As a member, you should be aware that MITA is on a full-court press spending PAC dollars at the direction of the PAC Board and churning our issue with the Legislature. Yesterday, the information contained in the press release below was hand-delivered to every Representative by noon. Additionally, MITA had an all-day social media blitz to coincide with the information through our ongoing FixMIState effort.
Why was yesterday important? It is one day that our representatives were in session before the elections and the impending December lame-duck that will follow. If you have not given to the PAC I urge you to do so. If you have given you have our sincere thanks.
MITA highlights significant need for long-term, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure investment plan to Michigan lawmakers
More than 30% of roads in House and Senate districts are in poor condition.
LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA) today announced it had delivered documents to each legislator highlighting the significant need for implementing a long-term, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure plan across Michigan to fund and fix Michigan roads and bridges. If enacted, a $3.9 billion annual funding boost to Michigan’s infrastructure network would help get Michigan’s roads and bridges back in good condition and provide needed stability for Michigan’s construction industry tasked with maintaining road quality.
“For decades, Michigan has failed to meet road and bridge funding needs,” said Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. “Poor roads and failing bridges contribute to accidents, traffic jams, and fatalities, which drive up repair costs. As we continue to underinvest in infrastructure, fixing the problem becomes more and more expensive. We can no longer afford to keep kicking the can down the road.”
MITA distributed legislative district maps highlighting the percentage of roads in poor condition in each district. Based on 2022-2023 PASER road condition data, on average, more than 30% of roads in House and Senate districts are in poor condition. The data shows that House District 37 and Senate District 38 have the worst road conditions, with 59% and 43% of roads in those districts in poor condition, respectively. Conversely, House District 55 and Senate District 23 have the least amount of roads in poor condition, with 7% and 21% of roads in those districts in poor condition, respectively. Michigan currently has more than 28,000 lane miles of roads in poor condition.
“The legislature inherited this funding crisis,” said Coppersmith. “It’s up to our current elected officials to bring an end to this problem before it gets worse. The fact is, kicking the can down the road will only make the problem harder to fix, especially as costs continue to rise. While the Governor has done great work with the bonding program, and we’ve seen a short-term increase from the federal government, those funds are soon going away, and we’ll be facing a funding cliff at the end of next year. We can’t afford to keep waiting for solutions. We need to act now before it gets worse.”
To raise awareness of the significant impact that a $3.9 billion annual investment would have on Michigan’s roads and bridges, MITA forecasted what an annual funding increase would look like for communities across Michigan. That data was paired with maps of the current road conditions in each legislative district to highlight the need communities across the state face for increased funding. To view the documents shared with legislators, click here.
A 2023 report from Public Sector Consultants found that Michigan is faced with a $3.9 billion annual funding shortfall for fixing roads and bridges, which is expected to grow as inaction on funding solutions extends. Governor Whitmer’s Growing Michigan Together Council agreed with that assessment and urged the state to consider an array of options to fund and fix Michigan’s infrastructure in their report released at the end of 2023. The TRIP report issued this year found that Michigan drivers are faced with $5.9 billion annually in vehicle operating costs for driving on roads in poor condition, an average of $758 per driver. In the 2023 report card for Michigan’s infrastructure issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Michigan received a grade of “D” for roads and a “D+” for bridges. The Transportation Asset Management Council found in their 2023 roads and bridges report that 33% of Michigan’s federal-aid roads were in poor condition. That percentage is forecasted to increase to 52% by 2035 as federal and state funds dedicated to fixing infrastructure dwindle.
“The data is very clear, decades of underinvestment in Michigan’s infrastructure is straining the budgets of both households and our state,” Coppersmith said. “Without addressing this problem now, our roads will continue to deteriorate, and repair costs will continue to rise, making the solution even more expensive than it currently is. Michiganders have been calling on state leaders to enact a long-term investment plan to fund and fix our roads and bridges, and we need our leaders to take action to address this crisis before it gets any worse.”
