County road agencies across Michigan are struggling to keep up with the state’s deteriorating roads and bridges as lawmakers delay a long-term solution for road funding.
A new report from the County Road Association of Michigan (CRA) revealed that progress on fixing county roads has nearly stalled.
In 2024, only 491 more miles were improved compared with 2023; that’s less than 1% of the state’s 90,000-mile county road network.
Craig Bryson, senior communications manager for the Road Commission for Oakland County, said the situation is dire.
“We’re right on the edge of a fiscal cliff,” said Bryson.
If Lansing doesn’t increase road funding, drivers could face rougher conditions.
“That would be a lot more potholes, cracked, crumbling roads,” Bryson said. “The road surface condition would simply be a lot worse. We would have a lot more people blowing tires.”
The CRA report points to declining gas tax revenue as a key factor.
More fuel-efficient cars and the rise of electric vehicles mean less gas is sold, shrinking the Michigan Transportation Fund, the largest source of county road funding.
Meanwhile, construction costs continue to climb.
Denise Donohue, CRA CEO, stated that counties are forced to rely on short-term fixes rather than long-term solutions.
“Because of the lack of funding, we’re not always able in the county to do the fix they want to,” said Donohue. “They’re doing short-term asset preservation to make a small amount of dollars go further.”
Wayne and Macomb counties face similar challenges.
“Wayne County, one of the most underfunded in Michigan, is working hard to maintain critical infrastructure, but the gap between need and resources keeps growing. Without a modern funding formula and legislative action, our roads will continue to deteriorate faster than we can fix them,” Wayne County spokesperson Doda Lulgjuraj said in a statement.
Bryan Santo, director of the Macomb County Department of Roads, said they’re exploring every possible funding option.
“Unfortunately, the funding the Department of Roads receives through Public Act 51 is not enough to meet all of the maintenance and construction needs of Macomb County. There isn’t a road we can’t fix if we have adequate funding,” Santo said in a statement.
Bryson urged lawmakers to act quickly.
“I think they recognize the need; they just need to get the job done now,” Bryson said.
Bryson added that while the Road Commission will do its best to stretch available funds, there is a limit without additional support.
Local 4 reached out to the spokespeople for Republican House Speaker Matt Hall and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks about the CRA report.
Brinks wasn’t available. We are awaiting a response from Hall’s team.