CRITICAL ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM AREAS

REORGANIZATION OF THE MICHIGAN STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PLANNING HAS RESULTED IN THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FOLLOWING CONSTITUENT UNITS FOR MORE EFFECTIVE PLANNING: PROGRAMMING DIVISION, ROUTE LOCATION DIVISION AND PLANNING DIVISION. THE COMMISSIONER'S POLICY IS THAT NO MAJOR HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION SHOULD BE UNDERTAKEN IN ANY MUNICIPALITY UNTIL A TRUNKLINE PLAN HAD BEEN PREPARED WHICH WAS ACCEPTABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THE MUNICIPALITY CONCERNED. THE TRUNKLINE PLANS SEEK TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING: (1) PROVIDE A HIGHWAY NETWORK ADEQUATE TO RELIEVE CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED CONGESTION BY PROVIDING IMPROVED HIGHWAY SERVICE, (2) DEVELOP A PLAN THAT WILL PROMOTE THE SOUND ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE AREA, (3) COORDINATE HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION WITH OTHER FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL PROJECTS, (4) ESTABLISH A PROGRAM FROM WHICH INTERRELATED HIGHWAY, ROAD AND STREET PROJECTS CAN BE SELECTED FOR CONSTRUCTION, IN STAGES, WITH ASSURANCE THAT EACH PROJECT WILL BE A PART OF AN OVER-ALL AREA AND STATE SYSTEM, AND (5) ADVANCE STATEWIDE AND NATIONWIDE HIGHWAY SERVICE BY INTEGRATING THE AREA SYSTEM WITH NATIONAL, STATE AND REGIONAL TRAFFIC WAYS. CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURES ON URBAN PROJECTS ARE DESCRIBED. COORDINATE PLANNING WITH URBAN RENEWAL AND HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION IS ACHIEVED. STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENTS MUST ASCERTAIN THAT AREA, REGIONAL, AND STATE TRANSPORTATION NEEDS ARE INTEGRATED WITH LOCAL HIGHWAY SYSTEM PLANNING.