Vote

Tuesday, May 5th is Election Day. It is important that you go out and make an informed decision on Proposal 1. Right now it is the only way to guarantee that our roads receive the additional funding needed to improve them. Period. There is no Plan B.

I have been out talking to a lot of people on this issue. They gave lots of reasons to vote “no.” Take your pick:

• I don’t trust the government.
• Just rework the budget and take the dollars from some other program.
• We have bad contractors, use inferior materials, and pay workers too much money.
• Etc., etc., etc.

I didn’t hear anyone tell me that the roads don’t need fixing. I didn’t hear anyone tell me that they were in good shape. What it really comes down to is that no one wants to pay more to fix our roads. Everyone wants to believe that government waste and mismanagement is the problem, not the fact that we have been investing fewer and fewer dollars for many years, and that we are actually paying less today than we have in the past.

If we believe the polls, the proposal will fail – and by a lot! If that is what happens, then we will pick up the pieces and see what we do next. I do not share the opinion of many that if it fails, the government – that many do not trust – will come back with a better plan. I think that the legislature may continue to debate this and may throw some small amount of money at it, but not enough so you will see a difference.

While all of this debate rages on, the condition of our roads continues to deteriorate. Last week, the Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC) issued findings from their 2014 annual report. They conclude:

• At current investment levels, the deterioration of Michigan’s roads will continue.
• The condition of Michigan’s bridges has plateaued and is projected to decline.
• One in seven local bridges in Michigan is structurally deficient.
• 11.7 percent of all highway bridges in the state in 2014 were structurally deficient. The national average in 2014 was 10.05 percent.
• Without increased levels of investment, the cost of improving our roads and bridges will continue to increase each year.

Be sure to vote on Tuesday the 5th. Be informed. Your vote counts.