Governor Gretchen Whitmer will formally present her budget for the upcoming state fiscal year tomorrow. The spending plan includes more money for roads and other infrastructure.
The governor wants a billion-dollar boost to infrastructure funding. That would be a 20-percent increase from the current level. A large portion would come from federal economic recovery funds headed to Michigan.
Lance Binoniemi is with the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. He says that would be a welcome investment. But he also says it’s not a permanent solution and this round of funds will run out in five years or less.
“It’s not going to solve our problems and we don’t want lawmakers or the public to think this is going to fix all of our infrastructure woes into the future.”
Binoniemi says he hopes the Legislature will quickly approve the money and then go to work on a long-term funding plan.