Opinion | Michigan roads won’t fix themselves. It’s time for a real plan

The poor condition of Michigan roads has long been a punch line for jokes. In more recent years, they’ve become a tagline for political campaigns. But one thing remains the same — those darn roads aren’t getting fixed.

Michigan ranks near the bottom nationally — 40th in the US — for overall road conditions, according to a March report from the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

In fact, the most recent Transportation Asset Management Council annual roads and bridges report found nearly one-third of all assessed lane miles across Michigan to be in poor condition — with more than 50% in at least 13 of the state’s 83 counties. It forecasts that the total number of poor line miles statewide will grow to 38% by 2030 and 46% by 2036.

We can see the problem clearly in the data — and feel it every day as we swerve to avoid potholes — that Michigan is traveling in the wrong direction.

The time has passed for empty campaign promises and meaningless headlines. Michigan’s leaders need to act and deliver a real solution for our road funding problem. 

Earlier this year, the state House stepped into the driver’s seat and put forward a responsible, bipartisan plan to provide long-term funding to fix our roads without adding to the tax burden of struggling Michigan families.  

The House plan would redirect more than $3 billion in existing annual revenue to road repairs. It does this by more responsibly spending tax dollars that are already collected, while still supporting shared priorities like education and public safety.   

This proposal would deliver more funding for roads in communities most in need of repair. Within my own Metro Detroit district, the House Fiscal Agency estimates that Rochester would receive more than $2.2 million (a 149.7% increase), Rochester Hills more than $14.8 million (a 148.9% increase), Troy more than $17 million (a 150.7% increase) and Utica more than $884,000 (a 179.3% increase) in additional local road funding based on 2024 distributions. 

Michigan’s 83 counties would also see a noticeable uptick in road funding, including an additional $141.6 million (109.9%) for Oakland County and $90.5 million (109.9%) for Macomb County, with similar increases for Ingham, Washtenaw and Wayne counties, according to the House Fiscal Agency.

The House plan deserves a fair shake in the state Senate, where it currently sits parked in committee.

It was troubling to hear the Senate majority leader say during last week’s Mackinac Policy Conference that she was not optimistic about reaching a deal on meaningful, long-term road funding that would not also raise taxes and drive up costs for hardworking Michiganders.

Over the past six years, the only serious road funding solutions offered by our governor have been a very unpopular 45-cent gas tax increase proposal and a unilateral bond maneuver that put the state $3.5 billion in debt without addressing local roads.

Now, she is again saying we need more taxes to fix our roads, and it seems Senate Democrats are unwilling to enter into any road funding conversation that doesn’t include digging deeper into the pockets of working families and local businesses. 

The reality is that Democrat leaders have yet to put forward any plan for consideration. Last month, Senate Democrats passed a state budget proposal with an unfunded $3 billion placeholder for road improvements. 

This kind of hollow promise misses the genuine opportunity before us to serve the people of Michigan by solving the hard problems that will help to grow our state and make our communities stronger. 

The people of Michigan do not need more taxes. They need reliable roads and a government that prioritizes them.