Yes, it takes billions to fix Michigan roads. No, taxpayers don't want to pay. [View all]

The question isn’t whether it will take a lot more money to fix Michigan roads. The question, according to an array of experts Thursday, is whether politicians have the will to do it.

At a Solutions Summit sponsored by The Center for Michigan (the nonprofit organization that includes Bridge Magazine) and Public Sector Consultants in Lansing, speaker after speaker said bluntly that state roads will continue to deteriorate without an influx of somewhere from $2 billion to $2.5 billion more a year.

New Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proposed a 45-cent increase in the gas tax, which would raise an estimated $2.5 billion a year and give Michigan the highest gas tax in the country. Many have balked at the cost, including a number of Republican leaders.

And a poll released this week indicates three out of four Michigan residents oppose Whitmer’s gas tax proposal.

Read more: https://www.bridgemi.com/public-sector/yes-it-takes-billions-fix-michigan-roads-no-taxpayers-dont-want-pay