LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer introduced a plan during her State of the State address Wednesday to fix Michigan roads without increasing the gas tax.
Whitmer plans to ask the State Transportation Commission to issue state road bonds to fund the work.
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According to the Rebuilding Michigan plan, it will add $3.5 billion in road funding, to add and expand 122 new road projects and nearly double the amount available to fix roads over the next five years. The governor says this will save taxpayers money by avoiding the annual cost of inflation.
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“Our roads are dangerous, and the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to fix them,” Whitmer said. “That’s why I’m taking action now to fix the damn roads and keep Michiganders safe."
Whitmer said work would begin this spring.
“If we’re going to fix all the dangerous roads in Michigan, Republicans need to step up and get serious about finding a long-term road funding solution for our local roads and bridges. I’ll work with them when they’re ready, but in the meantime, I’m going to get to work fixing our state roads on my own," she said.
The plan would fix high volume freeway and non-freeway roads with the greatest economic impact and more average passenger vehicles per day.