Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced about $23 million in state funding for nine projects expected to create more than 1,000 jobs and unlock nearly $118 million in additional federal investment.
The awards, made through the Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund, cover defence, space technology, nuclear workforce training, transport, port infrastructure, community facilities and agriculture across the state.
The largest grant, worth $10.5 million, will help build a 57,000-square-foot National Guard readiness centre at the Olympia Armory in Detroit. The Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs estimates the scheme will support about 200 construction jobs and 500 additional National Guard positions when complete.
The project is also backed by $34 million in federal funding and $1 million from the department.
Detroit, space and nuclear projects
KMI Space, based in Marquette, will receive $3.5 million to complete development of its Laelaps spacecraft. The vehicle is designed to rendezvous with satellites in orbit, move them to new positions and extend their working lives, potentially reducing the need for costly replacements.
The company expects the project to create 60 jobs at its Marquette facility. It is also supported by $34 million from SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the US Space Force.
Detroit has been awarded $2.5 million for an off-street section of the Joe Louis Greenway between Woodward Avenue and Dequindre Street. The route is intended to remove barriers created by a freight railway and Interstate 75, creating the first safe east-west non-motorised connection between Detroit and Highland Park.
The greenway project has a further $10.5 million from the US Department of Transportation and is expected to improve access to employment, public transport and commercial areas.
The University of Michigan will receive $2 million to expand training for careers in the nuclear energy industry. Working with regional partners including Monroe County Community College, the university expects to train 75 community college graduates and 500 undergraduates, while involving a further 60 students in developing the programme.
The award forms part of a wider $10 million package, including federal and university funding, aimed at building the future nuclear workforce.
Ports, roads and community facilities
Ionia Community Library has been awarded $1.5 million to convert a former Mercantile Bank building into a new facility for tutoring, digital skills training, workforce development and community meetings. The project also includes $2.1 million in federal support secured through the US Department of Agriculture and $500,000 raised locally.
The Port of Monroe will receive $1.1 million for a new riverfront berth, improvements to its turning basin dock, a maritime readiness wharf and clean shore-power systems. The work is expected to create 240 construction jobs and sustain 20 specialist maritime roles.
The port has secured a further $18.8 million from the US Department of Transportation. State officials said the additional support was important after an earlier federal award was cancelled part-way through the project.
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, L’Anse is due to receive $700,000, subject to final federal approval, to extend and rebuild its port quay so it can handle larger vessels and heavy equipment.
The work would support the processing of legacy copper mine tailings into copper concentrate and construction materials, and could unlock a further $11.25 million in federal port funding.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has also been awarded $250,000 for planning work on a proposed cap over part of Interstate 75 in downtown Detroit. The scheme is intended to reconnect neighbourhoods divided by the Fisher Freeway between Third Avenue and Brush Street, building on a separate $2 million federal planning grant.
Finally, the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission is in line for $41,700 to strengthen agriculture and food supply chains across a 13-county region. The project could attract another $250,000 from a US Department of Agriculture programme.
The Make it in Michigan Competitiveness Fund was created to provide matching money for projects seeking competitive federal grants. The state says it has secured $337 million for the fund, which has so far invested more than $320 million and leveraged about $1.2 billion in federal funding.
