CIVIL/HIGHWAY TRANSIT
Director Ajegba Leads MDOT to Greater Equity During ‘Rebuilding Michigan’ Program Based on Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s commitment to fix her state’s longneglected roads, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is investing $3.5 billion from the sale of bonds. Gov. Whitmer’s ‘Rebuilding Michigan’ program will rebuild or repair approximately 122 major highways. The program began in 2021 with $2.3 billion in projects scheduled to begin this year, and MDOT leaders expect that the Rebuilding Michigan program will be augmented by the infrastructure bill currently making its way through Congress. MDOT Director Paul Ajegba, P.E., a 31-year veteran of the department, believes the Rebuilding Michigan program and federal infrastructure bill create an unprecedented level of opportunity for small and diverse firms in the state. “There has never been a more opportune time for DBEs to get involved in the highway transportation industry, both as consultants and construction firms,” Ajegba said. However, Ajegba knows Disadvantaged Business Enterprises taking advantage of this great opportunity must be prepared to do business, and he wants MDOT to help firms prepare to participate while ensuring that opportunities are extended to those ready to take advantage. “We don’t want to look back at the end of spending this $3.5 billion and the additional federal money and say we have not impacted the DBE community,” Ajegba said. The objective of the Rebuilding Michigan program is rebuilding the state highways and bridges that are critical to the state’s economy and carry the most traffic. MDOT’s goal is that the program also brings improvement to the small and diverse business that help complete the program. “What are we going to hold up as the legacy of this opportunity? That is the vision I am working to create – a long-lasting change in the makeup of our industry, both on
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (r) and State Transportation Director Paul C. Ajegba toured the I-496 project in November 2020. This project was the first of 122 projects throughout the state made possible by the Rebuilding Michigan initiative, allowing the department to advance projects and complete them more quickly. (Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Transportation)
the consulting side and the construction side; and we are putting a lot of things in place to make that happen,” Ajegba said.
Thinking Out Of The Box A hallmark of Ajegba’s leadership is encouraging MDOT employees to innovate and think out-of-the-box to create new solutions to old problems. Over his career, he has seen many efforts to help DBEs succeed come and go with limited success. Ajegba uses the experience of growing through the ranks at MDOT and learning the only way to make improvements is to be open to new ways of doing things. He encourages his leadership team to challenge conventional wisdom and
take calculated risks to move the agency forward toward its goals and objectives. “I started as a Traffic and Safety Engineer and if I had to go back and talk to that young man today, I would tell him not to be afraid to take chances; because if you do your homework, the risk is not as bad as it seems – it’s the only way to innovate. I want our people to know that they won’t be fired for trying something new,” he said. Ajegba is using this strategy to encourage greater impact in the DBE Program. Early in his tenure as director, he met with Lisa Thompson, administrator of the Office of Business Development (OBD), to encourage her and the OBD team to be innovative and assertive in taking the program to the next level. “I told them I am fully vested in this, / Summer 2021
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