Introduction
This brief history of the Michigan Department of Transportation, formerly the State Highway Department, is published in commemoration of its 75th anniversary. It is the story not simply of the creation and development of the agency itself, but of the continuous and often difficult efforts by many persons and many organizations, public and private, to give Michigan a first-rate transportation system.
Today's department is a far cry from the tiny agency that came into being in the summer of 1905, chiefly to administer a new program to provide state aid for local roadbuilding. The men and women who form its work force represent a wide variety of professional disciplines, ranging from design, traffic and soil engineers to physicists, chemists, foresters and urban planners. Their responsibilities are equally varied, ranging from snow removal and roadside mowing to environmental assessments, from testing and research on methods and materials to right-of-way appraisal and acquisition and relocation of families displaced by construction.
Today’s department is no longer charged solely with highway building, maintenance and administration. Its responsibilities extend to the full spectrum of transportation modes, from public bus services to air transportation to railroad freight lines. It is a role that is certain to grow as Michigan, and the nation, pursue the goal of a total transportation system adequate to the needs of the people.
John P. Woodford, Director
Michigan Department of Transportation
October, 1980
