KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Michigan's road conditions continue to be a source of frustration for residents and officials alike, despite efforts by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration to address the issue.
In 2018, Whitmer campaigned on a promise to "fix the damn roads," but progress has been uneven across the state.
The Michigan County Roads Association (CRA) reports that local road conditions have actually deteriorated.
"Our local roads have actually gone down. They're down to 44% good fare," stated CRA representative Ed Noyola.
The CRA aims to have 60% of local roads in fair condition. They oversee 90,000 miles of road, representing 75% of Michigan's entire road system.
While county roads have reportedly worsened, John Richard, director of MDOT in the Grand Region, says progress has been made on major state highways. "Governor Whitmer really understands, and is a big advocate of roads and bridges, obviously, and of course, taking care of these assets," said Richard.
The Whitmer administration previously allocated a $3.5 billion series of bonds to support the busiest state roads. Richard highlighted a $105 million project on I-96 in Ionia County as an example of increased investment in road infrastructure.
"Those numbers you usually see in metro Detroit area, not so much the Grand Rapids, Grand Region," said Richard. "But because of that program, we are seeing these projects increase in scope and increase in size.”
However, county road officials argue that local roads are being neglected.
"What Lansing should concern itself with is fixing the damn road funding," said Michigan County Roads Association CEO Denise Donohue.
County-level officials say the last burst of funding only prioritized projects on state and federal highways, leaving potholes on other pavement unfilled.
“Yes, the I's, the M's and the U.S. routes carry the highest volume in traffic, but so does West River. So does 68th Street. So division Avenue. We have a number of roads that carry 15,000–20,000 cars a day; they need that same help," said Kent County Road Commission Managing Director Jerry Byrne. "So we do get funding, but that huge package that talked about fixing the damn roads did not come to the local road system that people drive on. Cities and village and counties are struggling."
Rising costs have further complicated road maintenance efforts. "We go from 2021 through 2024, our payment replacement costs are up almost 92%," noted Byrne.
The lack of funding has forced road commissions to adopt short-term solutions. "We just have to take the pavement off and touch more miles of road. So there's a cost-benefit ratio. We can get more miles this way, but they're not as long a term fixes," explained Byrne.
As the debate over road funding continues, both state and local officials stress the importance of maintaining all parts of Michigan's road system for driver safety and vehicle preservation.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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