Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association (MITA), issued the following statement following Governor Whitmer’s road funding plan announcement:
“With the governor’s announcement today of her plan to fund and fix Michigan’s roads, we now have two competing plans for consideration, including Speaker Matt Hall’s proposal. Michigan has underfunded infrastructure for decades, and the failure to act on implementing a long-term plan is threatening thousands of road construction jobs across the state this year.
“Michigan faces a funding cliff in 2025 as funds from the governor’s bonding program and the boost in federal infrastructure funds dry up. The state is already faced with a $3.9 billion infrastructure investment deficit that continues to grow as maintenance needs and inflation increase. If we fail to act now to fund and fix Michigan’s roads, we will continue going backward. After all, this is a quality-of-life issue. Do we want safe and reliable infrastructure to get to work, school, and vacation? Or do we want our roads and bridges to continue to deteriorate while the good-paying jobs needed to fix our roads are lost?
“It’s time for Michigan’s leaders to get together and get the job done. Michigan cannot afford to wait any longer. We look forward to seeing quick action in Lansing on a long-term, equitable, and sustainable infrastructure plan that saves thousands of jobs and puts Michigan back on the right track.”