[nordwulf]

Road heaves are a big problem in some areas. And those are not easily fixed like throwing some asphalt in a pot hole. It's like driving over a washboard. If they are getting fixed at all, it'll take a while.

I'll gladly pay an extra $1 per gallon to have perfect roads. I'll just keep on driving on the side of the road to avoid heaves and swerving to avoid pot holes.

[kingtodd]

Originally Posted by jakellomer

There is less and less streets and roads that you cant sink into a giant pothole.It is such a mess out there.
In the summer we will be having lots of traffic

I was born and raised in the Metro Detroit area. I lived there for 25 years and the roads are simply atrocious. I think most locals agree:


Drivers see some of the worst potholes along Greenfield Road - Fox 2 News Headlines

[wanderer74]

There are tons of potholes up here in the Saginaw/Midland/Bay City area, too. They're more than just an inconvenience; they can damage cars.

I don't understand at all why our roads are so bad and honestly it really makes me think there's serious mismanagement of state transportation funds happening somewhere. Neighboring states like Illinois and Indiana have comparable gas taxes to ours but have much better roads. Ohio has much lower gas taxes but much better roads. I'm not anti-tax at all but I truly don't believe it would do any good to raise our gas taxes in the name of fixing our roads - I doubt the money would be spent on fixing the roads.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by wanderer74

There are tons of potholes up here in the Saginaw/Midland/Bay City area, too. They're more than just an inconvenience; they can damage cars.

I don't understand at all why our roads are so bad and honestly it really makes me think there's serious mismanagement of state transportation funds happening somewhere. Neighboring states like Illinois and Indiana have comparable gas taxes to ours but have much better roads. Ohio has much lower gas taxes but much better roads. I'm not anti-tax at all but I truly don't believe it would do any good to raise our gas taxes in the name of fixing our roads - I doubt the money would be spent on fixing the roads.

Granholm diverted some gas tax money to build a fence along one of the freeways on the west side of the state to prevent turtles from crossing the road.

Also, a portion of the gas tax money is diverted to mass transit.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by michigan83

Smooth roads are a luxury, not a necessity.

By that logic, so is driving.

My commute (11 mile in R.O. to Dearborn) has gotten progressively worse to a point where I will go out of my way not to damage my car. The Greenfield stretch between 8 and 10 mile, as well as 10 mile between Greenfield and Soutfield are the worst. Shouldn't be that way - especially not in the supposedly more affluent Oakland County.

[animatedmartian]

Michigan ranks last in per capita spending on roads, bridges | The Detroit News

0 United States $302
1 Alaska $2,032
2 Wyoming $968
3 North Dakota $754
4 Montana $724
5 West Virginia $618
6 South Dakota $604
7 Delaware $571
8 Utah $541
9 Vermont $540
10 Pennsylvania $530
11 Iowa $445
12 Idaho $441
13 Louisiana $440
14 Maine $423
15 Oklahoma $415
16 Illinois $412
17 Kentucky $411
18 New Mexico $407
19 New Hampshire $394
20 Mississippi $357
21 Nebraska $357
22 Kansas $355
23 Maryland $355
24 Washington $349
25 Oregon $348
26 Hawaii $345
27 Missouri $336
28 New Jersey $306
29 Wisconsin $302
30 Connecticut $301
31 North Carolina $297
32 Virginia $295
33 Indiana $289
34 Rhode Island $279
35 Minesota $275
36 Alabama $273
37 Massachusetts $267
38 Arkansas $265
39 Florida $264
40 South Carolina $252
41 New York $239
42 Tennessee $236
43 California $231
44 Arizona $226
45 Nevada $226
46 Texas $220
47 Ohio $214
48 Georgia $211
49 Colorado $201
50 Michigan $154

[magellan]

Originally Posted by ram2

We coughed up extra money for road repair when John Engler was governor and the roads never got fixed.

Engler? You realize he left office over a decade ago?

[magellan]

Originally Posted by ram2

Granholm diverted some gas tax money to build a fence along one of the freeways on the west side of the state to prevent turtles from crossing the road.

Also, a portion of the gas tax money is diverted to mass transit.

Seriously ram2, do you have Say Yes To Michigan t-shirts still laying around?

How about joining the rest of us in the 2014's.

I am hoping, praying, begging that this year is the year the State works out a deal to fund road repairs. I seriously can't take it anymore, they're so bad in this area.

You people who live in the country who don't care about the roads, just hush. This thread isn't about you.

[ram2]

Originally Posted by magellan

Engler? You realize he left office over a decade ago?

Do you remember the roads never got fixed right after Engler raised the state gas tax?

[xfactor85]

Originally Posted by animatedmartian

Michigan ranks last in per capita spending on roads, bridges | The Detroit News

0 United States $302
1 Alaska $2,032
2 Wyoming $968
3 North Dakota $754
4 Montana $724
5 West Virginia $618
6 South Dakota $604
7 Delaware $571
8 Utah $541
9 Vermont $540
10 Pennsylvania $530
11 Iowa $445
12 Idaho $441
13 Louisiana $440
14 Maine $423
15 Oklahoma $415
16 Illinois $412
17 Kentucky $411
18 New Mexico $407
19 New Hampshire $394
20 Mississippi $357
21 Nebraska $357
22 Kansas $355
23 Maryland $355
24 Washington $349
25 Oregon $348
26 Hawaii $345
27 Missouri $336
28 New Jersey $306
29 Wisconsin $302
30 Connecticut $301
31 North Carolina $297
32 Virginia $295
33 Indiana $289
34 Rhode Island $279
35 Minesota $275
36 Alabama $273
37 Massachusetts $267
38 Arkansas $265
39 Florida $264
40 South Carolina $252
41 New York $239
42 Tennessee $236
43 California $231
44 Arizona $226
45 Nevada $226
46 Texas $220
47 Ohio $214
48 Georgia $211
49 Colorado $201
50 Michigan $154

Wow that is a great deal less than most other states! The avg state spend over 2x as much as us and we are probably much worse in terms of weather on our roads than the average state! This is unacceptable.