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Michigan Roads: Repair What We Have
Between 2004 and 2008, Michigan was one of only four states that actually saw an increase in the percentage of state-owned road lanes considered to be in good condition (a jump from 48% to 60%). This is according to a new report from Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense, which ascribes our relatively standout road conditions to outspending new road construction with spending on road repair and maintenance. The report concludes, and I paraphrase, "Keep it up. Also, way to go with having some quantifiable standards for road quality!"
So, that's the good news.
The bad news is that 28% of our state-owned road lanes are listed in fair condition, with 12% in poor condition. Since every dollar that we fail to spend on repair now leads to costs of $6-14 for repair after further deterioration, we still have urgent, and mounting costs to keep up with.
"Michigan would need to spend a minimum of $647 million annually for the next twenty years to get the current backlog of poor-condition major roads into a state of good repair and maintain all state-owned roads in good condition."
There's an easy theme to remember when considering policies that are good for Michigan right now, and especially for our cities: reinvest in our existing infrastructure. While we hope to see an evolution in Michigan's transportation system to create real transportation alternatives, this report helps us keep front and center that when it comes to roads, we need to maintain what we've got--not build anew.
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