks.

Project Goals and Objectives

The Interagency Coordination Committee (ICC) was established to guide development of the I-94 Rehabilitation Project. Based on an analysis of the need for the project and information collected at various meetings held in the initial stages of the study, the ICC developed four goals for the project. After these goals were identified, specific objectives were developed for each goal. The objectives provide means to achieve study goals and an effective framework to assess the alternatives that are considered in this DEIS. The four goals and their associated objectives are described below.

Goal 1 - Mobility. Maintain and enhance safe and efficient transportation for passengers and freight on I-94 including the M-10 and I-75 interchanges.

Objectives:

• Manage congestion and reduce travel times
• Improve traffic operations and reduce the number of crashes
• Reduce transit travel times and enhance the comfort and convenience of transit riders
• Encourage use of multiple-occupancy vehicles
• Facilitate more efficient international transportation at border crossings

Objectives:

• Improve access from multiple origins via I-94
• Maintain or improve access to residential neighborhoods on I-94
• Maintain or improve access to existing and potential manufacturing, commercial, and freight destinations in the project area
• Coordinate planning and development activities to maximize access to new developments
• Improve the study area's attractiveness for business and residential development
• Maximize the study area's contribution as part of a gateway to Detroit

Objectives:

• Maintain and/or improve aesthetics within the project area
• Maximize the potential for redesign and improve the reconstruction for neighborhood livability, including the enhancement of recreational opportunities
• Minimize the roadway's impact as a divider of communities and neighborhoods
• Minimize noise and air quality impacts
• Improve the economic well being of families and neighborhoods in the project area

Objectives:

• Minimize capital, operating, and maintenance costs
• Minimize transportation and neighborhood disruptions during construction

Summary

The analyses of traffic operations, traffic crash rates, and infrastructure deficiencies demonstrate the need for improvements within the I-94 project area. The I-94 Rehabilitation Project is needed to:

• Provide a safe, efficient facility to enhance the economy of Detroit and southeast Michigan
• Provide an additional mainline driving lane to increase capacity
• Provide continuous service drives so that local traffic has better access to adjacent properties and development, and to accommodate buses, provide detours for mainline traffic during traffic incidents and better access for emergency vehicles, and reduce traffic disruption during construction of the I-94 mainline
• Replace structurally deficient bridges
• Eliminate left exits and entrances to reduce weaving
• Provide sidewalks for pedestrians
• Provide acceleration/deceleration lanes to improve traffic operation and safety
• Provide shoulders to accommodate disabled vehicles
• Provide a visually pleasing facility to enhance adjacent communities and provide a pleasant driving experience

The improvements will provide Detroit and southeast Michigan a safe, modern, structurally sound, efficient, and visually pleasing interstate to accommodate regional, commercial, and local traffic.

The entire Purpose and Need can be found in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Chapter 2, Purpose Of And Need For The Proposed Action.

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