Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is seeking innovative ways to finance, build, operate and maintain public infrastructure and it is reaching out to businesses and other entities for their ideas and interest in forming public-private partnerships (P3s).

On July 25 2013, MDOT formally issued requests for "letters of interest" from the private sector regarding several proposed P3 projects. Mid-August is the deadline for responses.

Initial proposed P3 projects include two rest areas, freeway lighting, bridge work and timber management.

The two rest areas proposed for P3 projects are the Higgins Lake and Houghton Lake facilities along US-127 in Roscommon County. MDOT is seeking feedback from entities that would be interested in providing improvements or services at one or both of the rest areas.

Regarding freeway lighting, MDOT has proposed three P3 alternatives that vary in scope. The three are:

1. The entire state freeway lighting system - about 18,400 lights, excluding rest areas and other facility lighting.
2. Freeway lighting in Detroit and Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties - about 80 percent of the state freeway lighting system.
3. Freeway tunnel lighting on I-696 in Oakland County and on M-10 underneath Cobo Center in Detroit.

Two alternatives are being considered for bridge P3 projects. They are:

1. Replacing the I-75 bridge decks over Fort Street and the Rouge River in Detroit.
2. Reconstructing bridges in four highway corridors: I-94, from I-96 to Conner Avenue in Detroit; I-75, from M-102 to M-59 in Oakland County; I-94, from Elm Road to US-127 in Jackson County; and I-94, from Euclid Avenue to US-31 in Berrien County.

On the bridge projects, a private sector developer would have a long-term contract to finance, design, construct and maintain the bridges.

The timber management P3 projects would thin out selected forested areas along four highway corridors to sustain and improve forest conditions. The four corridors are:

1. US-2 (128 miles) in the Upper Peninsula
2. I-75 (134 miles) in the northern Lower Peninsula
3. US-127 (78 miles) in Clare, Gratiot and Isabella counties
4. US-131 (51 miles) in Kent, Mecosta and Montcalm counties