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Gov. Snyder says infrastructure must be upgraded

Posted at 7:23 PM, Jan 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-17 22:45:06-05

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Rick Snyder says Flint's water crisis and a sinkhole in suburban Detroit show the need to start discussing how to pay for billions of dollars in needed infrastructure upgrades over the next several decades.

He is not proposing a specific way to pay for water, sewer and other infrastructure projects. But he made infrastructure a theme in his seventh annual State of the State address Tuesday night to the Legislature.

The Republican governor tells The Associated Press that to start, there must be better coordination so local road, sewer and other projects occur simultaneously to save money.

In December, an infrastructure commission formed by Snyder identified the need for $4 billion more annually to upgrade roads, water systems and other key infrastructure such as pipelines and broadband Internet.