Article courtesy of MIRS for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed Wednesday the full year of funding from the bipartisan road improvement package she signed into law along with the budget last October.
The total spend on the package is expected to be $2 billion more a year when fully implemented in Fiscal Year (FY) 2030. For now, $1.6 billion is being spent in FY 2027, broken up as such:
- $100 million to repair and replace local bridges
- $100 million for public transit, including new transformational projects and local bus operations
- $40 million for rail grade separation projects to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion
- $481 million increase for roads and bridges, with more than two-thirds supporting local roads. A $130.8 million increase in state and federal support for transit and rail programs, including a $43.4 million increase in Local Bus Operating assistance for local transit agencies. This adds to the $44.9 million FY 2026 increase for Local Bus Operating approved last fall, for a total of $315 million – a combined 39% increase.
The annual increase will support more than 30,000 extra construction jobs, the governor’s office reported, and represents the “biggest roads deal in history.”
“Every Michigander deserves to be able to go to work, drop their kids off at school and run errands without blowing a tire or cracking an axle,” Whitmer said. “That’s why we worked across the aisle to deliver the largest roads investment in Michigan history. Let’s build on our historic progress to fix the damn roads and bridges, saving drivers time and money and keeping everyone safer on the road. Let’s keep working together to help Michiganders get where they need to go.”
Wednesday marks a victory lap for Whitmer, who first campaigned in 2018 on the platform of “fix the damn roads.”
It’s also a long way from her first budget in 2019, when the Republican House and Senate torpedoed her proposed 45-cent gas tax increase. The plan, pushed through the Legislature by House Speaker Matt Hall (R-Richland Township), created $1.85 billion in new yearly money for the roads. It includes a 24% wholesale marijuana tax, directing all state taxes paid at the gas pump to roads, budget cuts and having Michigan refrain from giving businesses the same large tax deductions as under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
This year, there should be no contentious legislative votes or any real question about whether the road money will pass. All the tough votes were made last year.
“This road funding plan includes new revenue and a long-overdue commitment to making sure dollars paid at the pump are invested back into the roads and bridges Michigan families rely on every day,” said Douglas W. Stockwell, Operating Engineers 324’s business manager. “Our 16,000 members stand ready to continue the work of rebuilding and maintaining this infrastructure across the state, creating safe roads and bridges, and good-paying jobs in the process.”
As she enters her final year in office, the Governor is claiming that since taking office:
- Michigan will have fixed more than 26,500 lane miles of road and 1,900 bridges, supporting over 200,000 jobs.
- She signed seven bipartisan budgets investing more than $19 billion in roads and bridges.
- Her Rebuilding Michigan Plan bonding push focused on 45 major projects across the state to rebuild highways and bridges without increasing prices at the pump.
- She signed executive directives to speed up pothole repairs and streamline permitting.
“Last year’s bipartisan road funding deal was a historic step forward, and Governor Whitmer’s budget is turning that commitment into real dollars to fund and fix Michigan’s roads and bridges in communities across the state,” said Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. “These investments improve safety, create jobs and strengthen Michigan’s economic competitiveness. This is real progress, but fully rebuilding our roads and bridges will require even more sustained, long-term investment in the years ahead.”
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