Governor Gretchen Whitmer says people’s safety is at stake in the debate over road funding. As Michigan Public Radio’s Rick Pluta reports, the governor has called for a 45-cent increase in the fuel tax to pay for repairs.
Governor Whitmer used the Detroit Regional Chamber’s annual policy conference on Mackinac Island to lobby for her proposal. She challenged Republicans to offer an alternative if they don’t like her plan.
She says the two and a half billion dollar price tag is big because the problem has been ignored for so long.
“This is a serious issue that is very dangerous and we need to get serious about fixing.”
The Michigan Department of Transportation says a third of Michigan’s roads will be in poor condition within two years. Whitmer says she’s particularly concerned about the condition of Michigan’s bridges.