MDOT posts draft five-year transportation program (FY2026–2030); $15.2 billion in planned investments over five years

The Michigan Department of Transportation presented its draft five-year transportation program for fiscal years 2026–2030 on Aug. 1, and the State Transportation Commission voted to post the draft on MDOT’s website and open a public comment period from Aug. 1 through Sept. 1, 2025.

MDOT staff described the draft as a high-level snapshot of anticipated trunk-line highway, public transportation, rail/ports and aeronautics investments over the next five years. The department estimates total anticipated investments of $15.2 billion: approximately $10.6 billion for trunk-line highways, $2.9 billion for bus and marine public transportation, $809 million for rail and ports, and $900 million for aeronautics.

MDOT staff emphasized that the program is a rolling, high-level plan required by statute and that the first two years of the plan are typically better defined than the later years, which remain subject to scoping and engineering. For the fiscal year 2026 program year specifically, MDOT presented an anticipated total of about $3.03 billion, including $2.1 billion for trunk-line highway work, $560 million for bus and marine, $159 million for rail and ports, and $240 million for aeronautics. Notable items highlighted for FY2026 included work on I-94 trunk-line modernization, Blue Water Bridge Plaza construction funds, and a Grand Region bond project on US-131.

Staff said preservation and routine maintenance together represent a large share of the program: MDOT identified about $7.9 billion for preservation activities across five years and approximately $2.6 billion for routine maintenance. The presentation noted that smaller visual elements of the draft (pie-chart graphics) will be refined before the program returns to the commission for final adoption.

Commissioners asked for clarification about how transit investment decisions are informed. MDOT staff said transit capital and operating funding flows largely through federal aid and state match processes and that a separate transit asset management plan and local agency coordination inform how funds are allocated; MDOT staff said they are exploring a more consolidated approach to transit planning with the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification.

With the commission’s approval to post the draft, MDOT will accept public comments through Sept. 1 and will prepare a summary of comments for the commission’s November meeting.