Our goal is to keep Michigan's motorists safe, informed, and mobile. That is why MDOT offers many ways to help ease the stress of commuting by providing information that commuters want and need as they make daily travel decisions.
Did you know that millions of people visit the Great Lakes State every year? Whether you are from out of state or right here in Michigan, we want to ensure your travel throughout Michigan is informative, comfortable, and fun.
At MDOT, safety is paramount. It is our goal to improve overall safety for all road users, internal staff, contractors performing work on roads, and emergency responders.
Every year, MDOT produces an updated version of the state transportation map. The department also produces numerous geographic information system maps to assist commuters, tourists, and businesses.
In Michigan, there are three publicly-owned and operated bridges: Mackinac Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, and International Bridge. There are also two privately-owned and operated border crossings: Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.
A vibrant and sustainable multimodal transportation system is vital to Michigan's future economic viability and competitiveness. From aviation to public transportation, rail, freight, and marine, MDOT is involved in all modes of transportation.
MDOT is investing approximately $9 million to resurface 7 miles of M-46 (Apple Avenue) from US-31 to Maple Island Road in Muskegon County.
MDOT's Office of Business Development (OBD) manages external civil rights programs, such as the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program, the On-the-Job Training Program, and the Small Business Program, and ensures compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, equal opportunity requirements for contractors, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
MDOT is committed to ensuring that projects, programs and services are performed without discrimination, under Title VI.
Contractors and vendors who work on federally assisted projects are required to establish and carry out policies to assure that applicants are employed and that employees are treated during employment without regard to their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, national origin, age, or disability.
The Bureau of Bridges and Structures is responsible for statewide policy, procedure development, and execution to ensure all bridges and structures are designed, constructed, maintained, and operated to ensure safety.
MDOT provides funding for competitive grant and loan programs primarily, but not exclusively, for state and local road agencies for the greatest impact on economic development and job creation.
MDOT's Highway Programs focus on the development and management of the department's roadsides, environmental efforts and policies, and federal-aid highway information.
The Bureau of Transportation Planning develops and implements a comprehensive transportation planning process which results in investments that are consistent with the policies of the State Transportation Commission.
Research Administration supports and promotes innovative research that encourages safe, sustainable and cost-effective transportation solutions throughout Michigan.
MDOT provides technologies and partnerships in order to make the transportation system safer and less congested.
MDOT has ongoing government-to-government communication with 12 federally recognized sovereign tribal governments whose lands are situated within Michigan.
The Office of Communications works with the media to inform the public of MDOT's mission, policies and practices in a positive, consistent and credible manner. The office is responsible for media relations, social media, and website development.
Public participation is integral to efficient, effective and responsive transportation decisions. At MDOT, we want to ensure your voice is not only heard, but makes a difference in moving Michigan forward.
Transportation Reality Check takes on transportation myths and misconceptions, and explains why MDOT does things the way they do.
Resources for the development of quality transportation project documents and services.
Resources for specialized engineering and technical support for construction staff.
Resources for prequalification, bid letting, contract awards, and payments.
Resources for consultant advisories, prequalification information, contracts, and proposals.
Resources for grant and economic development opportunities and project coordination.
Resources for local governmental agencies that regularly require access to state right of way.
Resources for MDOT real estate standards, policies and procedures, and training.
Resources for general work zone mobility guidelines for engineering and technical staff.
Resources for rules, guidelines, restrictions, and permits to safely transport goods.
Open data refers to data that has been officially classified as public that can be made freely available for everyone to use without credentials or restrictions. MDOT promotes transparency, innovation and informed decision-making by providing datasets classified as public freely available to everyone.
MDOT's goal is to support the implementation and use of GIS software and hardware through innovative solutions that solve spatial problems and support more informed decisions about Michigan's transportation infrastructure.
The technical training (TT) course schedule lists the various technical training courses offered through the Office of Organizational Development during the construction off-season months for the local agencies and consultants.
The Internship Program offers undergraduate and graduate students interested in civil engineering and construction management careers, valuable experience by working with professional field staff.
TRAC engages high school and middle school students in solving real-world problems, such as designing bridges or analyzing the environmental effects of building a highway.
The MDOT Transportation Career Pathways Program is committed to helping you build a fulfilling and rewarding career in the transportation industry, even if you're not entirely sure where to start.
MDOT's Engineer Development Program (EDP) is a rotational program that provides new engineers experience in multiple work areas while being assigned a senior-level mentor.
The HBCU TDRP is a unique partnership between MDOT and Michigan colleges and universities to offer on-the-job training to undergraduate students pursuing degrees in engineering or transportation-related careers.
The Veteran Internship Program assists honorably discharged veterans of the United States Armed Forces as they transition into the civilian workforce.
Engineering Week videos and lesson plans are all-inclusive resources to show early elementary to high school students the career of civil engineering at MDOT.
At MDOT, we are here to help. If you can't find what you are looking for in our popular topics, frequently asked questions or website search, give us a call at 517-241-2400 or fill out our contact form.
MDOT's seven region offices each handle transportation-related construction, maintenance and programs within the region's geographic boundaries.
The Office of Policy and Government Relations represents MDOT's interests as new or amendatory legislation is developed or moving through the legislative process.
Commissions and councils provide a public forum for policy development and implementation.
Policies help the department implement its mission of serving and connecting people, communities, and the economy through transportation.
Allows MDOT's regions and engineers to expand their knowledge on how Michigan freeways are operating over time and how they compare to each other.
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The Construction Congestion Cost (CO³) System is a tool with which engineers can estimate the magnitude and impacts of traffic congestion, including its cost impact on road users, that can be expected during a construction project. Its name comes from the first two letters of COnstruction COngestion COst, on which the system focuses. From project conception through drafting provisions for maintaining traffic, CO³ provides a useful way for engineers to include construction congestion and its costs to users as an important variable in all project decisions.
CO³ measures the impact of congestion in two basic ways: (1) variables such as delay, diverted vehicles, and backup measure different characteristics of congestion and (2) user cost provides a common unit of measure with which to sum traffic impacts and compare them with construction cost. User costs consist of direct costs of increased travel distance due to traffic diversions and indirect costs that measure the impact of traffic delays and trip cancellations caused by congestion. CO³ helps us select among alternative methods of maintaining traffic during construction, and it helps us select contract period costs for contract provisions that provide incentives for reducing congestion impacts during construction.
CO³ Software and User Manual
The CO³ software is essentially a macro enabled spreadsheet. There are two separate versions of this spreadsheet: one for evaluating work zones with capacity/speed reductions, and another for evaluating work zones using traffic regulators (e.g. “flagger,” temporary signal).
CO³ Spreadsheet
CO³ Flag Spreadsheet
CO³ User Manual
User Costs
The User Cost per Mile value for cars is the latest operating cost value published by the Internal Revenue Service. This value should be updated based on the release of new values, historically every six to 12 months. For trucks, an operating cost value was calculated from the 2003 Motor Carrier Annual Report (the latest available data), and indexed into 2023 dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Please use the following values when using CO³.
| CO³ Cost Value | Cars | Trucks |
| User Cost per Hour ($/V hour) | $23.14 | $40.83 |
| User Cost per Mile ($/V mile) | $0.670 | $2.40 |
The User Cost per Hour values are based on Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publication number FHWA-SA-98-079, "Life-Cycle Cost Analysis in Pavement Design." Currently, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) updates these costs yearly using the CPI, which follows the same methodology as detailed in the FHWA publication, with the above costs being based on the 2023 annual CPI value. These values can be revised more often if necessary.
CO³ Training and Other Information
CO³ Training Presentation
CO³ Common Inputs
CO³ Cheat Sheet
CO³ Contacts
For CO³ training, training requests, and software troubleshooting, contact Ben Krom at 517-636-4966.
For project level questions regarding inputs (diversion rates, volumes, etc.), contact Chris Brookes at 517-242-6486.
CO³ and CO³ Flag were developed by Robert I. Carr, Ph.D., P.E. et al. at the University of Michigan Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, with financial support from MDOT.
