Grayling I-75 Access Project TIGER 2016 Narrative
Improving Access
The Grayling Region I-75 Access Project is an opportunity to improve access to and build up the community of Grayling, Michigan. This project exemplifies the focus of the TIGER Grant to generate economic development and improve access to the area.
The I-75/North Down River Road Interchange is heavily utilized by the community, industry, visitors and healthcare providers in the area. Though Grayling is known in the area as the “Gateway to the North”, access to the interchange for northbound travelers is currently very limited. Travelers accessing Grayling or areas to the east must exit at the south end of the City and travel over three miles through busy and congested city streets, causing delays for emergency responders, traffic congestion, and extensive wear on the Grayling city streets. Crawford County, Michigan is a rural, economically-distressed area in the center of the northern portion of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
The City of Grayling is the most populous municipality in this rural county and is located just north of the confluence of I-75 and US-127, two major north-south interstate freeways. 42 U.S. Code 3161 designates Crawford County as an Economically Distressed Area (EDA). The county is in the heart of the Huron-Manistee National Forest. While residents and visitors enjoy the expanse of recreation land and water, Crawford County has one of the lowest tax bases in the State of Michigan, largely due to the fact that 74% of the land in the County is either federally- or state-owned. As such, this area has struggled for years to improve the transportation system in this county and region, where two federal highways, two state highways, and a railroad converge.
Despite the constraints of being a rural community with limited options for generating revenue, Grayling has been able to position itself as a prime area for several notable entities that provide regional and national resources. These endeavors also meet the selection criteria detailed by the TIGER grant;
• State of Good Repair
• Economic Competitiveness
• Quality of Life
• Environmental Stability
• Safety