June 22, 2021
LANSING, Mich. – The following statement can be attributed to Mike Nystrom, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association:
“While a lot has changed this past year, one thing remained constant: Michigan’s roads didn’t magically improve and we’re still operating well below adequate levels of funding to make the necessary repairs and improvements. The newly released TRIP report has found – unsurprisingly – that Michigan continues to rank in the top states nationally with pavement and bridges in poor and structurally deficient conditions. Even more concerning is that the report found that our interstate system needs more than double the current funding it receives.
“The news isn’t all bad, however. Michigan has a historic opportunity to give our transportation system an infusion of desperately needed funds to help address the crumbling infrastructure around our state. The American Rescue Plan gives communities an unprecedented one-time opportunity to fix what our elected officials in our legislature have been both unable and unwilling to do.
“Nearly every Michigan community will be receiving these funds. Cities, townships and counties must use the money by 2024, and the funds can pay for infrastructure upgrades, parks, downtown improvements, hazard pay for workers, and more. This plan is welcome news for taxpayers frustrated with Michigan’s crumbling infrastructure and Lansing’s political inability to solve the problem.
“We must listen to the voters who put Michigan’s roads at the top of every issue list – as well as the data from TRIP and others which shows the dire needs facing our state, compared to others who invest more in their infrastructure. The time to give our roads, bridges and dams a funding boost is now, until a long-term solution is achieved, and our legislative leaders listen to those who put them in office.”
For more information about the state’s unmet infrastructure needs, visit FixMIState.org.
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The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association is a statewide trade association that represents a broad spectrum of heavy construction companies and suppliers that help build a better Michigan from the ground up. For more information, visit thinkmita.org.
