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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2024
Contact:?Ron Leix, Treasury, 517-335-2167
?MiDIG Will Drive Collaboration to Help Michigan Dig Less and Achieve More From Future Infrastructure Investments
LANSING, Mich. ? The Michigan Infrastructure Council (MIC) today announced it has launched the MIC Project Portal 2.0 (MiDIG). This innovative online tool revolutionizes infrastructure planning by fostering collaboration between public and private infrastructure asset managers early in the project cycle to facilitate a ?dig once? approach. This approach aims to minimize disruption and cost associated with infrastructure projects by coordinating the installation of various utility lines (broadband, water, energy) during a single construction cycle.??
?MiDIG is a powerful new addition to Michigan's infrastructure toolbox. This innovative platform will make it easier and more affordable to complete essential projects in our communities, like fixing roads and bridges, improving stormwater management, and upgrading utilities,? said MIC Council Member Beverly Watts. ?By working together today, we can create sustainable infrastructure systems for generations to come. MiDIG will be a critical piece in this work.?
MiDIG facilitates streamlined infrastructure planning by providing a secure, cloud-based platform for collaborative project management. This centralized repository integrates data from diverse sources (water lines, roads, etc.) and visualizes it on a geospatial map. Leveraging advanced technologies like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Machine Learning (ML), MiDIG empowers planners with comprehensive project oversight. Through intelligent data analysis, MiDIG identifies potential conflicts and overlaps between projects at an early stage, enabling proactive collaboration and mitigation strategies. This proactive approach minimizes delays and ensures cost-effective project execution.
?Modernizing the way infrastructure owners plan and coordinate capital construction projects will help us ensure we dig once and maximize our infrastructure investments,? said MIC Chair Palencia Mobley, P.E. ?With new functionality and increased usability, we?re eager to see how the improved portal increases coordination and outcomes.?
With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and CHIPS and Science Act, Michigan has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to implement transformative infrastructure, climate and economic development projects throughout the state. With MiDIG, we can stretch every infrastructure dollar further, maximizing the return on investment for Michigan communities as we rebuild and strengthen our infrastructure for the future.
?Michigan has brought home more than $10 billion to rebuild our infrastructure through President Biden?s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and we have a duty to spend those funds as efficiently and effectively as possible, said Zachary Kolodin, chief infrastructure officer and director of the Michigan Infrastructure Office. ?MiDig will enable Michigan to implement a ?Dig Once? policy ? synchronizing road, water, and broadband infrastructure work to minimize disruption and save taxpayer dollars.??
In addition to MiDIG, MIC offers the Asset Management Champions program. This free program is available to all infrastructure owners and sets out to establish a network of individuals and organizations to help strengthen and "champion" best practice asset management across Michigan's complex infrastructure environment.
To learn more information about the Michigan Infrastructure Council, please visit www.michigan.gov/mic.
About the Michigan Infrastructure Council
Cultivating partnerships that strengthen Michigan's Infrastructure to provide the foundation for public and environmental health, economic prosperity and quality of life.
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