LANSING, Mich. (WWJ) -- In her second State of the State address Wednesday night, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced a new plan to "fix the damn roads," a major part of the platform she ran on when she was elected in 2018, which includes borrowing $3.5 billion to rebuild state highways and bridges over a five-year period.
Whitmer plans to ask the State Transportation Commission to issue state road bonds, financed without an increase at the gas pump, which she says would add an additional $3.5 billion in road funding, while adding and expanding 122 major new road projects. Last year, Whitmer had proposed a 45-cent gas tax hike that was later removed from the transportation budget.
The plan, dubbed "Rebuild Michigan," would nearly double the amount of money available to fix roads over the next five years than if the state were to wait. The governor says moving projects ahead by four to six years allows the Michigan Department of Transportation to save taxpayers money by avoiding the annual cost of inflation.
The money will be used to reconstruct I-, U.S.- and M-numbered routes and would not need legislative approval. Whitmer wants to get started on the process right away.
"Our roads are dangerous, and the longer we wait, the more expensive it will be to fix them," Whitmer said. "That’s why I’m taking action now to fix the damn roads and keep Michiganders safe. My Rebuild Michigan plan will ensure we start moving dirt this spring and save us money in the long run. But if we’re going to fix all the dangerous roads in Michigan, Republicans need to step up and get serious about finding a long-term road funding solution for our local roads and bridges. I’ll work with them when they’re ready, but in the meantime, I’m going to get to work fixing our state roads on my own."
The plan is being criticized because it will add to the state's debt, as well as the fact that the money received from the bonds cannot be spend on local roads -- just major highways.
But the plan was criticized because it will increase state debt and because the money raised through the sale of bonds can only be spent on major highways in the state, not local roads.
Although the formal Republican response is scheduled to come Thursday morning at a news conference in Lansing, House Speaker Lee Chatfield said live on WWJ Wednesday that the Governor offered "revisionist history" when it came to her road funding plan.
"The governor has had two proposals to fix our roads since she became the governor. Her first was a 45-cent gas tax, which no one in the state supported and she didn't have the leadership abilities to get even someone in her own party to introduce the bill," Chatfield said. "Her second plan is to just take out a massive loan and do bonds, even though the state of Michigan is already paying back bonds from two previous administrations on roads."
In her address, Whitmer also announced actions to improve public education in Michigan. She announced a partnership with Michigan foundations "to help parents and students navigate the third grade reading law," signed by former Gov. Rick Snyder.
The governor also announced there were nearly 11,000 new jobs in the auto industry created in 2019, which is the most the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has ever announced in a single year.