02 April 2025
Michigan roads rank 40 nationally. Lawmakers should scrap outdated funding formula and start over
#FactsMatter, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan podcast
About
Detroit News politics editor and columnist Chad Livengood sits down with Citizen Research Council’s infrastructure analyst Eric Paul Dennis, PE, discussing the Research Council’s most recently released, 86-page paper: "Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan’s Road Program" which makes the case that Michigan legislators should overhaul the way the state divvies up money for road improvements.
The report was released as there is currently a push by state leaders to find billions of dollars in additional infrastructure funding.
Among other recommendations, it describes Michigan’s primary road funding law, known as Public Act 51 of 1951, as "a decades-long failure."
"The bottom line is that PA 51 is obsolete," the report said. "Increasing Michigan’s road funding without fundamental reform to how it is spent would be a disservice to citizens of the state."
The Detroit News coverage of the research.
The report was released as there is currently a push by state leaders to find billions of dollars in additional infrastructure funding.
Among other recommendations, it describes Michigan’s primary road funding law, known as Public Act 51 of 1951, as "a decades-long failure."
"The bottom line is that PA 51 is obsolete," the report said. "Increasing Michigan’s road funding without fundamental reform to how it is spent would be a disservice to citizens of the state."
The Detroit News coverage of the research.