The first surveyed road in Michigan was Pontiac Road (now called M 1 or Woodward Avenue) connecting Detroit and Pontiac - 1819.
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Worst Pothole Contest Underway
WILX TV
A contest to find the worst potholes in the state is now underway. The Michigan Transportation Team is giving away cash to drivers who submit winning pictures or videos of the worst teeth-rattling potholes.
This is the first time videos are being accepted, so get creative.
One or more regional...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Have Potholes? Win Cash!
Michigan Information and Research Service
Michigan drivers have the chance to win $370 in cash during the Michigan Transportation Team’s (MTT) fourth annual pothole contest. The MTT will be giving away cash to drivers who submit pictures or videos of the worst teeth-rattling potholes in the state.
One or more regional winners will be selected...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Potholes: Hit It, Shoot It, Get Paid
Click on Detroit
Instead of being lurched forward in your own vehicle, cringing when your car bottoms out after hitting a pothole or being delayed by pothole repair crews, drivers can actually earn cash for pesky potholes.
Michigan drivers can earn up to $370 during the Michigan Department of Transportation Team's...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The bad pothole could pay off for you
WJRT Television
The Drive MI Campaign is offering cash for photos or video of the state's worst potholes.
According to the the DriveMI website, one or more regional winners will receive a check for $370. That figure, according to the group, "reflects the added costs the average Michigan driver pays in vehicle repairs...
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Rough Pothole Season Ahead for Mid-Michigan
WILX
They're annoying, they'll rattle your commute and could even be a danger....they are the dreaded Michigan potholes. Cement Finisher Tracy Hammond says, "You try to go around them at all costs without causing an accident, but some of them are pretty deep. It can really destroy the undercarriage of an...
read more...Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Transit Leaders to Lawmakers: Pass tax, registration hikes
Gongwer News Service
A failure to fully fund Michigan's transportation system not only threatens the shape of the state's roads but also the public transportation system, transit leaders said on Wednesday. They added that passing bills to increase revenue is critical to ensuring the improved quality of life residents have...
read more...Friday, February 12, 2010
15 percent cut coming to road funding, Granholm warns
Gongwer News Service
Unless the state can raise the additional money necessary to secure $475 million in available federal matching funds, the Department of Transportation budget will see severe cuts, Governor Jennifer Granholm proposed in her 2010-11 budget recommendation.
Ms. Granholm in her State of the State address...
Thursday, February 11, 2010
MI budget woes mean slow clean-up after snow
WTOL 11
The Monroe County Road Commission says they had to slash 20 percent of its work force last year, which means fewer snow plow trucks on Michigan roads.
For schools, it may mean staying closed longer. Schools in Monroe County were closed again on Thursday, almost 24 hours after it stopped snowing. There...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Clearing the roads on a budget
WWMT
Michigan's budget problems have put many county road commissions in a tough spot, forced to make tough decisions.
Inside the main salt barn at the Van Buren County Road Commission, they have almost 3,000 tons of salt left to get them through the winter.
During a typical winter storm, about...
Monday, February 8, 2010
Road Trip Planned for Gas Tax Bid
Gongwer News Service
Money for road and bridge projects will be on the agenda for the House Transportation Committee as it hits the road discussing legislation raising gasoline and diesel taxes this month.
Rep. Pam Byrnes (D-Chelsea), chair of the committee and one of the lead sponsors of the package, said Monday she...
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Lawmakers propose raising fuel tax to repair state's roads
Associated Press
Two state lawmakers on Tuesday proposed higher taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel to raise money for Michigan's road system.
The bills are the latest attempt to raise more road money and prevent Michigan from losing federal matching money for road construction because the state doesn't spend enough...
Monday, January 18, 2010
A bridge to road funds, with strings
Detroit Free Press
As the state scratches for money to keep its roads in decent shape, all suggestions are welcome. That includes an offer by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel Moroun to provide enough financial details on that operation for the federal government to consider the toll revenues Moroun's bridge collects as part...
read more...Friday, January 15, 2010
Potholes are Back
WLNS TV
They're back- the winter warmup means it's pothole season once again. The freeze, thaw, freeze cycle is underway. It's that constant change in temperature that makes for your bumpy ride. A sight, sound and feel for drivers in Michigan. It's the time of year for bumpy roads.
Reese Futrell, driver:...
Monday, January 11, 2010
Declining funding takes toll on county roads
Lapeer County Press
At their last meeting of the year, members of the Lapeer County Road Commission approved a law enforcement contract with the Sheriff's Dept. for deputy and weighmaster Orrie Smith, which reflects both the success of the program and the impact of diminishing revenues.
The former full-time contract...
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Saginaw County residents wonder if roads will ever be good this winter
ABC 12
With more snow on the way, some residents in Saginaw County are worried their roads will never be in good driving shape.
A number of roads in residential areas have been iced over for several days. Some believe it's because of budget cuts, but the road commission says that's not true.
Some roads...
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Less road funding means less plowing, salting
News Herald
A steady decrease in road funding and an increase in costs have caused state and other agencies to alter winter maintenance plans this year.
When light snow finally sticking to the ground Downriver and slick roads leading to numerous crash reports, winter driving and safety have been on the minds...
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Hiring someone to plow your street just got easier for Washtenaw County residents, businesses
Ann Arbor.com
Residents and business owners throughout Washtenaw County are starting to wonder whether they should make arrangements to have private contractors plow their streets this winter.
With the Washtenaw County Road Commission cutting back on snow removal services, agency leaders say they've received a...
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Lack of road money will cripple state
Detroit Free Press
For three years, the Michigan Department of Transportation has warned that the state would lose a ton of federal loot if it could not put up its 20 percent local matching money.
Now, that day is heading toward us like a train. Unless the governor and Legislature act quickly, Michigan will lose half...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
MDOT Project Delay Press Release Receives Statewide Attention
Statewide Media Outlets
Here are samples of coverage generated by yesterday's press release regarding MDOT project delays. A pdf of the stories is available at the bottom of this page.
12.08.09. BCE. MDOT. Bridge work at risk
The Michigan Department of Transportation announced last week a statewide revenue shortfall is...
Thursday, December 3, 2009
More Snow, Less Plowing
Up North Live
Drivers be warned. When the thick snow falls, it will stay longer on roads in one Northern Michigan county. Simple put, according to the road commission budget cuts mean they won't have the resources to plow as quickly as they have in past winters.
Ski resorts maybe hating it. Snowmobilers are hoping...
Monday, November 30, 2009
Macomb and Oakland counties plan to use less salt to clear icy roads this winter
Mlive
A jump in rock salt prices is causing Macomb and Oakland counties to try new strategies that they hope will allow them to clear icy roads this winter without breaking the bank.
The Detroit Free Press reports that both counties have paid between 30 and 66 percent more this year for rock salt compared...
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Rough roads rile drivers, businesses: Oceana roads top worst list, but Mason, Manistee counties not much better; group blames Legislature
Ludington Daily News
Richard Schmieding, the owner of Schmieding Sawmill in Shelby, doesn’t need a report to know that Oceana County’s roads are in rough shape.
The condition of his trucks is enough proof.
“Come drive any one of them,” he said. “They’re shook apart.”
Oceana ranks first among the state’s...
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Opinion: Roads, highways and bridges are in dire need
West Michigan Business Review
In 2008 Regional Policy Conference attendees voted to set a business agenda for the region. The outcome included a directive to “Update Funding Mechanisms for Transportation Infrastructure” as a critical measure for turning our economy around.
With this past winter being one of the worst in recent...
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Rising salt prices may leave Michigan with more hazardous roads
WWMT
Heavy early snowfall, combined with high salt prices, led to a salt shortage in the winter of 2008, and with heavy budget cuts across Michigan, many fear we could see a similar scene in the coming winter.
The Michigan Department of Transportation already has some salt stock-piled, but they are estimating...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
New study predicts transportation job losses
Michigan Information and Research Service
Michigan could lose up to 25,000 jobs due to a lack of transportation funding, a new University of Michigan study concluded.
Job losses began in 2006 and will continue until 2014, due to cuts to the Department of Transportation (MDOT), which had previously provided the state with 30,824 jobs. The...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Road projects should be ending, but many are just beginning
Detroit Free Press
Drivers like Erik Kuszynski of Livonia are feeling crushed by the huge amount of roadwork starting later and lasting longer this year...
...It's a lot of roadwork to handle, but Mike Nystrom, spokesman for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, or MITA, said the money available...
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Lobbyist tells road board to expect funding fix soon
Adrian Daily Telegram
There is a chance the state Legislature will do something about Michigan’s worsening road-funding crisis by early next year, the Lenawee County Road Commission board was told Friday by one of Lansing’s top lobbyists.
“I think we’re going to see it because the need is so great,” said Nell...
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Editorial: Changing Gears on Transportation
Detroit Free Press
Nearly a decade into the 21st Century, the United States still lacks a comprehensive national plan to drive hundreds of billions of dollars of transportation investments that connect communities, fuel the economy, and shape patterns of growth and development. Given the energy, environmental and national...
read more...Sunday, September 20, 2009
Editorial: Privatizing roads may boost infrastructure
The Detroit News
Deep-pocketed toll road companies might provide Michigan a portion of the billions of dollars it needs , and doesn't have, to fix its aging highway system. A House committee is crafting legislation that would pave the way for more private involvement in road building, including toll roads.
It's a...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Private Companies Take Over Roads Under Plan
Michigan Information and Research Service
The Department of Transportation (MDOT) would turn over state-run highways and facilities to a private company, which could, in turn, set up tolls to either build new roads or expand capacity on existing roads, under a proposal presented to a joint House-Senate transportation committee today.
Michigan...
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Michigan Looking for New Ways to Pay for Roads
WLAJ TV Lansing
A new plan could be in the works to help fix our state's crumbling roads.
Right now drivers pay a 19 cents per gallon gas tax along with vehicle registration fees that help pay for our road maintenance, but as Michigan’s roads continue to crumble, lawmakers are looking for other ways to bring in...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Study: Build new roads to boost Detroit economy
Detroit Free Press
As Michigan struggles to pay for much-needed repairs to crumbling roads, a new study out today suggests the state should focus on relieving traffic congestion hotspots to boost metro Detroit's economy by instead building new roads.
read more...Thursday, August 27, 2009
History Channel Documents MI roads in Crumbling of America
WEYI NBC 25
History Channel producers looking for evidence of the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges found everything they needed right here in Michigan.
Now Michigan lawmakers have their own personal copies of the TV documentary, “The Crumbling of America ,” which were delivered to legislative offices...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Structurally Deficient Bridges
WILX TV
It's probably not something you think about consciously when you hop in your car. But just over 10 percent of Michigan's bridges are structurally deficient, just more than 450.
"It doesn't surprise me, but it worries me at the same time," says driver Brenda Alagna of Holt.
The term itself, structurally...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Crumbling roads crushed into gravel
Kalamazoo Gazette
A stretch of 60th Street, patched for years, blisters with cracks and potholes.
The Paw Paw road is bumpy and crumbling, and soon to be turned back into gravel.
Converting pothole-plagued pavement into gravel is a growing trend among the state's county road agencies, who say they can't afford some...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Editorial: More gravel roads in our future
Muskegon Chronicle
Rural Muskegon County residents are going to have to bite the bullet when it comes to some roads.
A Muskegon County Road Commission proposal to crush three rural roads back into gravel as a cost-saving measure makes sense. It also will make the roads more passable than their current state.
The...
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Toll-free number invites drivers to vent about Michigan roads
Kalamazoo Gazette
Driving on the well-worn roads of Michigan leaves many motorists with a few things to say.
When you hit a pothole so deep that you momentarily lose sight of the horizon or crunch down on a span of road that threatens to ruin your dental work, you can only hope that children and your other passengers...
Monday, July 20, 2009
No money, no bridge
WILX TV
No money, no bridge.
"When you have costs going up like that, and revenue going down, it's just like at home. You go out of business at some point," said Bill Conklin, director of the local road commission.
The business is the Willoughy Road Bridge, in Alaiedon Township. The costs are the repairs...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Lost local road projects cost Michigan plenty
The Detroit News
When 137 transportation projects were recently canceled across Michigan because of the state's economic situation and the inability to find matching funds to support the construction work, about $740 million was lost. And our state and our workers stand to lose plenty as well.
Michigan's infrastructure...
Friday, July 10, 2009
Transportation group uses toll free line to connect pothole victims to lawmakers
Gongwer News Service
With a new toll free phone number, the Michigan Transportation Team has created a direct line for frustrated drivers who want to voice their opinions to lawmakers about the state of Michigan roads and whether to implement more funding to fix them, a spokesperson said Thursday.
Mike Nystrom, vice president...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Weigh in on Roads
WLAJ
A state group wants your input on Michigan's roads.
The Michigan transportation team has set up a toll free number allowing drivers in the state to encourage lawmakers to fix our crumbling roads.
By dialing the toll-free number and entering your 5-digit zip code you can be connected to you legislator...
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Roads need funds
Detroit Free Press
No more excuses. It's time to fix our roads.
Advertisement
Few people in Michigan would argue that our roads don't need to be fixed. It has become the norm to drive over bone-jarring potholes without thinking twice. But a recent study by the Road Information Program (TRIP) in Washington, D.C., concluded...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Revenue shortfall forcing unpopular decisions
Oakland Press
By ERIC S. WILSON
Special to The Oakland Press
Lately there has been a lot of news coverage of the fact the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) and other road agencies in Michigan have reduced the frequency of grass mowing along some roads. Based on the feedback I’ve received on this topic,...
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Letter to Editor: Invest In Michigan's future
Grand Rapids Press
Our approach to road funding is broken and the effects have caught up with us ("Transportation at a crossroads," Press editorial, June 17). We are feeling the effects today with the recent cancellation of nearly 150 road construction projects throughout the state which will add to the already decreasing...
read more...Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Higher gas tax in our future
Muskegon Chronicle
Monday night, Michigan drew national attention on the History Channel.
Was it for our spectacular sunrises and sunsets? Our fantastic Great Lakes beaches? Our terrific manufacturing technology, university research corridor, booming health sciences development or even our sports teams?
No. We made...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Michigan's Bad Roads Go National
Michigan Information and Research Service
To the rest of the country, Michigan is seen as being synonymous with the automobile. The birthplace of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler, Detroit and Michigan are known as a place where people take a lot of pride in their cars and trucks.
Yet, the roads these cars drive on have fallen in such disrepair...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Letter Writer: Road woes could be solved with effort
Livingston Daily
Looks like we're going to loose hundreds of millions of dollars because the governor and the legislators can't come up with the 20 percent matching funds.
Boy, what a barrel of crap! We, the taxpayers of Michigan, need the people we elected to manage our affairs to start doing what we elected them...
Monday, June 22, 2009
Bad Roads in Michigan Featured on History Channel
WXYZ TV Detroit
Michigan's crumbling roads have caught the attention of the History Channel.
A show called "The Crumbling of America" will feature some of the worst roads in Michigan. It's a show that highlights the need for changes in infrastructure to avoid potential disasters involving the nation’s highways,...
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
CRAM issues report on state road crisis
Bay City Times
The County Road Association of Michigan's Township Relations Committee has published a report called "A Quick Guide to Roads & Funding in Michigan." To view a copy of the report, click on the pdf below.
The 12 page report talks about who is responsible for Michigan's roads and why Michigan's roads...
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Letter Writer Speaks out Against State Officials
Detroit News
So the state of Michigan cannot "find" the $100 million to $140 million in matching funds to fund $740 million in badly needed road repair projects ("$740M of Michigan roadwork axed," June 5). Since excellent roads attract businesses, maybe the Governor's Office is not that eager to attract businesses...
read more...Thursday, June 4, 2009
Cash short Michigan cancels 137 road, bridge projects
The Detroit News
More than 137 transportation projects across Michigan have been cancelled because of the state's inability to find matching funds for them. That's $740 million that won't be spent on resurfacing and improving roads, and repairing bridges.
read more...Thursday, June 4, 2009
State to cut 137 road projects
Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Department of Transportation plans to cut 137 roadwork projects off the books over the next five years because of declining revenues to pay for construction.
read more...Wednesday, June 3, 2009
MDOT: Drivers can afford gas tax increase
Lansing State Journal
Drivers can afford to pay higher gasoline taxes to improve their roads, Michigan's top transportation official said Tuesday while warning more than 125 projects will be delayed if funding is not increased.
State Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle estimated motorists would pay an extra...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
County road officials in Michigan send legislators message in a bottle
The Bay City Times
Michigan legislators received a stern warning when bottles filled with the remains of Lake Montcalm Road in Montcalm County were delivered to their state offices today.
"This is a pretty creative way of getting the point across to the legislature they need to figure out a way to get more funding for...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Senator: Highway fund will go broke in August
Associated Press
A Democratic senator whose committee oversees highway programs says the Obama administration has warned that the trust fund that pays for highway construction will go broke in August unless Congress approves an infusion of as much as $7 billion.
Barbara Boxer, the chairman of the Senate Environment...
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Contractors still waiting for projects via federal funds
Kalamazoo Gazette
At the beginning of the year, talk of a large stimulus plan for infrastructure improvements and other possible work was generating much interest in the commercial construction community. Three months after Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, most of the industry is still waiting...
read more...Saturday, May 30, 2009
Bay City officials praying for way to fix crumbling streets
Bay City Times
With the city's worsening budget woes, repairing local streets has been put on hold for the last several years. City officials acknowledge neighborhood streets are crumbling at an alarming rate, but at this point they have no long-term solutions.
"These are the worst of times and they keep getting...
Friday, May 29, 2009
Your request is being processed... City Owes Drivers $2M For Damage Caused By Potholes
Huffington Post
In Chicago, Claims from drivers whose cars were damaged by the holes are expected to be well over $2 million dollars this year, and that's on top of all the money it takes to fix the potholes.
read more...Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Miserable commute? It's time to vent
Detroit Free Press
We metro Detroiters can complain with the best of 'em when it comes to lousy commutes.
Advertisement
Now, we can join in a national effort to get Congress to do something about horrible roads, congestion and limited transit options using a Web site with a blunt but appropriate name: www.mycommutesucks.org....
Friday, May 15, 2009
Transportation bills could raise 1.8B for roads, bridges
Crain's Detroit Business
Legislation that could raise some $1.8 billion annually for Michigan roads and bridges was announced Thursday in Lansing by lawmakers, transportation and business interests.
The 13-bill package, which has not yet been fully introduced, moved from announcement at a Thursday morning press conference...
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Plan's gas tax, vehicle fees would help fix roads
Detroit Free Press
An influential coalition proposed today increasing the state gasoline tax and vehicle registration fees to generate an additional $1.8 billion for new and improved roads.
Under the plan, Michigan’s 19 cents per gallon gas tax would be replaced by a tax on fluctuating wholesale prices of gas starting...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
State leaders: Maintain roads to get funds, growth
Detroit Free Press
Greater public financial support for transportation infrastructure is necessary if metro Detroit wants to maintain its roads and get the broader, more efficient regional transportation system that it deserves, state and local leaders said today.
John Swatosh, deputy director of the Detroit Regional...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Study shows Michigan drivers spend about $370 a year fixing damage caused by roads in need of repair
Grand Rapids Press
A new study confirms what auto mechanic Gary Ward already knews: Bad roads are expensive.
"You can do $300, $400, $500 worth of damage," said Ward, who works at Firestone Tire & Services Center in Plainfield Township.
"We are seeing bent rims, ruined tires. Sometimes you see bent tie rods, bent...
Monday, May 11, 2009
Stimulus Road Money Short-Changes Hard-Hit States
ProPublica
The Associated Press this morning published an investigation that shows that stimulus road and bridge projects aren’t going to the communities with the highest unemployment rates. It’s an early test for President Obama’s promise that the $787 billion stimulus package will create jobs in areas hit...
read more...Monday, May 11, 2009
Stimulus Watch: Road money skips over needy areas
Associated Press
Article summary:
The AP findings suggest the White House raised expectations too high for the transportation spending, said a spokesman for Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Needy communities are not benefiting most from transportation...
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Take advantage of lower gas prices to pass transportation funding hike
Gongwer News Service
With gas prices hovering around the $2 mark for several weeks, lawmakers were told now is the time to act on a transportation infrastructure funding package that would include going to a wholesale gas tax and increasing vehicle registration fees.
Officials from the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saginaw County Wins Bad Roads Trifecta
WNEM Saginaw
Saginaw County won a statewide contest for the worst pothole for the second consecutive year, in addition to their 2008 award for the state’s worst bridges.
This series of bad luck and three statewide awards has now earned the county a “Bad Roads Trifecta,” the Okemos-based Michigan Infrastructure...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Worst Potholes In Michigan
WWJ 950 News Radio
Detroit is home to one of the state's worst potholes. One winning entry in the Michigan Transportation Team's pothole contest was on the northbound Lodge Service Drive at Howard in downtown Detroit.
Drivers who sent in the winning entries received 318-dollar checks to help offset the cost of vehicle...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Saginaw Township Battle Biggest Crater Around
WNEM Saginaw
Local potholes are a real pain for drivers, and even worse, if you’re not careful, they can do a lot of costly damage to a vehicle.
TV5 managed to find the biggest crater of them all on one Saginaw County street -- it's so big, it's unavoidable.
The hole is actually being recognized as Michigan’s...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Roads in terrible condition
Tri-County Times
Residents had an opportunity to vent Monday during the Board of Trustees meeting, and John Daly, the manager/director of the Genesee County Road Commission got an earful.
read more...Friday, April 3, 2009
Alarmingly big pothole worthy of a fat check
The Saginaw News
For the second year in a row, Saginaw County has earned the dubious distinction of having one of the state's four worst potholes.
read more...Thursday, April 2, 2009
And the worst pothole in the state...
Detroit News
And the award for the worst pothole in Michigan goes to ... envelope please ... the northbound Lodge Freeway service drive at Howard Street in Detroit.
And the crowd goes wild!
The Motor City is the "winner" of a statewide pothole contest sponsored by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Muskegon pothole deemed on of the worst in the state
WZZM 13
Those who regularly rumble down Getty Street in Muskegon have had their misery confirmed - a pothole on Getty has been named the winner one of the worst potholes in the state.
The contest, sponsored by the Michigan Transportation Team (MTT), awarded $318 "stimulus checks" to help offset the cost of...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Worst of the Worst!
WDIV Channel 4
Detroit has the dubious honor of being a winner in a statewide pothole contest sponsored by a coalition working to secure more funding to fix Michigan’s roads and bridges.
read more...Thursday, April 2, 2009
Lodge service drive crater named area's worst pothole
Detroit Free Press
The northbound Lodge Freeway service drive at Howard Street in Detroit was honored today as home to the worst pothole in metro Detroit and among the most dreadful in Michigan in a statewide contest.
read more...Friday, March 27, 2009
Report: Michigan roads among worst in nation
Livingston County Press
According to Overdrive Magazine’s "Highway Report Card," roads in Michigan are the third worst of any state.
Louisiana earned the dubious distinction of having the worst roads, followed by Pennsylvania and then Michigan. Among the ten worst roads individually, Interstates 75 and 94 in Michigan ranked...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Michigan roads to get $847 million boost
Detroit News
Lawmakers have given final approval to legislation necessary for the state to spend $847 million in federal stimulus money on road projects throughout the state.
The legislation was approved 37-0 by the Senate on Thursday. Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, who objected that his district is getting...
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Nation's Worst Roads
WDIV
DING DING DING! You guessed it MICHIGAN is on the list for having some of the worst roads in the nation according to Overdrive Magazine’s Highway Report Card. To get more specific Michigan ranked THIRD overall in the nation!
read more...Thursday, March 26, 2009
Stimulus funds are a Band-Aid
NBC 25
Senate passage today of HB 4582 means Michigan will get its $873 million share of federal economic stimulus funds for transportation, but it won’t be enough to cover Michigan’s long-term road funding needs.
read more...Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Crews take on city potholes with hot, cold patches
Lansing State Journal
There's a road race every year about this time.
Road crews fill potholes during the warm afternoons of early spring. Nighttime freezes wreak all new disasters.
Monday brought that perfect cycle of destruction: pre-dawn freeze, afternoon thaw, nighttime refreeze.
Lansing alone is patching and...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Road work is more than patchwork
Lansing State Journal
Those who live and drive around Lansing are far too familiar with a sad fact: Many miles of the city's roads are in dreadful condition.
The city is spending millions to separate storm sewers from sanitary sewers every year - and rebuilding the roads that cover sewer lines. But even with those repaved...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Gas tax revisited
Crain's Detroit Business
Tax and fee increases that could generate more than $1 billion a year in additional road funds are being discussed in the Capitol, part of a transportation funding package some want enacted by summer.
read more...Monday, March 9, 2009
Rackafracka potholes murmurmurmur
East Lansing Blogger
These busy graduate students and new parents posted photos of the damage a pothole did to their car.
read more...Thursday, March 5, 2009
Gov backs gas tax change
The Detroit News
LANSING -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm Wednesday ramped up her support for changing the state gasoline tax from a flat 19 cents a gallon to a proportional rate that would raise more money for road repairs as gas prices rose.
Granholm, speaking to reporters, said Michigan's roads "are the pits."
"We...
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Michigan Governor Says State's Roads are the Pits
Associated Press
Noting that state roads are "the pits," Gov. Jennifer Granholm says she supports changing the state gasoline tax to raise more money as gas prices rise.
Granholm told reporters Wednesday that the state's current 19-cent-per-gallon tax doesn't raise enough money to repair Michigan's aging roads.
The...
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
How to survive in pothole hell
Detroit Free Press
We feel it in our bones, our tires and tie rods, too.
This year of pothole hell has been tough for drivers, and road commission officials in metro Detroit fear it'll get a lot worse as temperatures swing between freezing and thawing.
The number of pothole complaints is above average in Wayne County,...
Friday, February 27, 2009
Dodge chuckholes in western burbs
Detroit Free Press
There are things you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, and then there is today's Disaster of the Week, the reader-nominated street that's got people stunned in the west-side suburbs.
It's a smorgasbord of pavement conditions, from annoying to dangerous, and a compelling symbol of just how bad Michigan...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Stimulus road projects in the works
Grand Haven Tribune
Story Summary Quote:
"The stimulus money doesn't help us with our maintenance or our potholes, but it gets a few miles of roads resurfaced that otherwise wouldn't have been done," said Kent Rubley, director of the Ottawa County Road Commission.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
"Pothole Hell" Video Shows Awful Roads
WILX TV Lansing
When the mission to fix potholes hits a-- well, pothole-- take your case to the Internet.
The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association has been on this crusade to get lawmakers to boost transportation funding. It's taken its pothole contest to another level.
MITA produced and posted...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
An ode to the Michigan pothole
Lansing State Journal
John Schneider blogged about Holt Road being a navigation hazard on Monday.
LSJ readers have been plugging in potholes they've found around the region online on the LSJ's Pothole Tracker.
Click on the link to view a video tribute to the Michigan pothole
Monday, February 16, 2009
Pothole Contest Garners Media Attention
Statewide Media
Statewide media did not miss the opportunity last week to spread the word about the 2009 DriveMI Pothole Contest. Click the link below to see sample stories, and be sure to upload your pothole contest photo and vote for a winner.
read more...Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Bad roads getting worse
The Detroit News
There's new evidence that Michigan roads are crumbling faster than they can be fixed.
Facing high repair costs and a funding crunch, a growing number of counties are being forced to cut road maintenance and staff to match their austere budgets. Eight in 10 counties are reducing maintenance and construction,...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Pothole damage? You're basically sunk
Detroit Free Press
Jeff Burke of Belleville was cruising southbound on I-275, not far north of the Ann Arbor Road exit, late last month when all of a sudden: ka-thunk!
read more...Sunday, February 8, 2009
Road Conditions to Worsen this Weekend
Hometown Life
The Road Commission for Oakland County is warning drivers that roads will likely be rough this weekend and next week, with temperatures forecast to rise to the mid 40s Saturday after having been around zero Wednesday night.
"This type of dramatic swing in temperatures typically leads to the creation...
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Pothole Season
WWJ Newsradio
Feeling that shake, rattle , and roll as you drive along area roadways as the potholes crop up again? Seems like everywhere we go on the roads, we can't avoid them. With a wide range in temperatures this week, Road Commission for Oakland County spokesman Craig Bryson says the potholes are springing up...
read more...Friday, February 6, 2009
Drivers Warned Warm Up Brings Potholes
WXYZ Detroit
Oakland County is warning drivers that potholes are going to come with this weekend's warm-up.
Road Commission Maintenance Director Darryl Heid says, "this type of dramatic swing in temperatures typically leads to the creation of numerous potholes on paved roads while causing the surfaces of gravel...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Pothole Season Looms
WKZO Kalamazoo
Governor Granholm brought up many things the state needs to see to in the near future and among the items she mentioned was the sorry state of Michigan's roadways. Mike Nystrom with the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association says if you think last year was a rough one when it comes to...
read more...Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow Causes Hazardous Michigan Roads
Channel 3: Lansing
Note from DriveMI:
Stories like this one have become all too common this winter as MDOT and local road agencies struggle with budgets and mother nature continues to dump on us.
Snow has caused traffic accidents across Michigan, including a 30-car pileup on a major highway.
The National Weather...
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Roads still covered for evening commute
Detroit Free Press
Roads will continue to be a slow go as crews tackle the tail end of today's snowfall. Though the highest accumulations didn't break double digits, the chilly storm that began to take its toll late Tuesday night has had a dangerous effect on today's commute.
The Michigan State Police dispatch center...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Metro Detroit Roads Riddled With Potholes
Channel 4
It’s usually one of the first signs of spring, but pesky potholes are already popping up on Metro Detroit roads. And depending on where you live, those problem roads could get worse before they get any better.
In the past week, temperatures have gone from cold to down right arctic. The see-saw of...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
As road needs sputter on empty, Granholm runs low on gumption
Detroit Free Press
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has all but ruled out a gas tax increase this year, as she has before. Her refusal to make hard and sometimes unpopular calls, even in her final term, could cement her legacy as a governor who watched Michigan's transportation systems dangerously deteriorate.
Dismissing a gas-tax...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Double whammy for roads
WILX-TV Lansing
It's the perfect predicament for potholes.
"Very cold weather followed by very warm weather which causes the roads to break up," said Lansing Public Service Director, Chad Gamble.
"With the recent thaw that we had, it is really hard out on our roadways and we have been seeing the potholes pop up...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Pothole season arrives early in Muskegon
Muskegon Chronicle
Potholes, the menacing craters that plague Michigan drivers every spring, have arrived early.
It's frustrating news for West Michigan drivers. Popped tires and bent rims, the annoying and often expensive result of potholes, aren't so common in January. But they are this year.
"Oh, they're really...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Some gifts, some coal from state Legislature
Kalamazoo Gazette
December 24, 2008
The Michigan Legislature recently wrapped up its 2007-08 session and members have gone home for the holidays.
The end of the session included some nice presents under the tree, but also a few lumps of coal in Michigan residents' stockings.
Among the good things:
• Lawmakers...
Monday, December 8, 2008
No surprise: I-94 is biggest headache
Detroit Free Press
Outdated and jammed beyond capacity, I-94 ranks as the worst transportation headache in Michigan, according to a report to be released today, outlining the state's top 100 migraines for motorists and transit riders.
I-94 from Addison on Detroit's west side out to the New Haven area in Macomb County...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Michigan Roads Severely Underfunded
WKZO Radio Kalamazoo
LANSING -- Michigan legislators have a chance before the lame duck session ends to ensure roadways are fixed up and maybe a few new jobs are created, but the state's transportation budget is currently about three billion dollars short. Vice president of government and public relations at MITA Mike Nystrom...
read more...Sunday, December 7, 2008
Safety not yet paramount as Michigan roads, bridges deteriorate amid 'funding crisis'
Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Three years after a chunk of the Franklin Street bridge fell onto U.S. 131 and damaged a passing car, sheets of plywood still protect unsuspecting motorists.
In fact, the state has patched more Grand Rapids overpasses with plywood than with pavement as those who maintain highways complain...
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Letter to Editor: Lansing must pass bill to fix our roads, bridges
Port Huron Times Herald
People joke about the terrible shape Michigan's roads and bridges are in, but no one jokes about our families' safety placed in danger due to the infrastructure's horrible condition.
The state Legislature must act now on the bipartisan plan to fix our roads and bridges. Road safety should be at the...
Friday, December 5, 2008
Lack of funding could delay nearly 250 road repairs
Detroit News
The Michigan Department of Transportation said Friday 246 road projects, scheduled from next year through 2011, will have to be delayed unless the state can come up with increased money to draw the full amount of federal money available.
The list of projects that would have to be moved back includes...
Friday, December 5, 2008
State Releases 5-Year Transportation Plan
WLNS TV- Lansing
The state of Michigan's transportation system may soon be even worse off. The Michigan Department of Transportation just released their new five year plan. In it, MDOT has cut 246 previously planned road projects statewide over the next five years due to a lack of funding. Those cuts mean the loss of...
read more...Thursday, December 4, 2008
Letter to Editor: Need to Approve Infrastructure Bills
Battle Creek Enquirer
It is no secret that Michigan roads are in terrible shape just ask the Michigan citizens who have to replace flat tires, bent rims and busted tie rods. With every pothole, crater and crack, the safety of our families is put at risk.
But with a new plan put before the Legislature to fix and repair...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Local Leaders Seek Transportation Funds
WLAJ-TV Lansing
It's getting down to the wire for state lawmakers to pass transportation funding and reforms before their holiday break.
On Wednesday, mayors and other local leaders gathered to urge lawmakers to consider the bills.
They say support for road and bridge repairs will bring more jobs to our state...
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Washtenaw County road funds to drop 39 percent
Ann Arbor News
Washtenaw County Road Commission spending on everything from major road construction projects to more routine projects such as resurfacing will drop 39 percent in 2009.
Spending on road projects drops from $27.9 million this year to $16.9 million in 2009, a decline of $11 million, under the new budget...
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
House Takes First Crack At Road Funding Mix
MIRS
Testimony began today on ways the locals and the state can raise money to fix roads that a new report says will quickly fall into disrepair without more cash flow.
House Transportation Committee Chair Hoon-Yung Hopgood (D-Taylor) is working with House leadership on the appropriate mix of funding...
Monday, December 1, 2008
Road taxes now
Dome Magazine: Oakland County
Too many Michigan roads are worn out , especially the urban roads, and most especially those in Oakland County, which is struggling to remain the state’s most economically vibrant locality.
Michigan needs to be at its best now, not years from now. In light of what’s happening to its auto industry,...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Oakland Roads eroding, officials warn
Daily Tribune
"Dire," "failure" and "rapid deterioration" are the terms used most often by Oakland and Macomb County officials to describe current road conditions.
"It's getting pretty bad," said Craig Bryson, public information officer at the Oakland County Road Commission. "There's a big lack of funding and it's...
Monday, November 24, 2008
MDOT Scales Back Snow Removal
WILX TV Lansing
The snow leaves its mark on mid-Michigan Monday, and the Michigan Department of Transportation says it's a mark that may stick around longer than it did last year.
"During certain hours after a snow event, motorists on some of the less traveled routes, or M routes, like M-43, might actually see a...
Friday, November 21, 2008
Letter to Editor: State needs to act now on bad road system
Ann Arbor News
by Kurt Hagemeister | Ann Arbor
For those of us who drive a lot in Washtenaw County and other areas around the state, it's no revelation that Michigan's road system is in terrible condition. After being underfunded for years, the state's annual road improvement budget of $3.2 billion is almost half...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Accidents piling up with snow
Lansing State Journal
Like other drivers, Lansing resident Analee Young, 23, has seen a handful of cars in ditches since last Sunday.
t's a sight she expects to see more this winter.
The Lansing area is beginning to see slick, wintery roads again, and two people died after their pickup collided with a minivan as they...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Proposal overhauls funding for Michigan's roads
Detroit Free Press
A construction industry group is pushing to change gas taxes in Michigan to raise more money for roads and other transportation needs.
Advertisement
Two major changes would fund the bulk of a proposal by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) to raise an additional $1.5...
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Construction industry calls for higher road taxes
Booth Newspapers
Michigan contractors are asking lawmakers to quickly approve
more than $1.4 billion in higher fuel taxes and registration fees to
jump start road construction in the state.
Wednesday's proposal that the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation
Association wants lawmakers to consider during the...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Transportation: Increased Revenue Recommendations
Spinal Column
The Michigan Transportation Funding Task Force submitted its recommendations to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the State Transportation Commission on Monday, Nov. 10, underscoring a consensus that Michigan continues to underfund its transportation infrastructure.
The task force is a bipartisan, 13-member...
Friday, November 14, 2008
Road and bridge repairs must remain a priority
Daily Tribune
None of the proposals revealed a few days ago to boost Michigan's transportation funding has much appeal. But the alternative, watching our roads continue to crumble, has even less.
In fact, doing nothing is not a realistic option.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
State can't stand still on spending for roads
Detroit News
If Michigan doesn't change the amount of money it spends on transportation, a state task force reports, it is in danger not only of crumbling roads and bridges and lost jobs, but of losing up to $1 billion annually in federal highway funding. The task force recommends a significant increase in transportation...
read more...Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Michigan drivers likely to feel pinch of reduced road salt this winter
Grand Rapids Press
A surge in the price of road salt and cutbacks on road clearing this winter may keep motorists out of the fast lane.
The Michigan Department of Transportation has instructed county road agencies to reduce snow removal on several major routes, while county and city crews also plan to conserve salt.
MDOT...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Report: Better if Michigan taxes gas wholesale price
Forbes
Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers should consider eliminating Michigan's 19-cents-a-gallon gasoline tax and replacing it with a tax on the wholesale price of gas, according to a report released Monday.
Swapping the taxes would let revenues rise or fall with changing fuel prices rather than tying...
Monday, November 10, 2008
County road association responds to report
WLNS News
County road officials say tight budgets are forcing them to make tough decisions and it's taking a toll on our roadways. The County Road Association of Michigan says both Clinton and Livingston Counties have been forced to turn down federal funding because they don't have the matching dollars. Others...
read more...Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Fewer snow plows expected on the roads this winter
WZZM Grand Rapids
MICHIGAN(WZZM) You might find it a little more difficult to get around once the snow starts to fly.
MDOT says revenues are down because people aren't buying as much gas. As a result, road crews won't be plowing as much after hours this winter. The state says it can't afford the overtime.
In Kent...
Monday, November 3, 2008
Expect less sale, slicker roads
Charlevoix Courier
Northern Michigan road commission officials are putting motorists on notice now: Area roads might be a little slicker this winter.
At Friday’s Emmet County Road Commission meeting, engineer-manager Brian Gutowski said motorists should expect to see less pavement, even on state highways, at...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Roads rated poor in region: Local managers blame funding
Ludington Daily
Mason County has a significant percentage of primary roads in poor condition, according to the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association.
read more...Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Salt prices may lead to conservative road clearing this winter
WWMT News Kalamazoo
WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The sun may be shining bright this week, but there are already worries about winter and what to do when the snow falls.
Like so many other things this year, the issue is the economy. The cost of road salt is sky-rocketing.
It may seem a bit premature to be talking...
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Winter woes for road crews: Road commissions lack funding this year
TV 6 Negaunee
UPPER PENINSULA -- Winter weather is creeping up on us and that means that road commissions across the state are gearing up in preparation. But this year, the common sight of orange plows on the road may become a little more rare in some areas. Road commissions in Michigan are struggling to do what...
read more...Friday, September 19, 2008
Increase funding, or ride bumpier, more dangerous roads
Detroit Free Press: Column by Brent O. Bair from Road Commission for Oakland County
The state Transportation Funding Task Force has determined that the needs of Michigan's roads and bridges now exceed projected funding for the work by more than $3 billion per year. We have gotten to this point after more than 40 years of ranking in the bottom 10 states in per capita state and local...
read more...Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Road projects could come to a stand-still
WWMT TV - Kalamazoo
MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - Hold onto your steering wheel. Construction could last a lot longer on Michigan roads.
State lawmakers have less than two weeks to green-light a transportation budget or all the road projects will come to a stand-still.
The hold-up is a dispute about bridge crossings...
Monday, September 1, 2008
With roads in mess, there's no expressway anymore
The Bay City Times
Traveling, such as going on a vacation by car, used to be an adventure - one that would create pleasant memories.
True, traveling with children can be challenging, but at least it was accomplished with a minimum of delays, detours, traffic jams and nerve-jarring "cone zones." One could expect...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Infrastructure costs: Jackson's quandary
Jackson Citizen Patriot
If you're among the 34,000-plus city residents, you may have noticed recent news stories reflecting a growing list of infrastructure issues in the city. Here's a quick review:
Streets. Jackson is not the only "pothole city" in Michigan, but as any motorist knows, our streets are in terrible shape....
Friday, August 22, 2008
Raise the gas tax, then find a better way to fund roadwork
Detroit Free Press
Michigan's transportation system is running out of gas. On state roads alone, Michigan is now $320 million a year short of what's needed just for maintenance. In the Detroit area, $30 billion worth of needed transportation projects won't get done over the next 25 years because the money isn't available.
With...
Monday, August 18, 2008
Bridge money is scarce
Jackson Citizen Patriot
The pocked, crumbling concrete of the 74-year-old Cross Road bridge sits suspended about a foot above the Kalamazoo River.
It connected two sides of a dusty rural road in Spring Arbor Township before it was barricaded from use in April.
About 10 miles away on the Folks Road bridge in Pulaski Township,...
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Road commission asking state for share of gas taxes
The County Press
Road bosses are driving a grass roots effort to put a portion of pump pain back into the crumbling roads.
Lapeer County Road Commissioners are askng the state to return some of the windfall they're experiencing from gasoline sales taxes. As pump prices increase, so does the state's percentage, said...
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Ballot language ok'd for county road tax
Holland Sentinel
A divided Ottawa County board chose Tuesday, Aug. 12 to let voters decide the fate of a proposed road tax.
By an 8-3 margin, the board approved the ballot language for a suggested 6-year, .55 mill road tax.
The property tax will amount to about $55 for a home with a taxable value of $100,000.
Voters...
Monday, August 4, 2008
Bumpy future ahead for road funding
Livingston Daily Press
A report that states the costs of Michigan's basic road and bridge needs have doubled to $6.1 billion per year is especially bad news for Livingston County, which receives the least road funding per capita in the state, officials said.
Making matters worse, the state is expected to lose $4.5 billion...
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Bridges still safe to drive on, but need repairs
ABC 12 Television
MID-MICHIGAN (WJRT) -- (07/31/08)--A new report shows that state bridges are in bad shape, and the worst are in Saginaw County.
In fact, 49 of the 97 state bridges in Saginaw County are considered structurally deficient. Structurally deficient means those bridges need some repair work.
But it doesn't...
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Age, maintenance costs concern for Mich. bridges
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Nearly half of Michigan's bridges are at least 40 years old, causing some concern that their repair and maintenance bills could escalate substantially within the next few years.
Like most states, Michigan has not significantly changed its bridge repair schedule or spending...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Lawmakers dither as the roads crumble
Lansing State Journal
The news about Michigan's roads continues to worsen. A new report now in the hands of the Granholm administration says the state needs to spend about $6 billion a year to keep up with "basic" maintenance of highways and bridges.
Michigan now spends about half that amount. And no one in state government...
Monday, July 28, 2008
Where is Michigan going to get money for road upkeep?
Cheboygan Daily Tribune
Did it come as any surprise to anyone who has ever driven in Michigan that the maintenance of roads and bridges is grossly under-funded? A task force charged with the daunting task of figuring how to improve state roads said Michigan must double its spending to keep roads and bridges from deteriorating...
read more...Friday, July 25, 2008
Creativity needed to find new roadwork revenue
The Oakland Press
The Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation Funding is suggesting that Michigan needs to double its spending on roads and bridges or many will keep deteriorating and become unsafe.
The committee, appointed by Gov. Granholm, estimates $6.1 billion a year is required for basic improvements to...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Road work reduced: Winter costs, economy forces cuts in upkeep
The Port Huron Times Herald
A harsh winter and mounting economic pressures are forcing reduced road maintenance in St. Clair and Sanilac counties this summer.
Advertisement
Rob Morosi of the Michigan Department of Transportation's Metro Detroit Region said salting and plowing costs throughout the state left MDOT $18 million...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Road session to map future
The Saginaw News
You're a Michigan resident and you're living with the highest jobless rate in the nation, constant layoffs, health care cuts, foreclosures, food and energy costs sprinting ahead of your income, a stagnant economy, rising taxes and relatives, friends and neighbors who are saddling up and leaving the state...
read more...Monday, July 21, 2008
Report: Michigan must double spending on roads
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan needs to double its spending on roads and bridges or many will keep deteriorating and become unsafe, says a report to a task force studying how to pay for transportation projects without raising the state's gasoline tax.
The report issued Monday estimates $6.1...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Michigan roads in need of repair
WLNS TV 6 Lansing
Michigan roads are in dire need of repair and according to a new report that need is growing. The new report warns residents that many michigan roads and bridges will keep deteriorating and become more dangerous unless the state doubles it's spending on road work.
The study was compiled by a citizens...
Monday, July 21, 2008
Michigan risks losing road funds
The Detroit News
Michigan and its cities and counties will lose nearly $1 billion a year in federal funds and watch another 30 percent of their roads crumble into poor condition in the next decade unless they nearly double spending on repairs, a special state advisory committee says in a report it is releasing today.
The...
Monday, July 14, 2008
Road agencies' budget cuts mean less staff, more clutter
Detroit Free Press
Michigan's beat-up economy is showing another unattractive side in the form of freeways and roadsides that are dirty, with lingering litter and overgrown weeds.
Drivers are buying less gas, and that means less money for road upkeep. Top it off with that snowy, costly winter we endured, and road agencies...
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Rough Road
NBC Nightly News
You feel the skyrocketing price of oil whenever you fill up your gas tank, but what about when you drive down the road? NBC’s Savannah Guthrie reports on yet another ripple effect from the rising price of oil.
The link to the story will be live for a limited amount of time.
Click on the...
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Road repair is top priority
Battle Creek Enquirer
MARSHALL — Rising oil costs have forced area officials to shift their priorities to ensure roads get the care they need.
At the Calhoun County Road Commission, for example, not mowing miles of roadside grass, brining gravel roads once this summer instead of twice, scaling back tree removal,...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Gas tax increase in Nebraska bucks trend
TMCnet.com
(Omaha World-Herald (NE) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jun. 23--LINCOLN -- At a time when some public officials have called for suspending gas taxes to give motorists a break on high gasoline prices, Nebraska is among a handful of states raising gas taxes this year.
Nebraska will add 3 cents of...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
State must deal with deteriorating roads
Flint Journal
The advancing deterioration of Michigan roads poses a dismal choice: Either invest in repairs now, or end up paying more later.
While drivers might curse the prevalence of construction barrels during this season, the state's Assessment Management Council advises that invisible "deferred maintenance"...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
18 Bay County bridges deemed structurally deficient
The Bay City Times
Bay County has 18 highway bridges deemed "structurally deficient" by the Michigan Department of Transportation, according to a new report by the agency.
Motorists don't need to panic.
"It's just an overall condition problem. It means one of the three main parts of the bridge - the deck, the beams...
Friday, June 13, 2008
Michigan Roads Getting Worse
WLNS TV 6 Lansing
It's a bumpy ride on Michigan's roads and it could get worse. That might not surprise anyone who's driven anywhere lately, but a new state report confirms those suspicions. It says the number of Michigan roads in poor condition has nearly doubled since 2004. The number of roads in good or fair condition...
read more...Friday, June 13, 2008
State Gas Tax Revenues Drop Over Two Years
Gongwer News Service
Soaring gasoline prices have led to lower gas tax revenues for the state over the last two years, officials said. Since the 2005-06 fiscal year, gas tax revenues have fallen by more than 7 percent, officials said.
The drop in gas tax revenues will not have a major effect on projects for this year,...
Thursday, June 12, 2008
State's already poorly maintained roads will crumble further as money dries up
The Detroit News
A new state report says one-quarter of the pavement on Michigan's main roads is in poor shape, and that percentage will reach nearly half in 10 years if the state doesn't come up with the money to fix the roads faster and maintain them better.
"The most important roads in our state are deteriorating...
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Michigan Roads Face Even Bumpier Future
WXYZ Action News
Your morning commute is most likely a bumpy one.
Roads across the state are crumbling at an alarming rate.
The new report... obtained by our partners at the Detroit News... reveals bad roads aren't going to get better anytime soon.. and in fact.. could crumble even more.. if funds don't come fast.
Already......
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Quarter of Michigan's road miles rated poor
Chicago Tribune
A new state report says Michigan's roads are getting worse.
The study says 26 percent of lane-miles on major roads in the state were in poor condition last year, up from 12 percent in 2004. The report predicts bad roads will make up 45 percent of the total in 10 years unless road spending increases.
The...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Rough winter sets back MDOT funding for summer
ABC-12
MID-MICHIGAN (WJRT) -- (05/20/08)--The Michigan Department of Transportation is bracing for major budget cuts this summer, and officials say the near-record snowfall last winter is to blame.
An MDOT spokesperson says this past winter the state spent more money than normal just trying to keep the roads...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Minnesota Agency Faulted on Bridge Upkeep
The New York Times
Before the Interstate 35W bridge in downtown Minneapolis collapsed last year, state transportation officials had put off recommendations from experts to make it safer, failed to follow their own inspection policies and at times allowed financing concerns to affect how it was maintained, a team of investigators...
read more...Sunday, May 18, 2008
Gas tax holiday is just another cynical play for our votes
The Bay City Times
Presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain want us all to know that they care about the little guy.
So, here's the bone they throw: A 98-day holiday, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, from the 18.4-cents-a-gallon federal gasoline tax.
It's a ridiculous, unworkable and damaging...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Rouge River bridge crossing on M-14 reduced to one lane
Detroit Free Press
Unanticipated problems with a freeway bridge in western Wayne County may cause traffic headaches through the end of the week – or longer.
The Michigan Department of Transportation said today it’s reducing taking eastbound M-14 down to one lane on a bridge crossing the Rouge River after...
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Gas-tax break would please some, but could leave roads in ruins
Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- In an era of $4-a-gallon gas, Linda Sharp is like a lot of Americans: Conflicted.
We love our cars. But we hate expensive gas, even while we curse the crumbling roads that get paved by some of what we spend at the pump.
Still, Sharp said, we deserve a break -- maybe even the much-mocked...
Monday, May 5, 2008
Some many potholes, so few dollars and crews for repairs
Detroit Free Press
When you see more potholes and fewer crews out repairing them this year, you can thank money problems that increasingly limit what county road commissions can do to keep up.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Make roads a priority and funding will follow
The Oakland Press
A pothole season that is arguably the worst in Michigan history is likely to fuel discussion of what to do about Michigan's crumbling roads and bridges.
It all boils down to money.
Some local funding options were mentioned in this space last week. But a broader package aimed at more than just potholes...
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Expensive winter drains road funds
C & G Newspapers
OAKLAND COUNTY — The recently — and hopefully, finally — concluded winter was one of the most expensive road maintenance seasons ever, state Road Commission for Oakland County officials.
Unfortunately, state road funding continues to decline, creating a troubling financial future...
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Contest a cute approach to serious road problem
The Oakland Press
A 2.5-foot-wide pothole near Pontiac Lake Road and Irwin Drive in Waterford Township was cited as one of the four worst in the state. It won Jessica Herbert of Kalamazoo, daughter of Niel Nielsen of Waterford Township, an award of $318 after she photographed it and submitted the picture to the Michigan...
read more...Friday, April 11, 2008
Photo of massive pothole wins Saginaw woman money
The Saginaw News
The photographer's instinct in Angela C. Davis told her the massive pothole on Veterans Memorial Parkway was worthy of her camera's lens.
Her inclination paid off, as the photo she snapped ended up winning her $318.
"Photography is my passion. I follow my passion, and it leads me to potholes,"...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Pothole Contest
MIRS and Gongwer
Here's A Little Help For That Pothole
MIRS, 4.9.08
A carton of asphalt and a plastic yellow "hard hat" were handed out today to lawmakers whose districts boast the most pot-holed road in Michigan. Seven House members and seven Senators received the "gift."
The latest gimmick from the Michigan...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Michigan potholes so big, they're awarded prizes
AutoBlog California
As we told you a couple weeks back, Michigan roads are a mess. The orange barrels keep popping up all over the place, but for every road that is fixed, two begin to crumble. The problem has been ongoing for decades, and it has gotten to the point where finding Chevette-sized craters can net you some...
read more...Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Grand Canyon pothole wins dubious honors
The Oakland Press
WATERFORD TWP. Niel Nielsen called it the "Grand Canyon" - a 2.5-footwide pothole he managed to avoid this spring while driving in his Waterford Township neighborhood near Pontiac Lake Road and Irwin Drive.
His daughter Jessica Herbert of Kalamazoo managed to avoid it on her visits. In late March,...
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Walker, Grand Rapids don't want to claim pothole contest winner
Grand Rapids Press
WALKER -- Even in the ruin and rubble of the worst pothole season in recent memory, there's still a place for pride.
Walker city officials leaped to defend their streets Monday after a statewide group claimed one of the four worst potholes in Michigan was within their borders, on O'Brien Street SW.
"Are...
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
State's worst potholes named
Detroit Free Press
Potholes from four regions of Michigan won a contest to find the worst potholes the state could offer.
The winning potholes were on Irwin Drive in Waterford; O’Brien Road in west Michigan’s Walker; South Jackson Street in Jackson; and Veterans Memorial Parkway in Saginaw.
Honorary...
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Jackson Bumpy Roads
WLNS TV Lansing
Drive along the roads in Jackson and you're in for a bumpy ride.
City officials say there are lots of roads in need of major repairs. It would cost the city millions of dollars to fix them all. It's money city offcials say they don't have and they say they aren't getting enough help from the state....
Monday, April 7, 2008
A push for road repairs
Jackson Citizen Patriot
Municipalities statewide are making a statement to state lawmakers: Their roads are in bad condition and they need more money.
``It is part of our statewide effort by the Michigan Municipal League and other groups to find a solution to Michigan's transportation problem,'' Jackson City Manager William...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Grand Rapids Area Crater Wins Statewide Pothole Contest
WXMI Fox 17
LANSING — A coalition working to secure more funding to fix Michigan's roads and bridges Monday announced four "service station scholarship" winners of a month-long contest to identify the worst rim-bending potholes in the state.
The judges chose award-winning potholes in Walker, Waterford,...
Monday, April 7, 2008
Walker pothole a statewide winner
WOOD-TV
A crater on O'Brien Road was one of four Worst Potholes in the state, chosen by the Michigan Transportation team's statewide contest. Size and depth mattered.
Potholes from around the state were also "honored," but some in West Michigan were true standouts. An entire stretch of Dean Lake Road in Grand...
Friday, April 4, 2008
This winter was perfect for potholes
The Livingston Community News
If you were looking to "grow" a good crop of potholes, you'd be hard pressed to find a better growing season than the winter that was just put to rest.
With four or five freeze-and-thaw cycles, the winter of 2007-08 was a beauty for creating just the right conditions for potholes to pop up on state,...
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Don't wait for another disaster before road funding is fixed
The Bay City Times
Michigan's road system is falling apart, along with the nation's highways.
On March 18, the M-84 bridge in Frankenlust Township over Interstate 75 dropped golfball- and baseball-size chunks of concrete onto the freeway below. Police closed a southbound lane and crews hastily made repairs.
The 48-year-old...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Budgetary potholes rattle economy
Oakland Business Review
Guest Opinion
By Michael Nystrom
March 27, 2008
Michigan's roads are a growing problem. Every Michigan driver has had at least one encounter with a rim-bending pothole, and as we enter the heart of pothole season, it's only going to get worse.
Policymakers have the power to end the neglect of...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Where's Leadership?
Lansing State Journal
Letter to the Editor
Sen. Valde Garcia, R-Howell, made it clear in his March 12 Viewpoint that he is firmly against raising the gas tax. What he omitted is a plan to fix Michigan's crumbling roads and bridges. Anyone driving on Michigan's roads can recognize the dire situation that we have. This...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Crumbling: Michigan needs investment in roads, not more gravel
Lansing State Journal
Ground down by financial pressures, road agencies in Michigan are looking at a policy of grinding down damaged paved roads into gravel tracks.
That would put counties like Clinton in reverse, though. Michigan communities cannot be backing up when it comes to infrastructure.
In the end, Michigan...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Donohue: State's road to prosperity built on trade, infrastructure
Lansing State Journal
Thomas Donohue is president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a business advocacy group.
Michigan is facing tough times. Some are writing off the state, arguing it will never recapture its glory days.
I couldn't disagree more.
I envision a future where Michigan's economy is high tech, science-based,...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
No cure for the Van Dyke blues: Local business owners frustrated over road conditions
C&G Newspapers: Sterling Heights
STERLING HEIGHTS — Abe Sobh says he would have thought twice about opening a business on Van Dyke had he known how drastically the road would deteriorate over the last year.
Sobh, owner of Lil Meesas Pizza near 15 Mile, said customers have told him they won’t be back because they don’t...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
From plowing snow to patching potholes
The Morning Sun
Michiganders look for robins as one of the first signs of spring, but potholes are also a sign that winter is coming to an end, as water thaws and refreezes under road surfaces.
The Isabella County Road Commission went from snow plowing to repairing potholes in a matter of a week.
"It’s...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Crews working to fix crumbling M-84 bridge over I-75
The Bay City Times
Motorists called to say chunks were falling on I-75
A chunk of concrete fell from the overpass that takes M-84 over Interstate 75 onto the highway Tuesday morning, and officials rushed to the scene to investigate the problem and protect motorists from danger.
Deputies from the Bay County Sheriff's...
Monday, March 17, 2008
When roads go bad: Clinton County considers grinding route into gravel
Lansing State Journal
BINGHAM TWP. - Traversed more by cracks than cars, Taft Road just south of St. Johns is falling apart.
It has deteriorated so much that Clinton County officials are on the verge of letting nature have her way.
They would grind down what is left of Taft into bits of stone and leave it - gravel to...
Friday, March 14, 2008
Haggerty stretch full of bumps, missing chunks
Detroit Free Press
The winner of today's Disaster of the Week honor is one of those roads we can't do without -- as much as we'd like to when it's in such poor condition.
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Even so, it's on what I'd call the high end of the disaster scale: no fun but not dead yet.
NAME: Haggerty Road.
LOCATION: Between...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Roads: To get beyond potholes, Michigan needs Capitol aid
Lansing State Journal
A Lansing State Journal editorial
Mayor Virg Bernero and his chief of staff, Jerry Ambrose, had a couple of clear messages for Lansing drivers Tuesday:
• The potholes will be filled.
• Better roads for the capital city - and the surrounding area - rest on the state's ability to provide...
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Five-foot pothole ruining tires in Royal Oak
The Detroit News
ROYAL OAK -- A pothole on westbound 13 Mile has caused flat tires on at least 15 vehicles this morning, Royal Oak Police said.
The pothole is five feet long and three feet wide, according to a WWJ-950 (AM) report. The station initially reported the pothole appeared to be 15 feet long.
Police said...
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Pothole problem not easily patched
Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- A bumper crop of potholes on Michigan's streets and freeways has road officials taking extreme measures to combat a problem that's straining budgets, driving up damage claims, and forcing patching crews to work around the clock.
"It's not just a Grand Rapids issue; it's a Kent County...
Monday, March 3, 2008
Higher gas tax plan fuels debate
Lansing State Journal
Dylan Miller sells insurance and figures each week he puts about 1,000 miles on his 2004 Nissan.
Despite the high mileage, the Lansing man isn't opposed to a proposed boost in the state gasoline tax, even if it means paying an extra 9 cents per gallon.
Why?
The gas tax helps fund local road...
Monday, March 3, 2008
Potholes an expanding problem
Battle Creek Enquirer
Potholes can be bone-jarring, jaw-clenching obstacles that are at least bothersome, and might actually do damage to your vehicle.
Michigan drivers are no strangers to potholes, especially in late winter and early spring, as the weather warms. But this year has been particularly hard on drivers, roads...
Monday, March 3, 2008
With a rising gas tax, what price will we see at the pump?
Minnesota Post
Now that Minnesota's gas tax is increasing, will it mean higher pump prices for consumers as Gov. Tim Pawlenty and nearly every news organization in the state has said?
"No, you can't say that," said Mary Welge of the Oil Price Information Service (OPIS) in New Jersey, a national authority on fuel...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Gas tax increase necessary to fix state's roads
The Oakland Press
State Rep. David Law, R-Commerce Township, is working on legislation that could help repair Oakland County's crumbling road system.
The bills would change the way road funds are distributed to counties.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
An ode to potholes: Michigan driver's poem on road craters
WZZM 13 News
BY MATT HELMS, FREE PRESS DRIVING COLUMNIST
Created: 2/22/2008 10:36:33 AM
Updated: 2/22/2008 10:37:49 AM
Charles Roach writes down his thoughts and notions, and sometimes they become poems.
He doesn't always finish them right away. His muse might need a rest, so his work will stew a bit, awaiting...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Potholes are a pain: Drivers lament sorry state of roads this winter
The Macomb Daily
Motorists irate about problem potholes on Van Dyke Avenue have flooded the Michigan Department of Transportation office in Lansing with telephone calls.
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But, according to Rob Morosi, public relations specialist for MDOT, it won't do any good.
Morosi said motorists have to be patient...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Turn that road crater into cash
Detroit Free Press
Here’s a way make money off that ruinous pothole you’re warning everyone to avoid.
A road-improvement group is holding a contest to find the state’s worst, most menacing chuckholes. Three winners will receive what the Michigan Transportation Team calls “service center scholarshipsâ€...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Someone must pay: Raising the state gas tax would make the most sense
The Detroit Free Press
This spring is likely to be the worst for potholes that Michigan drivers have felt since 1997, when another freeze-and-thaw winter undermined pavement that was years behind in maintenance. The roads were so bad that year that then-Gov. John Engler ended his long opposition to a gas tax increase, approving...
read more...Thursday, February 21, 2008
Car eating potholes ahead
Detroit Free Press
Pothole season is upon us, and it's going to be a rough one. Don't expect any quick fixes, though. There's not enough money for roads, and finding more won't be easy. Here are some suggestions to ease the bumpy ride.
Cut federal roadblocks: Congressional earmarks waste dollars, skew priorities
Here's...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Rocky roads: Potholes, ruts and icy streets imperil vehicles, motorists
Lansing State Journal
It's a war zone out there. Well, it may look like it in spots around Lansing, judging from road conditions.
Potholes. Ruts. Sheets of ice.
"This is the worst I've ever seen it in the Lansing area," driver Joe Epchison said Wednesday. He's knocked out alignments and lost hub caps.
"Waverly is...
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Help! Get to these potholes first
Detroit Free Press
We want these potholes fixed!
We asked, and readers are responding with suggestions for bad stretches of road where crews should head ASAP.
I’ll be passing these along to the appropriate road agencies, but here are the nominees we’ve received. I’ll be updating them through...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Dreaded potholes pop out early
Detroit Free Press
We are under siege from the destructive seasonal catastrophe known as the pothole.
read more...Monday, February 18, 2008
Win Money With Worst Pothole
Click on Detroit.com
It's that time of year where the roads have turned into battle grounds.
Odds are you have come across a major pothole in your commute.
A contest, sponsored by the Michigan Transportation Team, runs from Feb. 19- March 28 to help identify where the problem roadways are located.
The contest will...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Michigan's Worst Pothole Contest
WILX TV-Lansing
The season we call winter is also being referred to as 'pothole season.' and a contest sponsored by the Michigan Transportation Team wants you to find the worst pothole in the state.
"We are in a dire state here with the deterioration of a roads and bridges," said Mike Nystrom, Co-Chairman of the...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pothole contest looks for largest street craters
The Muskegon Chronicle
Did the asphalt divide and swallow your Bug? The concrete crack and crunch your Chevy?
Driving U.S. 131 this week is a tie-rod twisting, shock-shaking, Goodyear-grinding demolition derby that could use reflexes and vehicles better fit for the Baja 1000.
And as another thaw-freeze cycle makes mincemeat...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Pothole contest looks for largest street craters
The Muskegon Chronicle
This story also appeared in The Grand Rapids Press.
Did the asphalt divide and swallow your Bug? The concrete crack and crunch your Chevy?
Driving U.S. 131 this week is a tie-rod twisting, shock-shaking, Goodyear-grinding demolition derby that could use reflexes and vehicles better fit for the...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Potholes lie in wait
The Saginaw News
Prepare for a bumpy ride.
The snow will melt and the icy grip of winter will fade, but not without inflicting serious damage to our roads. In the meantime, the season of bone-rattling potholes has started.
"It's the worst I've ever seen," said Mike A. Nystrom, vice president of Government and Public...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Overtime, salt, fuel eating up road budgets
Lansing State Journal
More than 50 inches of snow has fallen on the Lansing area so far this season.
That's almost 40 percent above normal and the prime reason a number of local highway departments are hemorrhaging money.
"Everybody has had enough of winter," said Joe Pulver, director of operations for the Ingham County...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Michigan Highways Get The Short End
WILX-TV Lansing
Driving down the highway can be a rocky ride for Mid-Michigan residents -- A ride that needs constant reconstruction and repair.
"Obviously Michigan is struggling, we have an infrastructure that's falling apart. You drive on our roads and see the potholes. You drive under our bridges and concrete...
Monday, February 11, 2008
Overtime keeping roads open, leaves budgets tight
The Muskegon Chronicle
Snowplow drivers throughout West Michigan have been working overtime to clear roads -- overtime that is stretching road commission budgets.
read more...Saturday, February 9, 2008
Potholes sink road budgets
Port Huron Times Herald
"They spring up where they spring up. It's kind of like a teenager with acne."
So said Kirk Weston, director of the St. Clair County Road Commission, about the predictability of potholes. The randomness already has started, with several area roads bearing the cratered scars of winter.
A 3-foot...
Friday, February 8, 2008
U.P. road commissions have to cut back: Officials tell State Legislators that without proper funding, they can't provide certain services
WLUC 6 Marquette
MARQUETTE -- If you don't have the money, you can't continue the service. That's what county road commission officials told State Representatives Friday morning.
"We just wanted to make them and the public aware that the road commissions are having financial problems," says Jim Iwanicki of the Marquette...
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Beware the big bang boom
Detroit Free Press
As our weather careens from brutally cold one day to snowy or unseasonably warm the next, potholes flourish and motorists cringe.
That freeze-thaw cycle breaks up roads and leads to other unwelcome reverberations. The jarring blow from running over a nasty pothole may keep on jolting drivers with...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Higher gas tax? Idea under scrutiny to fix crumbling roads
Ludington Daily News
As Michigan’s roads deteriorate, snow piles up and the economy worsens, lawmakers are scratching their heads about how to raise money for repairs.
Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom, R-Norton Shores, said it will cost billions of dollars to fix the state’s roads.
Michigan’s roads are considered the...
Monday, January 28, 2008
Drivers to see major toll hikes
USA Today
From the Golden Gate Bridge to the New Jersey Turnpike, the nation's toll booths are getting dramatically more expensive to drive through.
The sharp increases come as states endure financially lean times triggered by the housing and credit crunch and struggle to find money to maintain or replace vital...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Where the ramps are rough
Detroit Free Press
Today's winner of our Disaster of the Week award more than lives up to the honor, manhandling drivers and their vehicles with potholes and patching.
Name: Ramps at the intersection of Ford and Evergreen roads.
Location: Dearborn and Dearborn Heights.
Why it matters: The intersection is overshadowed...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Group: Fund cuts chop roads to rubble
The Detroit News
When is the last time you heard of a paved road being returned to gravel?
According to the County Road Association of Michigan, that's exactly what has happened because of the continuing free fall in state transportation and road funding.
Seven counties across the state, mostly up north, are pulverizing...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
County's winter road budget strained: Continued snow, ice removal may impct summer road construction
Hillsdale Daily News
Any more snow and ice on county roads this winter could become a headache for drivers well into the summer.
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The Hillsdale County Road Commission already has used half of its winter budget for snow and ice removal, drying up those funds in December after the heavy weekend snow storms....
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Loud Dam residents fight to keep road from being turned to gravel
Oscoda Press
OSCODA - When the Iosco County Road Commission began to tear up a section of Loud Dam Road in the spring of 2006, the residents were happy; they thought they were getting a new road.
They were wrong. Instead of a new road to replace the extremely deteriorated surface, residents learned their road...
Monday, January 14, 2008
County road commissions tap reserves: Snowstorms, reduced funding strain budgets
Port Huron Times Herald
The Sanilac County Road Commission is having to dip into its savings to pay employees and cover bills - and it's not the only road commission in the state facing such problems.
According to a survey conducted by the County Road Association of Michigan, most of the state's road commissions are struggling...
Monday, January 14, 2008
Staff, money to clear roads limited: Road commission tackles 'myths' about plowing priorities, gasoline taxes
The Macomb Daily
bove-freezing temperatures and a little rain bring a smile to Robert Hoepfner.
As chief highway engineer for the Macomb County Road Commission, Hoepfner bears ultimate responsibility for keeping a lot of county roads snow-free.
And when Mother Nature cooperates, Hoepfner's job is a lot easier.
"People's...
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Citizens group battles bad road
Traverse City Record Eagle
BOYNE CITY -- Joe Soulliere stood in his backyard near Boyne City-Charlevoix Road and watched as vehicles rumbled across patched potholes.
"I don't drive that road unless I have to. I don't want my truck torn to pieces. It's no easy thing on the front end of a vehicle," he said. "With it so rough...
Monday, January 7, 2008
Group Wants Budget Surplus Put Back to Fixing Roads
WLNS-TV Lansing
A lobbying group for Michigan roads is demanding its share of money back from the state after being hit with deep funding cuts. Just this week, lawmakers announced the state finished the 2007 fiscal year with a surplus. Now one group says some of that extra money should go back towards fixing Michigan's...
read more...Monday, January 7, 2008
Pave the way for better road funding
Detroit Free Press
Gov. Jennifer Granholm is on the right road in approving a new task force to seek alternative ways to pay for transportation improvements. But she and other state leaders must show a lot more fortitude than they have demonstrated in their failure to raise the state gas tax if they want any of these new...
read more...Friday, January 4, 2008
Gas taxes also could increase
Port Huron Times Herald
The state Department of Transportation's multi-billion dollar budget isn't enough to maintain the state's roads at their current condition, and Sen. Jud Gilbert, R-Algonac, wants solutions.
Recently, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill Gilbert sponsored last year that will create a task force and...
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Minnesota 2020 calls for 10-cent hike in gas tax for roads
Minnesota Bemidji Pioneer
A 10-cent hike in Minnesota’s gasoline tax would cost an average rural Minnesotan about $60 a year. Not doing anything could cost $400 a year — $200 in car maintenance and $200 in higher property taxes.
So Minnesotans actually would save money with a higher gas tax, proffers a new report...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Thirteen years of inspections offer the deepest look into the bridge's condition
Minnesota Pioneer Press
Cracked welds. Loose bolts. Parts of the bridge literally being eaten away by the elements.
A Pioneer Press review of 13 years of in-depth inspection reports for the Interstate 35W bridge revealed an accumulation of problems that lingered as inspectors hustled to the next bridge. Federal law requires...
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Fight continues to fund roads: money needed in 2008 to fix Michigan's crumbling infrastructure
The Dowagiac Daily News
LANSING - The Michigan Legislature failed to provide adequate funding to fix our crumbling roads and bridges in 2007, but transportation leaders will be heard loud and clear in 2008.
"We want legislators to know we are not backing down," said Mike Nystrom, vice president of government and public relations...
Monday, December 24, 2007
Task force to look for road funding
Crain's Detroit Business
There's a new player entering Michigan's road-funding debate.
A public-private task force, created through a bill passed earlier this month, will look at alternative ways to fund roads in 2008, as well as the adequacy of aeronautics service and finance.
Under Senate Bill 59, sponsored by Jud Gilbert,...
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Association supports road repair discussion
Monroe News
The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) is hoping Gov. Jennifer Granholm's comments on why the gas tax shouldn't be raised to fund more road improvements gets the public thinking more about the issue.
Gov. Granholm commented at her year-end press conference Tuesday that she...
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Budget Cuts Taking Toll on Road Commission
WLNS-TV
The cleanup continued Monday after mid-Michigan was blasted with a winter storm. Crews worked all day to clear the roads , but not in time to keep some area schools from closing. In Clinton County, workers were forced to leave several streets unplowed over the weekend. They say budget cuts are to blame.
Just...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Budget woes
The Bay City Times
... According to the County Road Association of Michigan, declining fuel tax revenues - coupled with the rising costs of materials, labor and equipment - means most Michigan motorists will see fewer plows this winter.
CRAM recently surveyed counties to get a better perspective on how funding shortages...
Monday, December 10, 2007
Push is on for road funding; Shifting sales tax on gas is one option
Crain's Detroit Business
Supporters of increased Michigan road funding continue to make a strong push in the Capitol, as the Legislature's immediate attention turns beyond budget crises and taxes.
Road builders and others also are looking at new options in the wake of Michigan's recent $1.5 billion in tax hikes that could...
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Crumbling Bridge Causing Delays for Emergencies
WLNS TV-Lansing
A crumbling mid-Michigan bridge forces some local fire trucks to take a four-mile detour.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Road Funding Shortage Having Impact
WLNS TV-Lansing
New fears about Michigan's roads- will funding problems steer us toward big problems? A warning from transportation leaders when it comes to fixing our crumbling infrastructure- there's just not enough money to get the job done. They say the funds are drying up faster than ever. Orange barrels- if you've...
read more...Tuesday, November 27, 2007
State's road-fix shortage: $300M
The Detroit News
Industry and government transportation leaders are warning that a dramatic drop in Michigan road funding next year will result in steadily deteriorating highways and the loss of thousands of construction jobs in Michigan.
Because of declining fuel tax revenues and the completion of a state transportation...
Monday, November 26, 2007
Area pleas for I-94 bridge; Sheriff: Stretch of highway is too dangerous
Port Huron Times Herald
PORT HURON TWP.- Investigators can only guess why Gene Goyette Jr. didn't realize traffic had come to a standstill on Interstate 69/94 near the Water Street interchange.
What is certain is he didn't see the danger until it was too late. His minivan slammed into the tractor-trailer at the back of the...
Monday, November 19, 2007
Survey Reveals Depth of Cost-Cutting at RCOC
Road Commission for Oakland County
The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) has been forced to cut staff and services in recent years as state road funding has remained stagnant in the face in rapidly increasing road maintenance costs, and those cuts are expected to become more severe in the next couple of years. The depth of the...
Monday, November 19, 2007
Oakland County Road Commission gives gloomy forecast
Detroit Free Press
The Road Commission for Oakland County today forecast a rougher future for drivers as it and other Michigan road agencies cut road repairs and other services because of declining state gas tax revenue coupled with rapid growth in costs of equipment, materials and fuel.
read more...Saturday, November 17, 2007
High gas prices fuel worry over road funding
The Lenawee Daily Telegram
Rising fuel prices are putting the future of Lenawee County’s road system increasingly in doubt.
High prices at the pump are forcing people to drive less and look at hybrid vehicles and other alternatives. And that means less fuel tax revenue to spend on building and maintaining roads, said...
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda
The New York Times
Two dates — two numbers. Read them and weep for what could have, and should have, been. On Sept. 11, 2001, the OPEC basket oil price was $25.50 a barrel. On Nov. 13, 2007, the OPEC basket price was around $90 a barrel.
In the wake of 9/11, some of us pleaded for a “patriot taxâ€...
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Pay now, or pay later?
Monroe Evening News
Crumbling roads will cost citizens.
A decline in the amount of money being put into the maintenance of the state's road and bridges will hit your wallet someday soon.
That's the sentiment of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA), who has released a study saying the...
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Hike in fuel tax could offset cut in road funds
Monroe Evening News
LANSING - In the midst of the budget turmoil and debates over service taxes, school funding and the possibility of a government shutdown, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) seemingly was forgotten.
According to Keith Ledbetter, director of legislative affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure...
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
State cuts will affect local road commission
Huron Daily Tribune
Now that Michigan lawmakers have finalized a budget for fiscal year 2008, transportation officials are crying foul at funding decreases.
One of the largest cuts in the state’s fiscal 2008 budget was an 18 percent decrease in funding to build and maintain the state’s roads and bridges,...
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Budget woes affect road clearing
Cheboygan News
The Cheboygan County Road Commission announced Friday that delays for motorists this winter will be likely because of shrinking budgets, personnel reductions and increasing costs.
read more...Friday, October 26, 2007
Road Funding Becoming Critical?
WLUC TV-6 Upper Michigan's Local News
Story summary: The snow-belt of Michigan is bracing for less plowing of snow due to less road funding.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
State must address aging infrastructure
The Ann Arbor News
How many bridges do you drive over in a given day? Many are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Throughout the state of Michigan, deficient bridges span interstates, rivers and railroad tracks.
The collapse of a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis last August, a...
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Road Millage Up To Voters
WLNS TV-Lansing
Voters head to the polls in a little more than two weeks. In Charlotte, voters are being asked to approve a three-million dollar road millage. City officials say the money is desperately needed. It isn't exactly smooth sailing as you drive through Charlotte. Many residential streets are littered with...
read more...Saturday, October 20, 2007
Increase investment in Michigan's bridges, roads
Kalamazoo Gazette
Thirty-seven bridges in southwestern Michigan are structurally deficient. Another 35 area bridges are functionally obsolete.
How many of them do you drive over in a given day?
Southwestern Michigan receives about $16 million a year to repair, maintain and replace bridges. Local transportation officials...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Coalition pushes for gas tax hike
Booth Newspapers
By Peter Luke
LANSING -- A gas tax is a job creator, while the service tax is a job killer. So say the interest groups out to hike the one and scrap the other. Despite the pressure, lawmakers are tax averse at the moment.
On Wednesday, a coalition of road builders, union leaders, local governments...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Construction Workers Rally at State Capitol
WLNS TV-Lansing
Construction workers rallied at the Capitol asking lawmakers to help save their jobs. They say the state's budget problems is unfairly punishing them. You can't miss them- orange barrels lining roads all across Michigan. For some, they're a sign of progress, for others an inconvenience. For one group...
read more...Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Lobby seeks hike in road taxes.
Detroit Free Press
LANSING -- Cuts in spending on road and bridge construction could cost Michigan more than 12,000 jobs in the next three years unless the state raises another $1 billion a year in fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, a coalition of business, government and labor groups backing the tax hikes said...
read more...Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Gas tax hike still being pushed in Lansing
The Grand Rapids Press
A gas tax is a job creator, while the service tax is a job killer. So say the interest groups out to hike the one and scrap the other. Despite the pressure, lawmakers are tax averse at the moment.
On Wednesday, a coalition of road builders, union leaders, local governments and general business groups...
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Transportation groups keep pushing for gas tax increase
Associated Press
Transportation and business groups are still pushing to raise Michigan's gasoline tax by 9 cents a gallon over three years.
They argue that declining road funding will lead to lost construction jobs at a time Michigan needs all the jobs it can get.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Drop in State Road Revenues Expected
Leelanau Enterprise
The county Road Commission may incur a significant drop in state transportation revenues next year if projections issued by a state-wide advocacy group are proven true.
At its meeting Tuesday, the commission reviewed financial statements showing Leelanau County received $1,836,4890 in Michigan Transportation...
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Lawmakers want probe of MnDOT in 35W collapse
Minnesota Pioneer Press
A joint Minnesota House and Senate committee looking into the Interstate 35W bridge collapse wants to hire a team of investigators to examine state Department of Transportation decision-making in the months and years leading up to the Aug. 1 collapse.
Likening it to a special counsel, Sen. Steve Murphy,...
Monday, September 24, 2007
State still has too many bad bridges
Kalamazoo Gazette
Michigan is ranked sixth-worst in the nation when it comes to structurally deficient bridges.
That ranking means that 14 percent of national highway system bridges in Michigan are structurally deficient.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Shutdown would have broad impact: Ailing state's image, economy on the line
Detroit News
LANSING -- A Michigan government shutdown on Oct. 1, which grows more likely with each passing day, would deliver a blow to the state from Main Street to Wall Street, political and image experts agree.
The damage to a state struggling to rebound from severe economic woes would be immediate and long-lasting....
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Area ranks 8th nationwide in time drivers lose because of congestion
Detroit Free Press
Metro Detroit remains among the 10 most congested places for spending time stuck in traffic, with drivers losing an average of 54 hours a year, up three hours from about a decade ago, a new study found.
Nationwide, drivers lose an average of 38 hours a year -- about 4.2 billion hours total -- inching...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Drop in State Road Revenues Expected
Leelanau Enterprise
The county Road Commission may incur a significant drop in state transportation revenues next year if projections issued by a state-wide advocacy group are proven true.
At its meeting Tuesday, the commission reviewed financial statements showing Leelanau County received $1,836,4890 in Michigan Transportation...
Friday, September 14, 2007
Fuel tax and registration fees expected to increase
Petoskey News-Review
The state’s 83 county road commissions, the Michigan Department of Transportation, city and township officials, truckers, and the road building industry as a whole are pushing for a $1 billion increase in funding for roads over three years, according to Brian Gutowski, engineer-manager of the...
read more...Monday, September 10, 2007
Chunks of bridges a not-so-subtle reminder
Detroit Free Press
The Legislature got a bit of a surprise in boxes last week when a state construction trade group hand-delivered pieces of pavement collected from beneath state and local bridges across Michigan.
All state senators, representatives and Gov. Jennifer Granholm received the chunks.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Oregon Governor Eyes Gas Tax Increase
Associated Press
Gov. Ted Kulongoski says a gas tax increase should be part of a long-term transportation proposal to be considered by the Oregon Legislature to upgrade highways and bridges.
Gasoline taxes haven't been popular with voters, though. Voters crushed the most recent ballot measure - a nickel-a-gallon increase...
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Bridges decay without money
Port Huron Times Herald
The following in-depth article is a good overview of the funding crisis facing counties across the state.
The elegant steel bridge carrying Speaker Road over Mill Creek may be in the middle of nowhere to most people, but it's important to David Beard of Lynn Township.
The 46-year-old lives about...
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Bridge maintenance is in the Stone Age
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, sat down last week with Star Tribune editorial writers to discuss the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Here are excerpts.
read more...Friday, August 24, 2007
Proposed Budget Shows Funding Shortfall
Road Commission for Oakland County
The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) presented its proposed fiscal year 2008 budget at a public hearing last night, Thursday, Aug. 23, at the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Auditorium in Pontiac.
The proposed 2008 budget, at $104 million, includes plans for $30.5 million worth of...
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Bridge closing stokes gas tax politics at Capitol
News from Minnesota
From KARE 11 Television News
On the day the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed a bridge on the Red River talk of a gas tax hike ramped up at the State Capitol.
MnDOT announced it had closed the Drayton Bridge in Kittson County, which carries Highway 11 over the Red River into the city...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Web site says 7 area bridges are in critical condition
The Flint Journal
GENESEE COUNTY - Even as the state launched a new Web site promoting the safety of large bridges in Michigan, counties are struggling to find the money to repair or replace dozens of small, often out-of-the way crossings in poor condition.
The Michigan Department of Transportation site - www.michigan.gov/highwaybridgereport...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Bridge Disaster Fuels Push to Raise Tax for Repairs
Bloomberg
Former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta recalls how his boss, President George W. Bush, bristled at the idea of raising gasoline taxes in the 2005 highway bill.
``He took his Sharpie out and said, `Norm, get those tax increases out. I don't want a tax increase,''' says Mineta.
While Bush...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Several bridges 'poor,' obsolete
Livingston County Press
The Michigan Department of Transportation has released a report on the condition of the state's highway bridges, 14 of which were in Livingston County and found to be either functionally obsolete or structurally deficient.
A bridge is listed as structurally deficient if one part of the structure receives...
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Care of infrastructure need not break bank
Detroit Free Press
BY THOMAS M. DORAN
In the aftermath of the I-35W Bridge collapse in Minnesota, we've been told that much of our infrastructure is aging and in need of repair, or else it doesn't have the capacity or durability to handle what it is experiencing. Michigan also has other needs that demand funding, and...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
State should raise gas tax to meet road needs
Detroit Free Press
The sky or bridges aren't falling yet in Michigan, but the state's roads are still among the worst in the nation. Over the next decade, the state's transportation system faces billions of dollars of unmet needs.
With revenues as they are, Michigan will fall more than $300 million a year short of what...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Bridge-repair funds shouldn't be reduced
The Ann Arbor News
When infrastructure fails, people can die. We saw it when the levees broke in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. And we were reminded of it earlier this month when Minneapolis' 40-year-old I-35 West bridge crumbled into the Mississippi River.
Crucial lessons can be learned from the tragic collapse,...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Minn. bridge collapse should fuel state gas tax hike, backers say
The Detroit News
he collapse of a Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis last week should alert Michigan leaders to needed road and bridge repairs here, backers of an uphill campaign to increase the state gas tax said Wednesday.
Mike Nystrom, co-chairman of the Michigan Transportation Team, said more than 3,000 state...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Timely Bridge Repairs
Grand Rapids Press
When infrastructure fails, people can die. We saw it when the levees broke in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. And we were reminded of it last week when Minneapolis' 40-year-old Interstate 35 West bridge crumbled into the Mississippi River.
Crucial lessons can be learned from the tragic collapse,...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Design for New Minnesota Bridge Unveiled
Associated Press
A soaring yet simple concrete bridge set atop 70-foot, land-based piers will replace the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River.
The design was made public Monday by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the companies it hired to build the replacement bridge, which is...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Design for New Minnesota Bridge Unveiled
Associated Press
A soaring yet simple concrete bridge set atop 70-foot, land-based piers will replace the collapsed Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River.
The design was made public Monday by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the companies it hired to build the replacement bridge, which is...
Thursday, August 9, 2007
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read more...Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Hike in gas tax urged to fix Michigan bridges, roads
The Detroit News
LANSING -- The collapse of a Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis last week should alert Michigan leaders to needed road and bridge repairs, backers of a gas tax increase said today.
Mike Nystrom, co-chair of the Michigan Transportation Team, said the state has more than 3,000 bridges that are...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Better Michigan Bridges May Cost You
WLNS TV
If you want safer bridges here in Michigan, be prepared to pay for it. Transportation officials came together calling local bridges a threat to public safety. This comes one week after a deadly bridge collapse in Minnesota. Every time you drive these days, you likely ask yourself, am I safe?
Vicki...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Lobbyists, Lawmakers Battle Over Bridge Funding
Channel 10 Television
It's no secret Michigan roads and bridges have seen better days. In fact, according to the lobbying group the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Assocation, or MITA, Michigan's roads are in worse shape than Minnesota's, the site of last week's deadly bridge collapse.
"This is not a scare tactic,"...
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bridges: Michigan's choice -- Invest more via taxes or just sit
Lansing State Journal
A Lansing State Journal editorial
The collapse of a bridge in Minnesota sent state officials in Michigan, and elsewhere, scurrying to re-check similar spans and issue assurances.
The good news so far:
Michigan has only four bridges like the Interstate 35 span that collapsed. All four have been...
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bridge fall may mean gas-tax hike
USA Today
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Minneapolis bridge disaster that suddenly is the symbol of the nation's crumbling infrastructure could tip the scales in favor of billions of dollars in higher gasoline taxes for repairs coast to coast.
There are 500 bridges around the country similar to the Minneapolis...
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Bridge Collapse Revives Issue of Road Spending
New York Times
In the past two years, Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota twice vetoed legislation to raise the state's gas tax to pay for transportation needs.
Now, with at least five people dead in the collapse of the Interstate 35W bride here, Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican appears to have had a change of heart.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Bridge disaster points to our infrastructure
Port Huron Times Herald
State, local spans need work
If the collapse of the Minneapolis' I-35W bridge increases your anxiety whenever you cross one of Michigan's bridges, don't dismiss it as paranoia. Like much of the nation, Michigan's infrastructure needs work.
Two consecutive administrations - Gov. John Engler's...
Monday, August 6, 2007
A gas tax can help maintain Michigan's bridges
Crain's Detroit Business
As a young reporter in Grand Rapids, I often pulled a short straw and was assigned to do stories about annual studies of the region's “infrastructure.â€
You may insert your own yawn here.
Inevitably, the reports forecast dire problems looming with roads, bridges and other publicly owned...
Friday, August 3, 2007
Collapse underscores abysmal state of bridges
Kalamazoo Gazette
The abrupt collapse on Wednesday of a key bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis -- and the horrifying loss of life caused by it -- reminds us of an important truth: The nation's infrastructure cannot be neglected.
The Interstate 35W span was inspected two years ago, when structural deficiencies...
Friday, August 3, 2007
Collapsed bridge sends a warning
Detroit Free Press
The abrupt collapse on Wednesday of a key bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis -- and the horrifying loss of life caused by it -- reminds us of an important truth: The nation's infrastructure cannot be neglected.
The Interstate 35W span was inspected two years ago, when structural deficiencies...
Friday, August 3, 2007
Experts: Leadership, money keys to building bridges
CNN
Nearly a quarter of the nation's roughly 600,000 major bridges carry more traffic than they were designed to bear, according to reports based on federal government data.
The Interstate 35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River during rush hour Wednesday.
Experts said Thursday that the problem...
Friday, August 3, 2007
Officials see new urgency to improve USA's bridges
USA Today
Against the shock of a mighty span's inexplicable fall — at rush hour, into the nation's greatest river — bridge experts offer this reassurance: The same federally mandated inspections that show one-quarter of U.S. bridges to be "structurally deficient" or "functionally obsolete" also indicate...
read more...Thursday, August 2, 2007
Scrutiny increases on condition of Michigan bridges
Associated Press
The state of Michigan is sending inspectors back out to look at four bridges in the aftermath of a bridge collapse in Minnesota.
State officials made the announcement Thursday, while stressing that Michigan's bridges are safe despite hundreds of them being considered structurally deficient.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Some Michigan Bridges Critical, Others to Be Re-Inspected
WILX TV
Michigan bridges are reaching a crossroads. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, 200 bridges across the state are critical, meaning they need immediate repairs.
Each structure is inspected every two years, but some require some extra attention.
"Here in Michigan we have our own...
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Not all state bridges so mighty
Detroit Free Press
Happy 50th birthday this weekend to the Mackinac Bridge, the majestic span that links Michigan's peninsulas. The Mac's in great shape for a 50-year-old, which, unfortunately, cannot be said of many of its smaller cousins around the state. The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association released...
read more...Saturday, July 28, 2007
Builders Use Bridge Birthday to Highlight Needs
Gongwer News Service
As the state celebrates the anniversary of the opening of the Mackinac
Bridge, it should also put some focus on the condition of the rest of the
bridges in the state, the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation
Association said this week.
The group noted that some 200 bridges are on the state's...
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Gas Tax Could be Going Up
News from Utah
Two legislative committees are considering raising the tax on gasoline in order to pay for road construction projects.
Utah created a per gallon gasoline tax to pay for road projects more than 50 years ago. According to the Deseret Morning News, a 24.5 five cents per gallon tax has been the standard...
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Road funds: Without boost in fuel tax, roads lead in one direction
Lansing State Journal
As the state with the nation's highest unemployment rate, Michigan is in no position to let jobs slip away.
That's why lawmakers need to find some time this summer to tackle fuel tax and vehicle fee increases to boost road construction.
This week, the Detroit News reported on a disturbing trend...
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Highway Contractors in Jam
The Grand Rapids Press
This spring, for the first time in 20 years, Arnie Morren could not hire back all the employees at his road construction business.
And, despite the 15 percent cut in work force, some crews at his Moline-based Nagel Construction are working fewer than 40 hours a week and get little overtime, Morren...
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Roads sacrificed to maintain status quo
The Detroit News
Michigan will soon see a very visible sign of the state's dismal economic condition -- its roads will be rutted and crumbling.
The state can't sustain spending on road construction projects with tax revenues declining. And federal funds are drying up.
Construction employment in the state is down...
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Michigan roads need steady revenue stream
Kalamazoo Gazette
Drive around Michigan today, try to get through road-construction detours, dodge orange barrels and wonder how on earth to get there from here, but remember: It could be worse.
If Michigan were not pouring hundreds of millions of borrowed dollars into road repairs and improvements, the state's transportation...
Monday, July 9, 2007
Roadwork jobs fade as state cuts back
The Detroit News
After decades of growth, companies that build Michigan's highways and public water and sewer systems are closing their doors or laying off workers and seeking work in other states.
A drop in taxpayer funding -- fueled largely by the state's sluggish economy -- has curtailed the multimillion-dollar...
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
$44B Michigan roads shortfall projected by 2030
The Toledo Blade
Maintaining Michigan's transportation network and expanding it where necessary to accommodate traffic growth between now and 2030 will cost about $81 billion, or $44 billion more than the revenue currently forecast to be available, a state long-range plan released yesterday states.
"Projected funding...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Study will road-test a transit levy by the mile, instead of by the gallon
Charlotte North Carolina Observer
RALEIGH --
North Carolinians are driving more miles every year, but they're buying less gas.
Better fuel economy sounds great for the pocketbook and good for the planet, but it spells trouble for the state's reliance on gas-tax money to pay for transit and highways.
The federal Highway Trust Fund...
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
County OKs 5-cent gas tax
A newspaper in Florida--
Lake Okeechobee News
Beginning Jan. 1, 2008, county residents will pay an additional 5 cents a gallon in gasoline tax.
Despite the protests of several residents, the Okeechobee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to increase the county gasoline tax by an additional 5 cents at...
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Gas Tax Increase Needed
Associated Construction Publications
Approximately 44 percent of Michigan's urban interstate highways are congested compared to one-third nationally, according to a report that was presented in April by Paul L. Anderson, principal and chief executive officer of Anderson Economic Group, L.L.C., at the Michigan Aggregates Association Annual...
read more...Monday, June 4, 2007
Overpass review will cost more
The Detroit News
Inspections launched in April to determine the condition of concrete overpasses in Metro Detroit will take twice as long and cost 80 percent more than first thought, officials say.
But fixes now are being made as workers go, rather than being set aside for later, Michigan Department of Transportation...
Friday, June 1, 2007
Conservative Group Supports Gas Tax Increase
Michigan Contractor and Builder
A report released recently by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy supports long-term efforts to increase state transportation system funding. Without significant funding reforms, the condition of state, county and local roads in Michigan will deteriorate significantly over the next decade, while congestion...
read more...Wednesday, May 30, 2007
High Gas Prices Bring Low Spirits
The Voice
Soaring gas prices are leaving sinking feelings in many people's pockets as they fill up their tank at the pump.
With gas prices in the New Baltimore area hovering around $3.45 to $3.60 per gallon, many motorists had something to complain about as they put gas into their cars.
"I remember when...
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Roads Could Pay Price
Oakland Press
A shift to alternative fuels and more fuel efficient vehicles might make good sense for the environment, but an unintended victim could be the condition of the country's roads and bridges.
Federal and state gas taxes charged at the pump pay for local, state and federal roads and bridges. Motorists...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Metro Detroit needs more roads, report states
Detroit News
Unless more or bigger roads are built in Metro Detroit, it'll take commuters 50 percent longer to get to work by 2030, according to a report released today by a national nonprofit research group.
read more...Monday, May 21, 2007
Frozen Federal Gas Tax Leading to Higher State Gas Taxes
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- A cash crunch is fast approaching for the government trust fund that pays to build and repair highways and bridges.
The federal tax on a gallon of gas has not risen in 14 years and Congress is reluctant to increase it. People are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles—less gasoline...
Monday, May 21, 2007
Minnesota Legislature preparing fallback transportation bill if gas-tax increase proposal dies
Pioneer Press
The Minnesota Senate passed a "lights-on'' transportation spending bill this morning aimed at keeping critical operations going in case a more ambitious bill doesn't clear the Legislature later today.
The House and Senate last week passed a measure that increases the gas tax by a nickel a gallon,...
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Please Raise My Taxes
Grand Rapids Press
Please tell the Michigan Legislature and governor to raise my taxes. The state, led by the Republicans, for many years has been cutting taxes and it isn't working. We are now suffering the negative effects of this approach.
You can see it when you drive on our roads. You can feel it in your wallet...
Friday, May 4, 2007
Time to Join the Pothole Patrol
Lansing State Journal
Derek Wallbank
Lansing State Journal
Alisha Harris has had two flat tires this spring after hitting potholes.
“It’s been like this for awhile,†the 34-year-old Lansing resident said while looking recently at potholes in southeast Lansing. “It’s not just me, two...
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Survey: Half could support higher gas tax
CNN Money.com
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- More than half of Americans would support higher gasoline taxes if the money went to research into alternative fuels, according to a survey released Wednesday.
The question in the survey, which was sponsored by the conservation-minded Civil Society Institute, didn't specify...
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Prices pumping up?
Cadillac News
n the coming months, three pieces of legislation might have a impact on the price of gas over the next couple years.
On April 3, 2007 Rep. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, Chair, House Transportation Committee and Rep. Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, House Minority Leader, introduced three bills to significantly...
Monday, April 30, 2007
Enough pandering; fix the budget
Kalamazoo Gazette
Reality is starting to rear its ugly head in Lansing. But will reality trump ideology, at long last?
It's hard to tell, but judging from what local state lawmakers are saying, only the most adamant tax foes can't see that the state government's chronic budget shortfalls cannot be solved by cuts alone...
Friday, April 20, 2007
Mackinac Center: Raise fuel taxes for road work
Midland Daily News
A road study from the Midland-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy puts strings on its recommendation for higher gasoline and diesel fuel taxes for road work.
read more...Thursday, April 19, 2007
Running on Empty
Grand Rapids Press
New local road and state highway funding is crucial to the state's economic development. But hammering out a new business tax and balancing the state budget need to be lawmakers' top priorities right now. That will pave the way for the rigorous debate necessary on new legislation to significantly raise...
read more...Monday, April 16, 2007
$250 Prize for Worst Pothole
Detroit Free Press
BY MATT HELMS
FREE PRESS DRIVING COLUMNIST
Have you seen a huge pothole that everyone ought to know about? A picture of it could win you $250.
The Drive MI Campaign is asking folks to send in photos of tire-killing potholes as part of its effort to get the state to increase spending on Michigan’s...
Monday, April 16, 2007
Contest Focuses Attention: Some Potholes Defy Description
Houghton Mining Gazette
HOUGHTON — Wanted: Biggest roadway crater — in digital format please.
The two-week long contest to find the state’s worst pothole is more than half way over and so far, one of the biggest monsters caught on camera is about three feet wide by three feet deep.
“I certainly...
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Wanted: The State's Biggest Pothole
Grand Haven Tribune
A two-week contest, sponsored by the Michigan Transportation Team's Drive MI campaign, begins today and runs through Friday, April 20. The contest will award $250 service center scholarships to help offset vehicle repairs to the top three entrants who report the worst potholes in the state.
read more...Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Got Potholes? You Could Be a Winner
Lansing State Journal
A photo of that gaping pothole on your street could win you $250 - which could help you fix the axle you shattered driving over it.
The Michigan Transportation Team, which has lobbied the state for increased road funding, particularly through an increased gas tax, set up the contest to find Michigan's...
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Lansing Wants to Raise Gas Taxes
Port Huron Times-Herald
Bipartisan legislation, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, and House Minority Leader Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, would raise the gas tax 9 cents in three years - topping out at 28 cents per gallon by 2010. The money would be used by MDOT and local road agencies to maintain and repair...
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Bills Call for Higher Gas Tax
Battle Creek Enquirer
Bipartisan legislation outlined Tuesday would raise the state's gasoline tax by 9 cents per gallon over three years, with backers saying it's time Michigan improves its deteriorating roads. The bills also would boost the diesel tax by 13 cents a gallon and increase vehicle registration fees by 50 percent....
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Lawmakers Push 9-Cent Hike in Gas Tax for Road Fixes
Detroit News
A bipartisan coalition seeking $1 billion more per year for road work has announced plans for legislation this spring to raise the 19-cent state gasoline tax by 9 cents a gallon over three years, plus a doubling of vehicle registration fees. The coalition is made up of business, labor and industry leaders....
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Lawmakers Get Serious on Gas Tax Hike
Kalamazoo Gazette
Motorists would pay 9 cents a gallon more at the pump and 50 percent more in annual vehicle-registration fees under a bipartisan tax proposal designed to generate more than $1 billion in new funding every year for state and local roads. Proposed Tuesday by a coalition of business, labor and government...
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Gas Tax Hike Has Broad Support, Miles to Go
Grand Rapids Press
Legislation proposed Tuesday by a coalition of business, labor and government groups represents one of the biggest tax hikes in recent Michigan history. Its fate could be tied to an overall package of budget cuts and tax increases Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers have been wrestling over for weeks....
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Michigan's Gasoline Tax Rate
Kalamazoo Gazette
State gasoline tax: 19 cents per gallon. Thirty-three states had higher rates and 16 states had lower rates as of late last year.
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Michigan Roads, Bridges Can't Wait Much Longer
Kalamazoo Gazette
Editorial. “If the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and labor unions can get behind a proposed state gasoline tax increase, can Republicans and Democrats agree, too? Perhaps so.
read more...Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Lawmakers: Tax Increase Needed at the Pump
Wood TV 8
Some Michigan lawmakers think a gasoline tax increase is needed to improve the state's roads.
A campaign by Drivemi.org encourages an increase in transportation spending, with a backing from AAA, construction companies, labor groups and chambers of commerce.
A bipartisan bill to increase the gasoline...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Gas Tax Increase Essential for Fixes
Detroit Free Press
Editorial: "Michigan's transportation system is running out of fuel -- and there's just one way to fill the tank. ... Its inadequate transit systems, a few close to bankrupt, have had to cut service and raise fares. Congestion and commute times are rising, partly because the state can barely afford to...
read more...Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Fuel Tax Picks Up Steam
Detroit Free Press
A new push to fix Michigan roads and transportation infrastructure by raising fuel taxes is expected to be announced at the Capitol today.
State Reps. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D-Taylor, and Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, have scheduled a news conference this afternoon to launch the proposal that would, among other...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Gas Tax Increase Essential for Fixes
Detroit Free Press
The following editorial appeared in the Detroit Free Press April 3, 2007.
Michigan's transportation system is running out of fuel -- and there's just one way to fill the tank.
The state's roads and bridges are among the worst in the nation, as the concrete chunks that rained from a bridge onto...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Proposed Increase in Gas Tax Deserves Some Consideration
Oakland Press
The following editorial was published in the Oakland Press.
Michigan roads are deteriorating - rapidly. It doesn't take a highway engineer to see that. In fact, drive a few miles anywhere in the state or just in the metro area, and you'll see - and feel - the problem.
Unfortunately, it appears...
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Group Pushes Gas Tax Hike to Fund Road Repairs
Detroit News
Business, labor and elected leaders publicly launched a bid Tuesday to boost repairs and improvements on Michigan roads with a 9-cent increase in the state gasoline tax over the next three years and a doubling of the vehicle registration fee.
read more...Monday, April 2, 2007
Crumbling Bridges Tied to Bad Concrete
Detroit News
State transportation officials blame bad concrete for a crumbling overpass that sent boulder-sized chunks onto cars last month on Interstate 696, and fear as many as 10 percent of Michigan's 13,000 bridges may have been built with the same material. That's the grim conclusion from the Michigan Department...
read more...Sunday, April 1, 2007
Danger in Underfunding
Detroit Free Press
The March 21 article "Shattered windshields and shattered nerves" should serve as an eye-opener to the danger of continuing to let our infrastructure deteriorate. In recent years, Michigan has not made investing in our transportation network a priority, and it shows. The main revenue source for roads,...
read more...Sunday, April 1, 2007
Gas tax: Michigan needs to take steps now to protect the quality of its roads
Lansing State Journal
A Lansing State Journal editorial
Rare are the occasions when major business interests such as the Michigan Chamber of Commerce come together with union interests to support, of all things, a tax increase.
But that has happened in the interest of fixing Michigan's roads.
The coalition, some...
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Temporary Quick Fixes No Longer Work for Budget, Roads
Saginaw News
What does the rating agency Standard & Poor's have in common with the Cass Avenue bridge over Interstate 75 in Detroit? Both offered up cold doses of reality for a Michigan Legislature facing tough decisions about how to balance the state budget and provide critical services. Nearly two months have passed...
read more...Thursday, March 29, 2007
Group: Hiking gas tax, fees could bring $1B for roads
The Oakland Press
A group from eight of Michigan's largest counties, including Oakland, has endorsed a plan to increase gasoline taxes and vehicle registration fees to pay for the state's crumbling roads. And the state Senate on Wednesday moved to create a road funding task force to look at alternative ways to pay for...
read more...Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Michigan's bumpy roads
Detroit Free Press Website
Free Press Driving Columnist Matt Helms and Video Columnist Mike Wendland are checking out reader reports of potholes this week. In this first of a video series, they show the worst they've found so far. They also interviewed Craig Bryson from the Road Commission for Oakland County who explained why...
read more...Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wretched Ruts Return
Detroit Free Press
BY MATT HELMS and MIKE WENDLAND
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
The annual products of spring no one wants to see are popping up all over metro Detroit, bringing misery and expensive car repairs.
It's pothole season.
Just ask Denise Reid of Detroit. She was driving her 1999 Ford Taurus onto the...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Wanted: $1 Billion More for Roads
Michigan Information and Research Service, Inc.
The following article is one of many newspaper, television and radio reports that have appeared recently regarding the effort by the Michigan Transportation Team to increase state transportation funding.
read more...Monday, March 26, 2007
State Funding for Roads Is Radio Interview Topic
Statewide Radio Tour
Mike Nystrom, co-chair of the Michigan Transportation Team and Vice President of Government and Public Relations for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, participated in a statewide radio tour March 26.
Nystrom highlighted funding needs on more than 15 stations statewide....
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Talking About a Gas Tax
Lansing State Journal
Readers responded to a question: Would you support an icnrease in the gas tax to pay for fixing more of Michigan's roads?
read more...Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Shattered windshields and shattered nerves
Detroit Free Press
The state ordered close inspection of east-side I-696 bridges Tuesday after bowling-ball-sized chunks of concrete fell onto the expressway under Groesbeck, damaging several cars during the height of the Tuesday morning rush hour and scaring drivers.
While no one was injured, the incident highlighted...
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Drivers Dodging Potholes
Detroit News
As motorists in northwest Detroit can tell you, exiting the Southfield Freeway for Seven Mile offers little relief for weary suspensions: a series of freeway potholes -- one the size of a kitchen sink -- gives way to an unrelenting legion of smaller holes and bumps. And while the state's multibillion-dollar...
read more...Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Public Transit Aided
Saginaw News
Letter to the Editor:
On behalf of STARS passengers who made approximately 900,000 passenger trips last year, whether it was to school, a dialysis clinic or the grocery store, I want to thank The News for seriously considering the need for a gasoline tax increase. ("Gas tax talk speeds up," March...
Monday, March 5, 2007
Transit Plans Gain Momentum
The Detroit News
From proposed commuter trains to regional bus service, the long-failed effort to establish mass transit in car-crazy Metro Detroit is building steam, officials say.
Bringing the issue to the forefront are increasingly congested roads, soaring gas prices and the fact that Democrats -- who historically...
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Down the Road
Grand Rapids Press
Editorial. “Transportation funding isn't the first pothole in Michigan's bumpy fiscal path this year. Settling on a replacement business tax must be resolved first. But fixing the road situation shouldn't be far down the pike. If revenue doesn't increase, then spending and overall road adequacy...
read more...Friday, February 23, 2007
Road Funding May Hit Pothole
Livingston Daily Press & Argus
The lagging economy is likely to result in less money for local road repairs next year, according to the head of the county's road agency. Mike Craine, managing director of the Livingston County Road Commission, told the agency's board Thursday that he expects a 3 percent decrease in money from the MTF,...
read more...Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Fuel Tax Talk Swirls
Saginaw News
Ask William L. Miller if he'd like to see an increase in the gasoline tax, and he talks about unmet road needs in Saginaw County. So, in a word, yes. "We're all for it," said Miller, engineer-manager of the County Road Commission. "The cost of building roadways is going up, and over the past at least...
read more...Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Gas Tax Hike is on the Table
Kalamazoo Gazette
It's that time of year when the annual freeze-thaw gives Michigan asphalt the old heave-ho. And this year, motorists could be paying more for the road repairs.
Momentum is quietly building in Lansing to hike the state's gas tax, even as Gov. Jennifer Granholm's proposed 2 percent excise tax on services...
Sunday, February 18, 2007
IN OUR OPINION: Raise gas tax or face a bumpy future
Detroit Free Press
With Gov. Jennifer Granholm proposing a 2% tax on most services, and many Michiganders struggling, raising gas taxes won't make anyone popular. But Granholm and legislators must, or return to a time when Michigan's battered and bruised roads cost the state plenty in auto repair bills, congested commutes...
read more...Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Improve Roads or Detour State's Future
Detroit Free Press
Michigan's road network is at a turning point. It can be allowed to deteriorate or it can be revitalized with new reforms.
In 2004, state and local governments spent about $3.4 billion on road construction and repair. However, money available for new construction and maintenance is decreasing at the...
Sunday, February 11, 2007
It May Be the Right Time for Michigan to Consider Increasing Gas Tax
Oakland Press
Commentary. Glenn Gilbert, executive editor of The Oakland Press, writes: “Pressure is building for a gasoline tax increase in Michigan. A strong case can be made for it.
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce - hardly a tax-and-spend organization - has endorsed a 9-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax hike...
Thursday, February 8, 2007
Selling A Gasoline Tax Won't Be Easy
Kalamazoo Gazette
There aren't many issues in which organized labor and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce are on the same side. But the two groups are joined by building contractor associations, the Michigan Farm Bureau, the Michigan Municipal League, the Michigan Sheriffs Association, and associations representing aggregate...
read more...Monday, February 5, 2007
Groups Push Forward on Mass Transit Proposals
Crain's Detroit Business
Parallel efforts are pushing forward plans to bring rapid transit to metro Detroit, including one that could have commuter trains operating daily between Ann Arbor and Detroit by the end of this year.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
Gas-Tax Increase Gets Backing From Michigan Chamber
Crain's Detroit Business
The Michigan Chamber of Commerce on Thursday said it would back an increase in Michigan’s gas tax, among a host of legislative priorities for the upcoming Capitol session. Rich Studley, executive vice president, said transportation is a “critically important economic development and infrastructure...
read more...Thursday, February 1, 2007
Michigan Needs the Courage to Raise Taxes, Fund Services
Detroit News
Craig Ruff is a senior policy fellow at Public Sector Consultants in Lansing. Ruff writes: “Political leaders in Virginia rose to a challenge similar to the one that confronts Michigan. Like them, Michigan needs the courage and conviction not only to cut spending, but to increase taxes to save...
read more...Thursday, February 1, 2007
Business Group Promotes Tax Plan, Gas Tax Increase
Associated Press
A Michigan Chamber of Commerce-backed plan to replace the state's main business tax was introduced Thursday in the state Legislature. The business group also on Thursday reiterated its support for raising the state's gasoline tax to bring in more money to fix Michigan roads.
read more...Thursday, February 1, 2007
Trade Group Wants Higher Gas Taxes
ABC 12-Flint
A state construction trade association wants a higher tax to fund more road projects.
The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, or MITA, wants lawmakers to increase the state's gas tax by 9 cents by 2010.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
To Prosperity: Kick Gas Tax Into Orbit
Bay City Times
Editorial. “The hand-wringers down in Lansing looking for money to pay for roadwork, prop up state services, keep auto factories humming and make Michigan a leader in alternative fuels are overlooking a major gold mine. Just raise the gasoline tax.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Transportation Money in Trouble?
WILX Television – Lansing
There are bumpy roads ahead in mid-Michigan, literally, if federal transportation levels stay where they are. When the democrats took control of Congress they inherited a budget that needed balancing. As a result, some of the money Michigan receives for road repair could go towards that. An estimated...
read more...Friday, January 26, 2007
Michigan can't have it both ways
Kalamazoo Gazette
On the one hand, the state desperately needs revenue to replace the
huge sums that will be lost when the Single Business Tax is phased out
of existence at the end of this year.
On the other hand, many believe that higher taxes could hurt existing
business and industry in Michigan, and would end...
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Amtrak's chief wants to upgrade its image
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Amtrak's new president wants to upgrade the passenger railroad's image and the tracks it shares with the nation's increasingly busy freight rail carriers, and he expects the federal government to help.
Four months into the job, Alex Kummant said he found the much-maligned railroad in...
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
No Surprise: Michigan Roads in Bad Shape
Detroit Free Press
The state doesn't fare well nationally when it comes to the conditions of its freeways and major roads, according to a study released Monday. While the national average of urban interstates in good condition was 56%, only 41% of Michigan's urban interstates got a good rating in the study by the East...
read more...Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Quick Action Needed for Transit
Crain's Detroit Business
The next three months are going to be pivotal in the push to bring rapid transit to Southeast Michigan as plans come together from several government agencies and grassroots organizations, including one that calls for two lines to be running by the end of 2007.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Higher gas taxes proposed
Crain's Detroit Business
Michigan's road builders are calling for a nearly 50 percent increase in the state gas tax, but so far it's unclear what reception they'll get from Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature.
The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, an Okemos-based group representing road and bridge...
Monday, January 22, 2007
Commuter Rail Line to Detroit Gets a Push
Detroit Free Press
Megan Owens' twice-monthly drives to Ann Arbor are a frustrating exercise in stop-and-go traffic and construction dodgeball.
The Hazel Park resident can't wait for the day that she can visit her family in Ann Arbor by riding a train, as she reads a magazine or talks on her cell phone instead of staring...
Sunday, January 21, 2007
The Cupboard is Bare
Detroit Free Press
Michigan needs fresh thinking to raise the revenue needed to provide services and build a better future.
Michigan has cleaned out its larder and is starting to eat into its seed corn. Without some replenishment of state taxes, the damage to the state's future, particularly its children, will be irreversible....
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Michigan Group Pushing for Higher Gas Tax
WLNS TV - Lansing
Right now, for every gallon of gas you buy, you pay 19 cents in state taxes. That money helps pay for road repairs and maintenance, but a statewide group claims your tax money isn't enough to take care of our roads. The winter weather wreaks havoc on the roads. Every time you buy a tank of gas, you're...
read more...Thursday, January 18, 2007
Group Lobbies for More Money for State's Roads
Liivingston Daily Press & Argus
A coalition of business, labor, local government and transportation organizations are gearing up for a push to find more money for Michigan's roads in 2007, possibly from an increase in the gasoline tax
read more...Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Coalition Wants More Money for Michigan's Roads
Lansing State Journal
A coalition of business, labor, local government and transportation organizations are gearing up for a push to find more money for Michigan's roads in 2007, possibly from an increase in the gasoline tax.
read more...Monday, January 15, 2007
Group May Push to Pump Up Gas Tax
Livingston Daily Press & Argus
A coalition of business, labor, local government and transportation organizations are gearing up for a push to find more money for Michigan's roads in 2007, possibly from an increase in the gasoline tax.
read more...Monday, January 8, 2007
Interstate System Needs Money for Updates
Traverse City Record Eagle
Transportation experts proudly describe the Interstate Highway System as the greatest public works project ever built in the United States. But in some respects, they admit, it is also a study in poor planning. Fifty years after its birth, the 46,876-mile network is imperiled by crumbling concrete, decaying...
read more...Sunday, January 7, 2007
How the Interstate System Reshaped Nation
Traverse City Record Eagle
Transportation experts report a significant portion of the 46,876-mile Interstate Highway System that crisscrosses the country is in serious disrepair and needs to be rebuilt to withstand greater use and expanded to relieve traffic congestion. But that will cost billions of dollars beyond just keeping...
read more...Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Road Agencies Right to Seek More Funding
Port Huron Times-Herald
Editorial. “St. Clair County Road Commission leaders are meeting with their counterparts in seven other counties in an effort to shake the money tree. Good for them. Any attempt by county officials to seek more ways to boost revenue is wise - and probably essential - these days. County governments...
read more...Thursday, December 28, 2006
Counties Seek Road Funds
Port Huron Times-Herald
Officials in several Michigan counties, including St. Clair County, are hoping a grass-roots effort will help bring more money for local roads. The effort, started by Oakland County officials, began earlier this month when eight counties met to discuss road funding.
read more...Saturday, December 16, 2006
Michigan's rate of return on tax dollars makes it donor state
Lansing State Journal
For every tax dollar Michigan residents send to Washington, they get back a maximum 88 cents in federal spending on programs ranging from Medi-caid to highway construction, researchers say.
The state's "donor" status is evident in the poor condition of many Michigan roads and in the lower reimbursement...
Friday, December 15, 2006
Lack of Cash May Stall Clinton Twp. Road Project
Detroit Free Press
A highly anticipated road expansion in Clinton Township may get the green light this month if Macomb County has enough money. But if the county Road Commission can't find another $700,000 by Christmas for the $5-million effort to widen Cass Avenue from two to five lanes between Groesbeck and Heydenreich,...
read more...Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Michigan must make smooth roads a priority
The Detroit News
Letter to the Editor:
Everyone complains about the roads in Michigan, but few can point to the exact cause. But what if we just aren't spending enough to properly maintain our roads?It's time for Michigan's Legislature to seriously look at how we fund our roads. Our main revenue for roads -- the state's...
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Township Seeks Help for Bridge Repair Funds
Mining Journal
The township has been denied state funds, and is now seeking funding at the federal level for repairs to the Carp River Bridge.
read more...Friday, December 1, 2006
Drivers Dread West Side Bridge
Detroit Free Press
Columnist Matt Helms writes: "Today's Disaster of the Week -- when we sneer at a road that needs a lot more than a helping hand -- is a small, one-way bridge over a Detroit freeway. But don't let the small size of this overpass fool you... There's layer upon layer of patching on this bridge, used...
read more...Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Norton Weighs Finance Options, Including Starting Income Tax
Muskegon Chronicle
Norton Shores' finance director has suggested an income tax as one way to help the financially strapped city pay for services, mainly millions of dollars worth of road work. Residents may get a chance to sound off on the idea of an income tax and other alternatives in a town meeting officials have discussed...
read more...Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Rural Roads More Dangerous
Cheboygan Tribune
A new statewide study shows that as Michigan's pool of transportation dollars continues to shrink, motor vehicle accidents will continue to rise. Michigan is averaging more than 408,000 motor vehicle accidents annually, said Mike Nystrom, co-chair of the Michigan Transportation Team in Lansing, Mich....
read more...Wednesday, November 15, 2006
On a Rough Road
Flint Journal
Editorial. “It won't come as a surprise to anyone who drives in Genesee County that a recent Planning Commission evaluation of 1,045 miles of roads found that 42 percent of those eligible for federal aid need to be resurfaced or rebuilt completely. Long-term neglect has taken a hefty toll. The...
read more...Monday, November 13, 2006
Crumbling Roads Raise Concerns
Flint Journal
The busiest streets and roads in Genesee County are in increasingly poor condition, neglected so long that they now need expensive structural work, according to a new county evaluation. The report from the county Planning Commission has not been published, but members of the county's Metropolitan Alliance...
read more...Friday, November 10, 2006
Rapid Transit Plans Panned
Ann Arbor News
A new analysis of a proposal for rapid transit between Ann Arbor and Detroit says the five alternatives under consideration are too expensive and would attract too few riders to be competitive for the federal funds needed to start the service.
read more...Monday, November 6, 2006
Road Commission Cuts Back
Ann Arbor News
Snow may linger a bit longer than usual on some residential streets and gravel roads in Washtenaw County this winter. That's because the Road Commission needs to save $3 million in its 2007 budget. In another move that is already drawing some resistance, the Road Commission decided that for local bridges,...
read more...Wednesday, November 1, 2006
Pay More, Get Less for Roads
The Allegan County News
Allegan County taxpayers fund roads more then any other county in the state, but service will probably decrease in the upcoming year due to cuts in funding from the state level, according to the road commission's annual report.
Road commissioners were at the Thursday, Oct. 26, Allegan County Commission...
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Bay City Considers Closing Bridges to Save Money
Bay City Times
Facing a $700,000 deficit in the Major Streets Fund for the 2007-08 fiscal year, officials said the city could save money by either laying off several employees who maintain the streets, or closing Independence or Liberty bridges, or both.
John Gaydos, engineering manager for Bay City, said cutting...
Monday, October 30, 2006
Declining Revenues Impact Winter Maintenance Procedures
Kent County Road Commission
The Kent County Road Commission will be entering the 2006 winter season with fewer trucks on the road than in past years. Due to declining revenues since 2004, and a hiring freeze placed into effect in 2005, 17 fewer winter maintenance employees will be available to plow the 2000 miles of Kent County...
read more...Wednesday, October 25, 2006
City: Who'll Pay to Fix Roads?
Muskegon Chronicle
Norton Shores residents seem to consider the prospect of paying special assessments for road reconstruction and resurfacing even more distasteful than an across-the-board property-tax increase.
News that the city is considering charging residents living along deteriorating roads the full cost of...
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Union negotiations amicably concluded
Gladwin County Record
To the Editor:
The Gladwin County Road Commission has recently settled its union contract with the United Steelworkers. It was a difficult contract to settle with the economic slump in Michigan, with decreasing revenues, and extreme cost increases in what we do. There were difficult decisions to be...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Costs Delay Wider Cass
Detroit Free Press
Don't expect orange barrels on Cass Avenue anytime soon. The much-anticipated expansion of the road that connects Clinton Township with the county seat of Mt. Clemens has hit a funding speed bump. The Road Commission of Macomb County said escalating expenses led it to delay the project initially scheduled...
read more...Monday, October 16, 2006
High Gas Prices Lower State Gas Tax Revenue
Niles Daily Star
Lansing – Short-term price decreases at the pump are a welcome sight for many, but high prices in 2006 have already taken their toll on road revenues. Recent numbers from the State of Michigan House Fiscal Agency show that gas tax revenue was significantly lower from January to July 2006, compared...
read more...Thursday, October 12, 2006
Road industry groups may seek funding changes
Detroit Free Press
Once the Nov. 7 election is over, look for road industry groups to start pushing for changes in the way the state funds its roads.
Mike Nystrom, spokesman for the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, which represents road builders and underground infrastructure contractors, says recent...
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Voters' Pick: Cash for Kids or Roads?
Detroit News
A proposal to mandate yearly state spending increases for schools and colleges has pitted local educators against city officials. It also has voters, who will decide the measure Nov. 7, in a quandary: Should they pay more for schools at the expense of roads and police?
read more...Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Motorists Will Find Rocky Roads Ahead
Detroit News
Macomb County – A rougher road could be ahead for motorists now that the Road Commission of Macomb County has announced it will cut back on resurfacing local roads in the coming year.
Budget woes are behind the cutbacks, which now put more of a burden on individual communities to take care...
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Mid-Michigan's Roads are Simply Inexcusable
Lansing State Journal
Editorial by Keith Kelly: Mid-Michigan's roads are simply inexcusable.
I don't really have a dog in this fight. I'm not from Michigan, and I have no intention of spending my golden years here. But, you guys are kidding right?
I'm talking, of course, about the roads around here.
I have driven,...
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
County Eliminates Local Repair Programs
Romeo Observer
Get ready for a bumpy ride.
The Macomb County Road Commission has notified local townships that it has eliminated resurfacing and concrete pavement repair programs on local roads for 2006-2007.
Monday, October 2, 2006
Allegan Road Commission Forced to Make Cuts in Services
Hometown Gazette
Township officials in Allegan County may have to hold off on some road projects or dig deeper into their pockets to fund them now that the county road commission has announced cuts in some services it provides to the townships.
Allegan County Road Commission's managing director, William Nelson, sent...
Friday, September 29, 2006
County Official Calls for More Money for U.P.
The Mining Journal
Jim Iwanicki was polite when he made it clear the Michigan State Transportation Commission needed to find a way to get more money to the Upper Peninsula. Iwanicki, the manager of the Marquette County Road Commission, gave a presentation to the commission, which made the trek to the Upper Peninsula and...
read more...Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Is Crumbling Lodge Bridge a Harbinger?
The Detroit News
The bad news is that Michigan's bridges are in crummy shape. The good news is that slow but steady progress is being made in replacing/repairing Michigan bridges that are in poor condition or are obsolete. But despite the good news, chunks of concrete still occasionally rain down on state roadways. The...
read more...Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Falling cement closes down Lodge Freeway under Cobo
The Detroit News
The southbound lanes of the Lodge Freeway are closed under the Cobo Convention Center, the Michigan State Police said.
Concrete fell from an overpass about 5:20 a.m. today and crews at 7:15 a.m. still were inspecting the overpass. Motorists are being routed onto Larned.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Invest in Roads
Lansing State Journal
Letter to the Editor
The recent article "Traffic Trouble" highlighted the growing need to update Michigan's transportation system. As this article suggests, congestion is increasing as more and more people travel from the suburbs to work in Lansing.
The need to maintain and repair existing roads...
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Eroding Bridges Eat Away at Community
Detroit Free Press
For years, Lois Reithel said, the bridges linking the two sides of Hazel Park divided by I-75 have been deteriorating -- creating eyesores and a potential safety hazards.
The 11 overpasses for both automobiles and pedestrians over I-75 between 8 Mile and I-696 are covered with rust and are in such...
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Road Commission lays out projects for 2007
Grand Rapids Press
OTTAWA COUNTY -- With state gas tax revenues expected to remain flat next year, the Ottawa County Road Commission is looking at another tight list of construction projects.
The Road Commission is considering more than $11.6 million in construction and paving projects under a preliminary primary road...
Sunday, September 3, 2006
Fall in Gas Consumption Cuts Local Road Repair Funds
Grand Ledge Independent
Michigan's drivers are using less gasoline. Jon Bayless, the city's administrator, knows this first-hand because he said he was informed by the state department of transportation that money from the transportation department for the city to use to fix local streets has declined almost 5 percent. Bayless...
read more...Friday, August 25, 2006
Traffic, Not Road Repairs, is Still No. 1 Issue
Traverse City Record-Eagle
Editorial. “In the wake of the overwhelming defeat of the West Front parking deck proposal, city commissioner Ralph Soffredine said the city should concentrate on things like fixing city streets and sidewalks and providing more affordable housing. Recently, the city took the first steps to tackle...
read more...Friday, August 18, 2006
Funding for bridges stirs dispute
The Detroit News
Shelby Township – Two new bridges will be built over M-53 to enable pedestrians and bicyclists to safely pass over the road -- but the way township officials plan to fund the project is a source of controversy. The bridges, which will cost $2.6 million, will be built over the freeway at 21 Mile...
read more...Thursday, August 17, 2006
Bay City Studying Options for Future Road Repairs
Bay City Times
Under the current Streets Department schedule, the city plans to sell bonds to raise
$6.6 million that would be used to help fix some of Bay City's busiest roads, including Wenona and Woodside avenues, and Harrison and Henry streets. However, City Manager Robert V. Belleman said repaying the sale of...
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Transit Wins Momentum
Detroit Free Press
Mass transit in southeast Michigan got a welcome, much-needed boost Tuesday, when voters in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties approved a property tax renewal for SMART service by 70% or more. It was the strongest showing yet for the suburban bus system that provides metro Detroit's only regional transportation...
read more...Friday, August 4, 2006
New Plates Sap Funding From Roads
Adrian Daily Telegram
Replacing Michigan’s blue license plates under a law passed this spring will take money away from Lenawee County roads this year. The cost of the state’s license plate switch that is to begin in January is one more worry for the Lenawee County Road Commission as state funding declines and...
read more...Thursday, August 3, 2006
Townships' Leaders Seek Road Construction Relief
Grand Rapids Press
Ottawa County – Concerned about rising costs for road improvement projects, some township leaders are asking the county Road Commission to consider ideas for limiting construction costs, including relaxing traditional requirements for projects. Nine township supervisors came before commissioners...
read more...Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wayne County depletes surplus; funding for roads may run out
Detroit Free Press
Wayne County might have to delay repairs to some roads because its years-long practice of spending more money than it receives for roadwork has eaten up surplus funds and is expected to result in a deficit. Between the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 fiscal years, the county spent on average about $139 million...
read more...Tuesday, July 25, 2006
County roads are a problem - and more money is the solution
The Oakland Press
If you went to the Web site offered in Sunday's commentary page article regarding Oakland County road woes, you already know the answer to the problem.
A committee of the Oakland County Business Roundtable is proposing to raise $154.6 million annually to solve our increasing highway congestion problem.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Interstate roads have shaped the future for many mid-Michigan communities
Lansing State Journal
People live farther away, yet everything feels closer.
For a half century, the national interstate highway system has reshaped mid-Michigan, the state and the nation.
Imagine the commute from Howell to Lansing without I-96.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Fix state roads first, then look at new construction
The Bay City Times
The veins of asphalt and the concrete arteries that pump cars and trucks into, out of and throughout Michigan are suffering from old age.
Anyone who has driven outside the Great Lakes State so far this travel season has seen the evidence when they return.
Compared to the highways and interstates...
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Michigan Traffic Projected to Worsen
Michigan State News
Future congestion of highway traffic could be a problem by the year 2026 for the state of Michigan, a research group in Washington, D.C. said. The Road Information Program, or TRIP — a nonprofit transportation research group that does studies on highway transportation issues — released...
read more...Monday, July 10, 2006
Road Work Costs Soar
Saginaw News
Even if higher fuel prices don't deter motorists from driving, the soaring expense is taking its toll on roads. As the cost of crude oil -- a main component of asphalt -- has increased, it pushed the price of pavement up by half, to $48 a ton from $32, Saginaw County Road Commission officials say. "A...
read more...Tuesday, July 4, 2006
Mix of solutions may be needed to fund state roads
Wood TV 8
Mike Nystrom of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association was quoted in the following story about road funding.
read more...Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Report Says Michigan's Interstates Crucial to State
Associated Press
Lansing, Mich. (AP) – Michigan's interstate highway system remains the most crucial link in the state's transportation network, a role it has played for the past half-century, a transportation research group said Tuesday.
A report released Tuesday by Washington-based TRIP notes that improved...
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Michigan Road Report Card
WILX-TV News
Click on the following link to view and listen to a two-minute clip from WILX-TV. The 50th anniversary of the Interstate was their cover story on June 27, 2006. Click on the "Michigan Road Report Card" to watch the video. Kirk Steudle, MDOT Director; Mike Nystrom, co-chair of the Michigan Transportation...
read more...Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Michigan Interstates Celebrate Golden Birthday
Gongwer News Service
Michigan's interstate system turns 50 years old on Thursday, and state officials are using the anniversary to highlight the efficiencies of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's largest public works project - and caution that the system must be maintained to stay effective.
On June 29, 1956, Mr. Eisenhower...
Monday, June 26, 2006
Highway System Hits Milestone Fifty Years
Grand Rapids Press
As they commemorate the 50th anniversary of the law that spawned the interstates, officials are looking for fresh approaches to maintain them. "We have an economy built around this infrastructure and we have no money to maintain it," said Tom Cary, with the West Michigan Environmental Action Council....
read more...Thursday, June 22, 2006
Five Things: Smooth and bumpy
Detroit Free Press
Alex Cruden writes: “The interstate highway system is 50 years old this month. Michigan has been a leader in the nation's road history. … In 1824, before Michigan was a state (much less a part of an interstate network), it was represented in Congress by Father Gabriel Richard. In his only...
read more...Thursday, June 22, 2006
Governor Granholm Touts Legislation to Allow Communities to Invest in Mass Transit
Governor's Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2006
Contact: Heidi Watson
517-335-6397
Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today joined with area leaders to celebrate legislation that will allow local communities to ask voters to invest in the development of mass transit. She joined officials at The Rapid, an interurban...
Monday, June 19, 2006
Highway Financing Problem Is Daunting
Kalamazoo Gazette
Editorial. “Dwight Eisenhower … could rightfully be referred to as the father of our nation's interstate highway system. … Sadly, the highway system, in which Ike took great pride, has been deteriorating. And there aren't enough federal and state funds to keep up with the continuing...
read more...Monday, June 12, 2006
Questions and Answers: Top Mayor
Detroit Free Press
Dearborn Mayor Michael Guido became president last week of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, after serving as the organization's vice president. In his Dearborn office, Guido talked with Free Press editorial writer Jeff Gerritt about the problems facing the nation's cities. Includes this question and Guido’s...
read more...Sunday, June 11, 2006
Needed Reforms Cost Money – It's Time We Realized That
Saginaw News
Columnist Peter Luke writes: “Like it or not, the state has to do more to shape what comes next. … a new report written by a lot of smart people for Michigan Future Inc., an Ann Arbor public policy group, address that. … what infrastructure is needed to ensure that new urban economies...
read more...Friday, June 9, 2006
Rough Roads
Saginaw News
Letter to the editor. John D. Niemela, director, County Road Association of Michigan, writes: “Consumers are feeling the effects of rising gas prices, and Michigan's county road agencies are no different. Rising fuel costs have forced road commissions, just like consumers, to tighten their belts...
read more...Monday, June 5, 2006
Mackinac conference stresses investing in state
Associated Press
After years of cuts caused by Michigan's economic slump, the consensus among business and policy leaders attending the Mackinac Policy Conference seems to be moving toward an awareness that more needs to be invested in education, roads and job training.
read more...Thursday, June 1, 2006
House bills would give tax break on gasoline
Associated Press
Michigan motorists would get a tax break at the pump when gas prices top $2.30 a gallon under a plan advanced Wednesday by a state House committee.
read more...Friday, May 26, 2006
Steering past state's bumpy roads
Detroit Free Press
Kirk Steudle was appointed director of the Michigan Department of Transportation in March, replacing Gloria Jeff. Steudle talked with the Free Press editorial board last week about roads, revenue, politics, DARTA and getting around all those orange barrels.
read more...Friday, May 26, 2006
Different taxes on gas
Detroit Free Press
Mike Nystrom, co-chair of MTT, responded to a May 14 editorial on suspending the sales tax on gas.
read more...Tuesday, May 23, 2006
State steps up Metro area roadwork to pave recovery
The Detroit News
Mike Nystrom, co-chair of the Michigan Transportation Team and MITA vice president of government and public relations, is quoted in the following article.
read more...Monday, May 22, 2006
City Budgets
Detroit Free Press
Editorial. Detroit gets practically all of the attention but many other, smaller Michigan cities are facing unprecedented fiscal crises. In fact, 70 are close to bankruptcy, according to Conan Smith, executive director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance.
read more...Monday, May 22, 2006
Granholm Signs Transportation Construction Bills
Gongwer News Service
Mike Nystrom, co-chair of MTT and MITA vice president of government and public relations, was quoted in the following article.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Legislation would fund mass transit, roads
The Detroit News
Two state senators have introduced a resolution to allow Michigan voters to consider a one-half-cent sales tax to fund a transit system and another one-half cent for road improvements.
read more...Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Why are there no workers in the construction zone?
The Detroit News
Columnist Tom Greenwood provides a segment of his chat with Kirk T. Steudle, the newly appointed director of MDOT. In addition to answering a question about construction workers in construction zones, Steudle answers a question about the possibility of toll roads in Michigan:
“I think it's...
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Tight Budget Puts Projects on Hold
The Macomb Daily
County officials Monday slammed the brakes on $22 million worth of proposed construction projects, some of which had been planned for several years, because of an ongoing budget crisis with projected red ink for years to come.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Oil prices could hurt area roads
The Herald-Palladium
By Scott Aiken
Herald Palladium Staff Writer
As the effects of climbing oil prices ripple through the economy, county road commissions in Michigan are struggling to ride out the waves.
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Website Created to Boost Road Funding
Gongwer News Service
A new website trying to build interest in boosting financing for the state's roads and transportation system was announced on Monday.
The Michigan Transportation Team that includes more than 40 different business, labor and local government groups - including the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, the...
Thursday, April 20, 2006
A List Of Road Projects In Thursday's Agreement
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. Here is a list of state road projects included in today's agreement among Governor Granholm, Senate Majority Leader Ken Sikkema and House Speaker Craig DeRoche.
Local road projects not on this list will be decided by officials from the County Road Association of Michigan and the Michigan...
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Governor, Legislative Leaders Agree On Transportation Package
Associated Press
Friday, March 31, 2006
Report Card Confirms Need For More Money
The Daily News
Mike Nystrom, Vice President of Government & Public Relations at MITA discusses the recently released TRIP Report.
read more...Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Lansing-Area Roads Get Failing Grades
Lansing State Journal
Report cites crumbling pavement, aging bridges
read more...Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Road Evaluation Gives Michigan Bad Marks
The State News
Lansing area road conditions received an "F" in a report released Monday.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Detroit Regional Chamber Calls Michigan Road Report a Call To Action
The Auto Channel
An annual report by The Road Information Program (TRIP) giving Michigan's road system low grades should serve as a wake-up call for Southeast Michigan, the Detroit Regional Chamber said Monday.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Industry Group Gives Michigan Roads Failing Grades
News/Talk WJR 760 am
A highway think-tank and a coalition of road-builders launched a new funding effort.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Detroit Area Fails On Roads, Bridges
Detroit Free Press
It has been a long, bumpy road for state officials when it comes to finding ways and means to fix and improve Michigan's roads and bridges.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Report Gives Metro Area An "F" On Roads
The Detroit News
After nearly 10 years of construction and billions in investments, Michigan's roads are still in dire need of repair.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Traffic Woes To Stay
Oakland Press
Oakland County has the worst traffic congestion problems in Michigan.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Michigan Roads Receive Poor Grades
Channel 6 News
A new report from a non-profit research group gives bad grades to mid-Michigan roads.
read more...Monday, February 27, 2006
Road Report Card
Channel 10 News
A group called "TRIP" compiled federal traffic data to grade road conditions.
read more...Thursday, January 26, 2006
Fix Roads, Bridges
MIRS
The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) announced today that the closing of the Wixom Assembly Plant is just another example of what will happen if the state continues to allow the state's infrastructure to crumble.
MITA was referring to an article published in MIRS earlier...
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Repairing Roads: Relatively Low Fuel Taxes Keep Michigan from Catching Up
The Flint Journal First Addition
With the numerous orange barrels, closed lanes and detours Genesee County motorists cope with every construction season, it would seem road agencies were making headway on the backlog of repairs. No way, nohow.
And we might as well get used to enduring these conditions all across Michigan without...
Monday, August 26, 2002
Bridge maintenance is in the Stone Age
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, sat down last week with Star Tribune editorial writers to discuss the Interstate 35W bridge collapse. Here are excerpts.
read more...Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Bridge Birthday Highlights Needs
Gongwer News Service
As the state celebrates the anniversary of the opening of the Mackinac
Bridge, it should also put some focus on the condition of the rest of the
bridges in the state, the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation
Association said this week.
The group noted that some 200 bridges are on the state's...
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Gratiot road agency strapped for cash
Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun
Snow can make picturesque scenes for postcards and paintings, but it can also raise havoc with the finances of those agencies that have to clean it up.
Although it's only February, the Gratiot County Road Commission has already used more than 90 percent of its winter maintenance budget.
"We've...
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Quarter of Michigan's road miles rated poor
WTOL 11 Toledo
A new state report says Michigan's roads are getting worse.
The study says 26% of lane-miles on major roads in the state were in poor condition last year, up from 12% in 2004. The report predicts bad roads will make up 45% of the total in 10 years unless road spending increases.
The figures reported...
Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Forum: Fix state's roads now
Traverse City Record Eagle
BY MIKE NYSTROM
Michigan is facing one of the toughest economic climates in our storied history, and with the cost of gas quickly approaching $3 per gallon again it is no surprise that discussion of an increase in Michigan's gas tax is facing harsh criticism.
What most people don't know is that...