OKEMOS, Mich. – With Michigan motorists facing arguably the worst pothole season in history, the Michigan Transportation Team (MTT) is calling on legislators to “Fix Our Roads NOW!” in an aggressive ad campaign. MTT has launched this campaign in the midst of pothole season – a time when it is most evident that our roads and bridges are in dire need of funding.

“Pothole season could become a thing of the past if we were to make the necessary investment in our roads,” said Mike Nystrom, vice president of government and public relations at the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, and co-chair of MTT. “Unfortunately, at current funding levels, we can't even keep pace with regular maintenance and repairs, let alone the full-scale reconstruction that is needed across the state.”

MTT wants legislators to take these crumbling roads seriously by addressing the lack of transportation funding and the risk that this “season” poses to drivers in Michigan. The advertising campaign includes radio and billboards calling on legislators to “Fix Our Roads NOW!”

“The constant cuts to the transportation budget – more than an 18-percent decrease in funding this year alone – makes it impossible to make the necessary long-term fixes we need to keep our transportation system safe,” Nystrom said. “The legislature must address the ‘pothole’ in the current transportation budget in order to keep our roads and bridges safe for our residents.

According to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, congestion and auto damage from potholes alone cost each Michigan motorist more than $318 per year, for a total of $2.2 billion in annual expense. The expense also falls on municipalities who work overtime to fill the holes during the spring months.

MTT is a broad-based, bi-partisan partnership of business, labor, local government, associations and citizens linked with the common goal of improving Michigan’s transportation infrastructure. The DriveMI campaign is committed to promoting the development and maintenance of a safe, convenient and efficient transportation network that serves the public, private and economic development needs of Michigan.