Lansing – Michigan will pump an extra $175 million into crumbling roads and transportation projects this year under a supplemental spending bill signed Tuesday by Gov. Rick Snyder in the midst of a massive pothole season.
The funding should reach local road agencies in time for summer construction work, but experts say it will not fully reverse projected long-term declines in road quality across the state.
“It will slow the deterioration,” Michigan Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle said after a new conference at the state Capitol, where Snyder signed the spending plan surrounded by orange barrels and “road work ahead” signs.
“This is going to help,” Steudle said. “In the long term, it’s still going to drop off, but this is going to push that off a bit.”
Snyder initially proposed the funding bump for 2019, but lawmakers accelerated the plan after a public outcry about a widespread expansion of potholes fueled by a tumultuous freeze-thaw cycle that ravaged pavement across the state.
READ MORE AT: https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/03/20/michigan-road-funding/33105313/