A bipartisan legislative workgroup has determined that keeping Michigan's roads useable will require an additional $1.4 billion a year.
In 10 years, that number grows to an estimated $2.6 billion.
Business and infrastructure groups have been pressuring the Michigan Legislature for years without success to come up with a way to raise more money for fixing and maintaining roads and bridges.
Representative Rick Olson says Michigan needs to more than double what it spends to maintain streets and highways:
“Well I think the bottom line of this study is, unless we spend this kind of money we’re either going to need to reconcile ourselves to poorer roads, or we’re going to need to be willing to pay even more in the future.”
Olson says raising the gas tax would not go far enough in raising revenue to pay for roads. He says a larger and more permanent solution will need to be found to generate revenue. Olson and his Democratic counterpart have submitted their report to state House leadership.
