This story appeared in the Iron Mountain Daily News. Read more here.
The Upper Peninsula’s 38th Senate District has the highest percentage of roads in poor condition in the state at 43%, according to a trade association report.
The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association announced Wednesday it had delivered documents to each legislator highlighting the need for implementing a plan to fund and fix Michigan roads and bridges. A $3.9 billion annual funding boost is needed, MITA states in a news release.
“We can no longer afford to keep kicking the can down the road,” said Rob Coppersmith, MITA executive vice president. MITA is a statewide trade association that represents a broad spectrum of heavy construction companies and suppliers.
To promote an investment plan to fix roads and bridges, the group distributed legislative district maps highlighting the percentage of roads in poor condition in each one.
The report is based on 2022-2023 Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating data compiled through Michigan’s Transportation Asset Management Council. Over 100 teams of trained raters assess the condition of 86,000 lane miles of paved federal-aid eligible roads once every two years.
Michigan currently has more than 28,000 lane miles of roads in poor condition, representing more than 30% of roads in House and Senate districts, the data shows.
House District 37 in the southwest corner of the Lower Peninsula and Senate District 38 have the worst road conditions, with 59% and 43% of roads in those districts in poor condition, respectively.
District 38, represented by state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, encompasses the entirety of Alger, Baraga, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft counties, as well as parts of Chippewa and Mackinac counties. The report shows 3,923 lane miles of roads in the Senate district are in poor condition.
House District 110, represented by Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, has 44.5% of roads in poor condition, while House District 109, represented by
Rep. Jenn Hill, D-Marquette, has 39% of roads in poor condition.
In the 2023 report card for Michigan’s infrastructure issued by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Michigan received a grade of “D” for roads and a “D+” for bridges. The Transportation Asset Management Council found in its 2023 roads and bridges report that 33% of Michigan’s federal-aid roads were in poor condition. That percentage is forecasted to increase to 52% by 2035 as federal and state funds dedicated to fixing infrastructure dwindle, Coopersmith said.
“Without addressing this problem now, our roads will continue to deteriorate, and repair costs will continue to rise, making the solution even more expensive than it currently is,” he said.
While the legislature has inherited a funding crisis, it is up to current elected officials to enact a long-term investment plan, Coopersmith said.