The Michigan Department of Transportation has awarded a state transportation economic development grant to the city of Detroit that will support 2,200 new jobs, the state announced on Monday.
The $6 million grant, part of the state’s Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF), will help fund infrastructure improvements related to General Motors’ (GM) Factory ZERO plant on the Detroit-Hamtramck border.
TEDF funds are used to enhance the state’s ability to compete internationally and serve as a “catalyst for economic growth.”
“This is good news for our families, our businesses, and our economy as a whole. Every Michigander deserves to drive on our roads safely, without blowing a tire or cracking a windshield, and this partnership with GM will help us reach that goal while creating good jobs for Michigan workers,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “I am pleased that we were able to work with this long-standing company and the City of Detroit on the road improvements necessary to support GM’s Factory ZERO, and I will continue working with everyone who wants to create Michigan jobs and improve our state’s infrastructure. Let’s get to work.”
The TEDF funds will augment funds from the City of Detroit to pay for the more than $11 million project. GM announced earlier that it would be building Factory ZERO to transition 40 percent of its U.S. products to battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025. The company will invest $2.2 billion in factory ZERO, reconfiguring it to an all-electric vehicle assembly plant. The grant funds from the state will cover rebuilding and repaving Mt. Elliott Street to Conant Street to Harper Avenue, Conant Street from Mt. Elliott Street north to the city limit, Hamtramck Drive from E. Grand Boulevard north to the Detroit City limit, and E. Grand Boulevard from Trombly Street to Hamtramck Drive.
The roads are all in poor condition, the state said, and the grant funding will fix the roads to ensure the plant does not receive damaged parts or receive any damage to its delivery trucks.
“General Motors appreciates the support from MDOT and the City of Detroit for these much-needed road improvements,” said Jim Quick, plant director at Factory ZERO, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center. “Factory ZERO is an important piece of our journey to an all-electric future, and these road improvements will greatly help our employees and the community as we prepare to build electric trucks and the Cruise Origin.”