Michigan DOT director joins committee to study the future of interstates

Sixty years after president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act 1956 into law, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is to carry out a 30 month study of the future of the country’s interstate highway system. Michigan Department of Transportation director Kirk T. Steudle has been named as a member of the committee that will study the future of the US Interstate Highway System (IGS).
August 30, 2016 Read time: 2 mins

Sixty years after president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act 1956 into law, the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine is to carry out a 30 month study of the future of the country’s interstate highway system.

1688 Michigan Department of Transportation director Kirk T. Steudle has been named as a member of the committee that will study the future of the US Interstate Highway System (IGS).

The IHS is a key component of the US transportation system. While it makes up only 1.2 per cent roadway line-miles of the country's public road system, it handles nearly 25 per cent of the total vehicle miles travelled annually and almost 40 per cent of the country's total truck traffic. Little changed since its inception, the IHS of today is showing its age.

The Future Interstate Study is being carried out in accordance with Section 6021 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015 which calls for the Transportation Research Board to conduct “a study on the actions needed to upgrade and restore the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defence Highways to its role as a premier system that meets the growing and shifting demands of the 21st century.”

The 14-member committee of experts will develop a report over the course of the project. During the first 20 months of study, the committee will meet regularly to hear from key groups, including national experts, operators and users of the interstate system and private sector stakeholders. Members have backgrounds in transportation policy and planning in both urban and rural contexts, travel demand, highway construction and operations, traffic safety, modelling, environmental and community impact mitigation, economic development, supply chains and goods movement, funding, equity and access to economic opportunity, multimodal transportation, and advanced vehicle technologies.

Steudle is the only director of a state department of transportation on the committee. Today, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has jurisdiction over 9,668 route miles or 32,043 lane miles (including ramps) of interstate, US and M highways.

Related Content

  • February 11, 2015
    Mixed views on reintroduction of US Wi-Fi Innovation Act
    US Senators Marco Rubio and Cory Booker have reintroduced S. 424, the Wi-Fi Innovation Act, legislation to expand unlicensed spectrum use by requiring the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to test the feasibility of opening the upper 5 GHz band to unlicensed use. At a time when demand for spectrum is drastically increasing, the legislation aims to provide more of this valuable resource to the public to bolster innovation, spur economic development, and increase connectivity. According to Rubio,
    Read More
  • September 9, 2014
    World Congress rewards outstanding ITS
    Tradition dictates that the ITS World Congress is the setting for a variety of award presentations, and 2014 is no exception. During the glittering 2014 ITS World Congress opening ceremony the first of a series of awards was presented with São Paulo’s Municipal Department of Transport receiving the MobiPrize Enterprising City/State Award.
    Read More
  • March 16, 2015
    Report analyses multiple ITS projects to highlight cost and benefits
    Every year in America cost benefit analysis is carried out on dozens of ITS installations and pilot studies and the findings, along with the lessons learned, are entered into the Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) web-based ITS Knowledge Resources database. This database holds more than 1,600 reports and periodically the USDOT reviews the material on file to draw conclusions from this wider body of evidence. It has just published one such review ITS Benefits, Costs, and Lessons Learned: 2014 Update Re
    Read More
  • February 1, 2012
    change in the US transportation sector
    Transportation for America's James Corless talks about the changes needed in the US's transportation policy. Anew report, 'Smart Mobility for a 21st Century America', highlights how improving efficiency through technology is critical as the US's population grows and ages, budgets tighten and consumer preferences shift.
    Read More

Highlighted Content