LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has made road construction a hallmark of her administration. During her initial campaign for governor in 2018, the Democrat promised to "fix the damn roads."
As FOX 17 focuses on the state of our roads now six years into the Whitmer administration, we also want to dig into what the governor has tried to do to increase funding for road construction.
In 2019, Whitmer shocked the state with a proposal to nearly triple the gas tax with an increase of 45 cents. Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers called the plan dead on arrival, never giving it a serious vote.
News
Whitmer defends controversial gas tax at town hall
The Republican-led legislature later passed a budget framework that increased road funding at a lower level.
In 2020, Whitmer bypassed state lawmakers by authorizing a series of bonds to fund projects on state and federal highways. The bonds, which are still being issued five years later, provided $3.5 billion for projects across the state.
The bond money did not go to local roads, something county road commissions complained about.
Ottawa
Local road commission disappointed governor's bond won't help local roads
In 2022 the governor called for an additional $1 billion in funding to go to road projects, but the final number in the state budget ultimately was lower than she wanted.
A report by the County Road Association of Michigan in 2024 found roads in the state needed $2.4 billion annually to keep pace with maintenance goals.
Now with the bond funding nearly depleted, the governor and Legislature will once again debate over how to fund road projects across the state.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
