DETROIT — Governor Gretchen Whitmer highlighted the urgent need for infrastructure funding during her address at the Detroit Auto Show, emphasizing the critical state of Michigan’s roads and bridges.
“The truth is our roads still need work,” Whitmer said, warning that without immediate action, the state’s infrastructure will continue to deteriorate. She urged bipartisan cooperation, stating, “We can’t just cut our way to better roads. Defunding public safety or public health is not the way to fix potholes.”
The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association reports a $3.9 billion funding shortfall, which threatens thousands of construction jobs. Rob Coppersmith, the association’s executive vice president, described the situation as a “crisis mode.”
Despite federal funding of over $13 billion allocated to Michigan for infrastructure projects in the past three years, experts say it is insufficient. Dr. Osama Abudayyeh, a professor at Western Michigan University, explained, “There is never enough, because the need is much more than what is available.”
Michigan’s roads, funded through various revenue streams including a gas tax, face additional challenges due to the rise of electric vehicles, which contribute less to the gas tax revenue. “You have the advent of EVs. You have cars that run on electric and gas. So those situations create a reverse funding mode,” Coppersmith said.
A road funding plan proposed by Michigan Republicans last fall aimed to invest nearly $3 million more into infrastructure projects. However, it faced criticism for reallocating funds from schools and has not advanced in Lansing. Despite this, Republicans have stated that road funding remains a priority.