Anyone who has lived in Michigan for more than a couple of weeks and has traveled anywhere knows that the state's road system is horrendous.
However, for those who may be wondering just how bad the roads are, a recent study by Overdrive Magazine's Highway Report Card ranked Michigan's roads as the second worst in the nation this year. We have the dubious distinction of having moved up from third worst in 2009. Number one is Pennsylvania and tied for third place are New York and California.
The way things have been going, we'll hit the number one spot unless our state leaders wake up.
The situation is hurting Michigan's efforts to attract businesses that create jobs.
As Mike Nystrom, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association and co-chairman of the Michigan Transportation Team noted in a recent news release, "The quality of our roads remains low because our state government's commitment to our roads remains low. We have the technology and we have the talent to fix our roads, but unfortunately we lack the will. ..."
Also, it's disheartening to note that, according to the association, under the current proposed Michigan Department of Transportation budget, Michigan would leave $500 million of federal aid on the table and cut the state highway program by 62 percent. This decline in funding has forced MDOT to scale back its 2010-2014 Five-Year Program, which includes the elimination of 257 road and bridge projects.
Another disturbing development, according to reports, is that the Legislature is considering diverting money from vehicle registration fees to pay for state parks. While we want our state parks to attract visitors from throughout the nation, they could be self-supporting with the right emphasis on promoting tourism.
No, Michigan hasn't done much when it comes to our roads.
Residents who have traveled to other states easily see the difference. For example, a recent video on The Oakland Press Web site included comments about how much better Wisconsin roads are, even though it also is a cold-weather state whose roads take a pounding each winter.
Road commission managers say the reason for the difference in road quality is simple — money.
In Wisconsin, the gasoline tax is 30.9 cents per gallon, compared to Michigan's 19 cents per gallon. And Wisconsin's rate has been this much higher for years.
While we're hesitant to advocate that large of a gasoline tax increase or any kind of similar tax hike, certainly spending more money to fix our roads would yield numerous benefits beyond simply a smoother ride.
As noted, businesses and industries need quality infrastructure to operate.
Whether it's a minimal tax increase, garnering more federal aid or restructuring the state's current operating budget, Michigan needs to do something it hasn't done very well over the past few years — focus on our roads and find some funding
It's long overdue.
-The Oakland Press
http://www.themorningsun.com/articles/2011/08/19/opinion/srv0000013248745.txt?viewmode=2