A new EPIC MRA poll finds a top issue of concern for Michigan voters continues to be fixing the roads. Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association Vice President Rob Coppersmith tells WSJM News 93% of Michigan residents give the state’s roads a negative rating, even with all the work going on in recent years. He says this shows more needs to be done. He also thinks it goes further than just roads.
“I think it’s general fatigue with the residents of Michigan,” Coppersmith said. “You see things like the Flint water crisis. You see the failure of the dam in the Midland area. And now we’re dealing with replacing lead lines in Benton Harbor, coupled with the local roads at a high rate of deterioration.”
Coppersmith says the recently approved federal infrastructure package will give Michigan a chance to begin catching up on fixing its infrastructure, but when the money dries up, the state will be back where it was. MITA has a suggestion for a way to collect more for road work.
“A Vehicle Miles Travelled, or VMT. It’s being studied in states all over the country right now, and there is room in the Senate’s budget for a VMT study in Michigan.”
Coppersmith says while there has been plenty done in recent years to address the roads and other infrastructure, the state still lacks a long-term plan. He’s at the Mackinac Policy Conference this week to discuss the issue with lawmakers.
