LANSING, Mich. – The following statement can be attributed to Mike Nystrom, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association:
“The passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by the U.S. Senate today is a good step towards making needed investments in our infrastructure system. Unfortunately, we’re still far off from meeting the needed funding levels to address our infrastructure needs.
“The Senate passed plan would invest nearly $7.3 billion in Michigan infrastructure over the next five years – which is $1.7 billion more coming to Michigan spread out over the next five years than our state received over the past five years. While this increase would help tackle difficult problems we’re dealing with on our roads and bridges, much more is needed.
“We are happy to see a boost in funding for our underground infrastructure as well. As we’ve all been reminded again this summer, sewers and drains are a critical piece of Michigan’s infrastructure that impact many Michiganders when those systems fail. Flooded highways, basements and beach closings have unfortunately become all too common.
“We are excited that our leaders in Washington are stepping up to work on infrastructure issues and hope to see continued investments made at the state and federal level over the coming years. Michigan’s needs are great, and this is a welcome step towards addressing it.”
For more information about the state’s unmet infrastructure needs, visit FixMIState.org.
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The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association is a statewide trade association that represents a broad spectrum of heavy construction companies and suppliers that help build a better Michigan from the ground up. For more information, visit thinkmita.org.