A bipartisan federal deal on infrastructure is welcome, but experts say it won’t meet Michigan’s long-term needs for modernized, updated stormwater systems in an era of climate change.
Michigan roads
Posted inMichigan Government
How Michigan communities can, and should, spend billions in Biden stimulus
Michigan cities, townships, villages and counties are expected to receive a collective $4.4 billion from the COVID-19 stimulus package. Experts say the “rescue plan” can help local governments meet their immediate needs and think long-term.
Posted inMichigan Government
Biden COVID stimulus brings billions to Michigan. How much will your town get?
Governments are receiving a windfall unseen in decades, $5.9 billion to state coffers and $4.4 billion to cities, towns and counties. As communities eye neglected infrastructure and other needs, use this database to see how much is coming to Michigan communities.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Could tolls be the answer to fix Michigan's roads, bridges?
Lansing’s interest in tolling has gone back decades but this year the state Legislature and Gov. Whitmer’s administration have taken big steps to make it a reality.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | People are dying. Fix the damn road safety laws in Michigan.
Fixing the roads is important to Michigan residents. But enacting safety laws for road workers is even more vital.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan closing budget gap with layoffs and cuts to roads, PFAS cleanups
The Michigan Senate agreed to cut spending and use up federal dollars to bridge a hefty budget gap caused by the coronavirus. The next budget is due at the end of September.
Posted inMichigan Government
Michigan roads still stink, and the coronavirus makes them harder to fix
New ratings show Michigan roads are still bad and its bridges are getting worse. The coronavirus pandemic has already decreased gas tax revenue needed to fix them.
Posted inMichigan Government
Driver hurt by concrete chunk. It fell from a bridge Michigan deemed safe.
Michigan has more than 447 bridges that are in rough shape. The piece of concrete that fell and injured a driver in Lansing on Thursday wasn’t one of them, compounding fears of crumbling infrastructure.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan, let’s make a road finance movie
There is a legitimate role for bond financing in road construction and maintenance, but that is to accelerate construction, not as a source of funding. Without a new revenue stream to finance the debt, the state would only be borrowing against future revenue, the guest author writes.
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan roads are infamously bad. But sewers and dams are in rough shape too
Even with new funding to pay for roads, Michigan’s infrastructure is aging rapidly. Solutions are not only expensive but politically divisive in an era of divided government.