This story originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal. Read more here.
The Capitol lawn was a sea of neon orange and yellow Sept. 3 as an estimated 4,000 contractors, road construction workers and labor union members called for long-term sustainable road funding in Michigan.
Workers wearing their bright vests and T-shirts, plus the occasional hard hat, frequently listened closely and applauded occasionally as speaker upon speaker stressed that more reliable funding is the way to go for families and the state’s battered roads.
Lansing Mayor Andy Schor was one of the first speakers at the “Save Our Jobs, Fund Our Roads” rally.
“This is the issue I hear about every day,” he said. “They want to know why their neighborhood road isn’t being fixed, why they have to hit potholes, why the roads can’t be fixed and why the city can’t do it.”
He said he has to spend a lot of time explaining that the city is “$300 million in need” when it comes to necessary road repairs, and the city’s overall budget is about $300 million.
“I could spend our whole budget just to fix the roads,” Schor said. “We get from the state, from gas tax registration fees, we get $14 million (and) we put $3.5 million of our own tax dollars in. I have $17.5 million towards $300 (million).
“Those numbers don’t work. We need help. We need help from the state government. We need help to make sure that the roads are getting fixed.”
Schor got a round of applause from the workers who would benefit from more regular road funding and road improvement projects. The Lansing rally coincided with a similar one in Negaunee, in the Upper Peninsula.
Workers were urged to emphasize a better funding plan with their lawmakers. Several at the Lansing rally emphasized obvious needs for road repairs.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, known for her 2018 pledge to “fix the damn roads,” is calling for a new long-term road funding plan to be part of the 2026 fiscal year budget. She and lawmakers must finalize before Oct. 1 to avoid a state government shutdown.
The Republican-controlled House has proposed spending $3 billion on roads in the state budget year that begins Oct. 1 in its plan, without raising taxes in large part because of about $5 billion in cuts to other areas of state spending. The Senate, controlled by Democrats, did not put forth a road funding plan in its proposed budget. The two sides are billions of dollars apart in their proposals with less than month left to reach a deal.
“We’re here to just show our support for our company and everyone that works for our company,” said Amanda Smith of C.A. Hull, a Commerce Township company that specializes in bridge work. “Obviously getting funding for the roads, a lot of people’s families depend on it.”
Thousands rally at the state Capitol in downtown Lansing, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025, for the “Save our Jobs, Fund our Roads” rally.
Delhi Township resident Charles Wilder, with Carpenters Local 1004 in Lansing, spoke at the rally.
“Let me tell you because I work on them every day,” he said of bridges in Michigan. “They’re horrible and they need to be fixed. They are becoming unsafe year after year after year.
“That’s why we need road funding so that our families can drive safely over and under these bridges.”
James Jacob, owner and CEO of AJAX Paving Industries in Troy, bused in about 400 workers to make a statement to the Michigan Legislature.
“We are committed to building our roads and we need funding in order to make that happen. Thousands of jobs are at risk if we don’t get our funding for roads.”