MICHIGAN (March 9, 2014) — Now that the snow has cleared, many Michigan drivers are complaining about road conditions.
The Michigan Department of Transportation said more needs to be done to get the state’s streets and bridges in good shape.
“The lack of investment for Michigan roads is really apparent,” John Richard, MDOT Communication Representative said. “We can go and fix a problem, but since we don’t have any money to do a proper fix, it’s going to be a short-term fix. So instead of a full reconstruct, ya know, we’ll do a resurface that will last five to six years instead of doing a full reconstruct that lasts 15 to 20 years.”
Richard said the state loses about $100 million every year when it comes to funding. He said it’s a problem that’s only going to get resolved by changing an outdated law.
“We’re funded from a gas tax, which was in place since 1951, so it’s a very antiquated funding revenue stream,” Richard said. “A lot of people think, again when gas goes up, they think that’s money for the roads but it’s just the opposite…If gas is four bucks a gallon people are driving less.”
Sen. Rick Jones also spoke on Sunday about the lack of funding and how much more it would cost to fix some major problems.
“The governor would like to see about $1 billion a year,” Jones said. “For a permanent fix, I’m proposing one penny on the sales tax and that money would go into the roads and bridges and would go into nothing else.”
According to Richard, Michigan ranks last in the country in terms of road investment.
