LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced in her State of the State address last week that she plans to use bonds in order to fix Michigan roads, bridges and more. It is officially known as the Rebuilding Michigan plan.
“My Rebuilding Michigan plan is financed without an increase at the gas pump, and it will do three things – save time, save money, and save lives,” Whitmer said. “Since it doesn’t require the legislature to act, we can get started right away, and that’s important. Cutting down on the time we take to repair Michigan’s most frequently traveled trunk lines and state roads is fiscally responsible.”
Whitmer clarified that these bonds will only address “the worst of our most highly-traveled state roads,” noting that a long-term solution is still needed.
Since its announcement, the plan has received mixed reviews and skepticism from state officials, such as State Rep. Aaron Miller (R-Sturgis).
“Road improvement bonds will be detrimental to our children’s futures and they won’t be paving our roads in rural Michigan,” Miller said in a statement. “As a parent of three young girls, I’m disappointed by the governor’s decision to saddle our children with that debt. We’ve been lamenting the bonding of the Engler and Granholm administrations for years now, so why would we enlist this terrible idea again? It was bad then and it will be bad now and into the future.”
Others, such as Rep. Annette Glenn (R-Midland), are concerned about where the money will be going and which roads will be fixed.
“[It isn’t] a long term plan to fix our roads, and not only that, it doesn’t even go to 90% of the counties in our state,” Glenn said. “My district is not going to see any improvement under this plan. Our roads will continue to get worse; most of the funding will be going to seven counties. Michigan is made out of 83.”
Other state officials, such as Representative Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo), are in favor of Whitmer’s plan.
“Gov. Whitmer’s message is clear: Michigan succeeds when our people succeed,” Hoadley said in a statement. “The Legislature needs to act to improve our schools, expand access to affordable health care and prescription drugs, and pursue bold action to finally fix our crumbling roads and dangerous bridges. I am proud to be part of the team bringing solutions to the table. Families in Kalamazoo have said they care about these issues, and we can’t let partisan politics prevent action on our residents’ priorities.”
The plan itself is endorsed by the State Transportation Commission, who authorized the funding in a 6-0 vote to fund 49 projects. Officials say the vote also “accelerates” progress for another 73 projects.
Officials add that, since the projects involve rebuilding infrastructure instead of temporary fixes, the repairs will still stand long after the bonds are repaid.
“Bonding makes sense when the degradation curve shows the cost of putting off rebuilding outweighs the cost of financing and interest,” Commissioner George Heartwell said in a statement. “As a three-term mayor of Grand Rapids, I frequently implored lawmakers to find a sustainable funding solution for roads and bridges. The fact that the Legislature is still stalling leaves the governor no choice but to employ this tool to rebuild crucial roads and bridges now.”
A total of $3.5 billion in bonds has been issued by the commission for the projects.
According to data from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), there are a handful of bridges in the Kalamazoo area that are listed in “Poor” condition. Bridges in poor condition have a score of 0 – 4 on a scale of 0 – 9.
The data includes both bridges that are owned locally and bridges that are owned by MDOT.
Bridges in poor condition include the Inkster Avenue bridge, which intersects with Bronson Boulevard as a local bridge.
Other locally-owned bridges listed in poor condition include one on Milham Park Drive, which intersects with Portage Creek.
Bridges listed in poor condition that are owned by MDOT include two that are along I-94, such as Portage Road and Kilgore Road.
