Whitmer signs bills to authorize MDOT to create carpool lanes
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Commuters traveling a busy stretch of I-75 through Oakland County may want to start carpooling.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Tuesday authorizing the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to create high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) lanes on new highway lanes built using federal funds. The department plans to designate HOV lanes on I-75 between 12 Mile Road and South Boulevard as part of an I-75 Modernization Project.
House Bill 4353 signed by Whitmer amends the Michigan Transportation Fund law to enable MDOT to create the new lanes, while House Bill 4352 amends the Michigan Vehicle Code to exempt motorcycles from HOV restrictions.
"These bills represent a major step forward for mobility in Michigan and efforts to decrease emissions by encouraging people to share rides," said MDOT Director Bradley C. Wieferich. "I want to thank the bill sponsors for their diligence and Gov. Whitmer for recognizing what this will mean to commuters and other travelers on one of the state’s busiest corridors."
Additionally, the governor signed legislation allowing the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to designate newly built highway lanes constructed using federal funds as high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, encouraging carpooling and providing MDOT with a tool to ease traffic on highways.
MDOT is rebuilding nearly 18 miles of I-75 in Oakland County for the first time since the highway's construction, according to the website for the I-75 Modernization Project. The HOV lanes − also known as carpool lanes − will operate during morning and afternoon at peak hours Monday through Friday, the website states. To use the additional lane during those times, vehicles must have two or more riders, including the driver.
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Several GOP state senators joined every Democrat in the state Senate to vote for the bills. State Rep. John Roth, R-Interlochen, was the lone GOP lawmaker in the state House to vote in support of the bill while state Rep. Lori Stone, D-Warren, was the lone Democratic representative to oppose it.
Solo drivers caught driving in the HOV lanes will be responsible for a civil infraction and may be fined.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer signs bills to authorize MDOT to create carpool lanes
