U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) extended an invitation to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao last week to come and tour the Beck Road Improvement Corridor in her home district as a showcase of the need for infrastructure improvements in Michigan.
Beck Road is a three-lane road that residents of Wixom, Mich., have long been trying to expand to a five-lane road. This, they say, will improve traffic flow and safety for drivers and pedestrians alike, and make things smoother for companies as well — hundreds of which rely on it for freight and customer traffic. Though the improvement effort has met with some success at the local and regional level, numerous attempts to secure federal Department of Transportation support have failed.
“As a new member of Congress, I have spent the past eight months visiting every corner of my incredible district in southeastern Michigan,” Stevens wrote to Chao in a letter. “During these visits, one common theme has become abundantly clear – our roads are in desperate need of improvement. As Michigan’s economy advances with the rise of new automotive technologies, we have a unique opportunity to once again lead the country on highway solutions and innovations. I hope Secretary Chao will visit Michigan’s 11th District to see the conditions of our roads firsthand and discuss collaborative solutions to our ongoing infrastructure challenges.”
In the past 20 years, the average daily traffic count for Beck Road has more than doubled with crash frequency increasing rapidly as a result.