Governor Whitmer Announces $5 Million in Funding for Roads Around GM’s Orion Plant
(State of Michigan, Aug. 9, 2023)
Orion Township, MI – Governor Whitmer has announced two state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grants that will support a total of 1,525 new jobs and $3.5 billion of private investment in Chippewa and Oakland counties, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced today.
“These transportation economic development investments will create more than 1,500 good-paying jobs and make communities across Michigan better places to live, work, and invest,” said Governor Whitmer. “The improvements in Oakland County will improve the flow of traffic around the forthcoming GM plant in Orion Township and the upgrades around the Carbide Dock Port in the Sault will ensure the flow of commerce and tourism through a major port in the UP can continue. Let’s keep working together on investments that make a real difference in people’s lives, create good-paying jobs, and grow the economy.”
The state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) grant helps finance public highway, road, and street projects that are critical to the movement of people and products, and getting workers to their jobs, materials to growers and manufacturers, and finished goods to consumers.
Grant Recipient: Oakland County Road Commission
General Motors is a global company with a focus on advancing an all-electric future. At the heart of this strategy is the Ultium battery platform, which will power everything from mass-market to high-performance vehicles. General Motors, its subsidiaries, and its joint venture entities, sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun, and Wuling brands. To deliver the Ultium battery to the global GM portfolio, the company began searching for a site able to provide the needed infrastructure for their $3.47 billion investment.
The Orion Township plant location was selected after extensively reviewing expansion options in several states, with factors including land availability, local and state government support, available labor pool, and infrastructure. As part of discussions with state and local officials, the promise of infrastructure support was a strong factor in the overall decision to invest at the Orion Assembly Plant.
Road conditions around the Orion Assembly Plant posed a safety risk to anyone who uses the roads in the Lake Orion/Auburn Hills area. A permanent fix was needed, as the plant expansion will generate significant increases in commercial and passenger traffic with 1,500 new jobs created by 2026. In addition to potential safety risks presented by deteriorating road conditions, GM expressed concerns regarding material financial impact due to damages and delays sustained by suppliers, distributors, and others using the area roadways, as well as possible damage to product leaving the facility.
“On a project of this size and significance, collaboration is key and local, state and federal partners came together to make sure this transformational General Motor’s project in Orion Township moves forward smoothly,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. “This plant will be a catalyst for the mobility industry of the future in Michigan and the region and the improvements in the infrastructure around the facility are essential to ensuring a safe and welcoming workplace for the thousands of people who will be employed at the plant.”
“Metro-Detroit is the home of America’s auto industry, where it is especially important that the quality of our roads keeps pace with the quality of our cars,” said state Senator Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield). “This grant to the Oakland County Road Commission does both, helping improve our roads and supporting General Motors’ new electric battery production, bringing significant investment and creating more jobs in our region.”
“Investing in site readiness, making the roads safer for all — these are important tools in our economic development toolbox and I am happy to see it yield more jobs for Oakland County,” said state Representative Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), Chair of the House Economic Development and Small Business Committee.
“The MDOT grant coming to Oakland County is going to provide permanent infrastructure enhancements — including road improvements — to the community,” said state Representative Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac). “Plus, the funding for this project will help provide the necessary support for the GM electric vehicle plant in Orion to keep moving forward, which means further economic growth for the area. It is clear that Michigan is investing in initiatives that will ensure we remain a premier leader in the automotive industry and a forerunner in the innovative technology sector. When Michigan invests in manufacturing, we invest in people.”
“Dependable roads and infrastructure are a critical piece of successful operations at Orion Assembly,” said Mike Trevorrow, GM’s vice president, North America Manufacturing. “This grant will help rebuild roads which will benefit GM, our suppliers and the residents in the community.”
With TEDF funding and $7 million in Fiscal Year 2023 U.S. House Appropriations Committee Community Project Funding to go towards the project, the Road Commission of Oakland County, in partnership with Orion Township, will rebuild the road, milling down to the subbase, and replacing concrete curb and gutter on three roads surrounding the GM Orion Assembly Plant. The project limits include Brown Road between Jamm Road and Giddings Road; Giddings Road from Brown Road to Silverbell Road; and Silverbell Road from Giddings Road to M-24. Additional work on Brown Road includes the addition of a center left-turn lane from North Atlantic Boulevard to just west of the intersection at Brown Road and Giddings Road. This will create a consistent five-lane cross section on this project segment of Brown Road. The TEDF Category A grant program will provide a total of $5 million in funding across the three project areas.
About Transportation Economic Development Fund Grants
Enacted in 1987 and reauthorized in 1993, TEDF “Category A” or “Targeted Industries Program” grants provide state funding for public roadway improvements that allow road agencies to respond quickly to the transportation needs of expanding companies and eliminate inadequate roadways as an obstacle to private investment and job creation. Eligible road agencies include the Michigan Department of Transportation, county road commissions, cities, and villages. More information about the program is available online at www.Michigan.gov/TEDF.
