MONROE (WWJ) — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg paid a visit to Southeast Michigan Monday afternoon, announcing a major investment for a crucial bridge along I-75 is right around the corner.
The I-75 bridge over the River Raisin in Monroe is going to be torn down and rebuilt, a nearly $350 million project that is expected to begin in 2028.
Buttigieg announced the project will receive $196 million million in federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Bridge Investment Program and the Bridge Formula Program. The Michigan Department of Transportation will cover the roughly $150 million for the project.
Buttigieg said the bridge at Fort Street — which is “only a few years from going into critical condition” — is one of the 18 most “economically significant” bridges in the country, as more than 60,000 vehicles cross the bridge each day, with 25% of that being truck traffic.
“This is important, even if you don’t live anywhere near Monroe, Michigan,” Buttigieg said during Monday’s press conference. “Because the supply chains of this whole region and of the U.S. depend on the truck traffic that serves the port and that goes over this international border nearby.”
A press release from the Department of Transportation says I-75 is “also an important component of the wider transportation landscape in Southeastern Michigan,” which includes railroads and the Port of Monroe.
With the bridge being in deteriorating condition, the feds say if the bridge were not replaced and closed, it would lead to a loss of approximately $58 million in Gross Regional Product and $129 million in loss of Michigan business output/sales.
Some have speculated Buttigieg, who moved to Traverse City with his family two years ago, could be a potential candidate for governor of Michigan in 2026. With his term as secretary coming to an end next month, WWJ Newsradio 950’s Tim Pamplin asked Buttigieg about what’s next.
“What’s next for me is six more weeks of hard work as Secretary of Transportation and then some family time I’m looking forward to. I haven’t made any big life decisions about what comes next, but I care about so many things that I’ve gotten to work on in this job and hopefully I’ll have a way to work on them again in the future,” Buttigieg said.
Last week Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan announced he will run for governor as an independent. No other candidates have formally announced a run to replace Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer when her term ends in 2026.