OAKLAND UNIVERSITY (WXYZ) — Road construction was touched on during one segment of the final debate of the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election between Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Tudor Dixon.
Whitmer, who made "Fix the damn roads" the cornerstone of her 2018 campaign for the office, highlighted the work she says has done during her time in office.
"The reason I focus on the roads is because, when you have a busted rim, it can be money out of rent, it can be money out of childcare. And that's why fixing the damn roads has been so important," Whitmer said. "Let's be clear, we are addressing decades of disinvestment. We've already rebuilt 13,00 thousand lane miles, 900 bridges. There are orange cones and barrels all over the state because we are fixing the roads and bridges. The fact of the matter is this is a huge issue for our economy, our personal safety. It is so crucial that we continue this work, but it is all in jeopardy. As we think about what Michigan is going to look like 4, 8, 12 years down the road, we have to have solid infrastructure."
Whitmer also addressed whether the state is using the right materials in the projects.
"We are, we are using the right mix and materials, and, as you can see when you're driving by, we're taking the roads all the way down to gravel and rebuilding them," Whitmer says. "They're built to last."
Meanwhile, Dixon responded saying Whitmer lacked of a plan for the roads.
"We will make sure that there actually is a plan for the roads," Dixon said. "She stood on the debate stage 4 years ago and said she had a plan, but let's remember there was no plan. The plan was to raise the gas tax by 45 cents a gallon."
"We want to make sure it is a priority," Dixon continued. "And if it was a priority back then when she stood on this debate stage, in the four years the budget increased by $20 billion, you would've thought she would be able to find road funding in that time to actually fix the roads, instead of just throwing a bunch of orange barrels out before the next election."
Whitmer responded by saying, "We are going to continue to fix the damn roads, rebuilding this state."
Dixon closed out the question by saying, "People are wondering when the road from their house to work will be fixed. When will that be a priority? Because it is absolutely true that a broken rim is devastating. I know because I've had one this year. In fact, I've had 5 flat tires on these roads. They are a total disaster. And they're costing the people of Michigan $5,000 a year in road repairs."