It’s no secret that Michigan’s roads are crumbling.
The American Society of Civil Engineers gave Michigan’s overall infrastructure a D+ grade in it’s latest ratings — the roads in particular scored an even lower grade, pulling a D- after roads deteriorated even further since their last report. Current grades list 39-percent of Michigan’s roads in “poor” condition.
“That’s really unacceptable,” said Lance Binoniemi, the Vice President for Government Affairs with the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. “We set a goal back in the 90s to be 85- to 90-percent good and fair condition roads across the state. We actually hit that goal, but we didn’t invest enough to maintain that.”
Binoniemi represents the interests of hundreds of construction companies that work on roads and bridges. He points to a lack of investment for years as the lingering problem that’s hampered Michigan and it’s poor transportation system.
“We have not properly invested in our roads for decades,” he said.
Money is certainly a part of the problem, but Binoniemi said there’s a lot of nuance to the funding trouble. There’s other concerns too.
TOO LITTLE INVESTMENT
It’s easy to look to our south to see an example of a state investing more money, and getting better roads.
“Ohio’s roads are in much better condition,” said Binoniemi, “but for 20 years, or so, they have invested over a billion dollars more every single year into their transportation network.”
If that sounds like a big number, here’s a reality check from MDOT: the number is even bigger. A few years ago MDOT launched a campaign to set the record straight on road construction. They noted, “Ohio’s DOT doesn’t have any secret method for building smoother, longer-lasting roads. They just spend more to get them.”
Michigan spends $154 per person on roads compared to Ohio’s $214 according to 2010 numbers.
WHERE’S THE GAS MONEY GOING?
When you hear those numbers you may do a double-take because you’ve also likely heard that Michigan has among the highest gas taxes.
It’s true that Michigan is one of the few states that has both a gas tax and a sales tax on top of that figure, that sales tax doesn’t go toward road construction.
MAINTENANCE WOES
Binoniemi believes the biggest issue is the lack of maintenance.
He said that the shortfall doesn’t effect the road construction because all states use the same federal standards, but he said a notable difference is the preventative maintenance and upkeep other states do that Michigan does not.
That’s not to say that Michigan isn’t working on that. A rush of money from a 2015 budget increase is making it’s way into construction projects now, and some of the next contracts to go to bid are expected to be done in a new way. Instead of bidding out construction alone, the new bids will also have a maintenance plan attached for more than a decade, meaning the construction crew will also be bidding to continue the preventative maintenance to keep the roads functioning.
OTHER ISSUES
There’s a variety of other factors people will discuss when talking about Michigan’s bad roads.
Some will debate the rules and weight restrictions on our roads. Michigan allows some of the heaviest vehicles on it’s roads, but it also enforces some of the lowest weight per axle restrictions — something U of M studies have shown to have more effect than overall weight restrictions.
There’s also debate about the freeze, thaw cycle and the use of salt on roads.
The bottom line: there’s a lot going on with Michigan roads and the changes that are needed aren’t a simple one-solution fix. Most experts who follow the situation closely though, will agree that a bigger investment is needed to improve the long-term health of Michigan’s roads.
