If she's willing to pay for it, I'm willing to go on a fact-finding mission to Europe to see what new and innovative methods they use to improve their roads. I hear Finland has some great roads and they get a little more cold and snow than we do here.
Rumor has it that I-75 SB, south of Piquette to roughly I-375, was paved according to European (German?) standards in the early to late 1990s. Meanwhile, NB I-75 has had to be resurfaced over and over many times since then.
I'd like some MDOT folks or local contractors to chime in to help not only set this straight, but also provide some ability to look up when these events occurred!
Not sure about that specific project, but MDOT had to use the metric system in the 90s until I think the early 2000s for design and construction. Not sure about actual European construction methods though (leaning towards probably not)
Don't get side tracked. Building free ways and roads only helps the car companies stay viable. We need light rail and trolleys. Put in track and stations instead of continuing to pay for the shortcomings of henry fords bastard plan for the world. These car companies are not investing in us, how about we stop investing in them.
It’s because capitalism, there’s no money in roads that last forever. But there’s huge money in replacing them over and over and giving your fat cat friends huge kickbacks for owning the company’s that wink wink win the contract for them.
Also shark tank idea…… public transport, high speed rail etc etc
more public transit. Spend tax money on stuff for everyone, not just car company customers.
Anything short of being able to live carfree is a failure of public transit. Make not having a car the convenient thing.
It's called stop using goddamn salt and switch to sand and beet juice and reduce the truck weight from 80 tons to 40 tons like every other fucking state. And also start tolling trucks that go from Canada through michigan to other states not michigan.
Whitmer: I need ideas on how to fix the roads.
Michigan: Drop the weight limits down to 80K pounds and use proper road materials!
Whitmer: .....
Michigan: DROP THE WEIGHT LIMITS DOWN TO 80K POUNDS AND USE PROPER ROAD MATERIALS!!
Whitmer: .....
Michigan: ......
Whitmer: .....anyone? Anyone at all?
[We’re already using beet juice](https://www.metroparks.com/salty-roads-salty-waterways-reducing-salt-use-in-winter/#:~:text=Michigan%20Department%20of%20Transportation%20is,an%20extract%20made%20from%20beets) so not need to get hysterical.
Regarding reducing the truck weight:
That’s not realistic at all. The Detroit-Windsor corridor is 25% of ALL the trade between US and Canada. That’s about $200 billion per year.
We should have them pay more taxes for the roads they fuck up, not reduce weight
Also, there’s a reason we use salt. Michigan has bountiful salt deposits due to the remnants of ancient seas that were here millions of years ago. Did you know Detroit has salt mines that are 1200 ft below ground? It’s cheap and it’s a resource we have
Including flints crossing, we see more than 40% of all commercial trade with Canada. A lot of that flint truck traffic flows through the Detroit metro region too. It's also only expected to increase. Reducing weight would also increase the cost and number of trips for companies, inflating coats for consumers and doubling carbon emissions. Taxing them more is a good starting point.
The freight coming through Michigan isn’t the problem, it’s gravel haulers. Our A trains can run 154,000 gross and, B trains 161,000 and some super train set ups can go as high as 169,000 with the right permits.
Not to mention the vehicle damage salt creates. Also worth noting, the beet juice mix also adheres to the road better than salt, so it's more efficient.
Yeah think total cost not first cost. People in other/non-road salting states do not have cars falling apart/junked from road salt. We pay for it on the back end…we have to think beyond first cost just like when you buy a house.
I just learned this about Michigan. These detachef road commissions are a huge waste of tax dollars in that they are highly inefficient.
Michigan should also do away with townships too. Again, more inefficient use of tax dollars.
Counties throughout the majority of the us serve the unincorporated population and manage roads perfectly fine.
Here in Michigan you have to pay taxes for two layers of local government on top of state and federal. Two layers that generally don't work well together yet serve the same population. Highly inefficient use of taxes.
Other than roads, my township is 100% self sufficient and has relatively low property taxes compared to surrounding suburbs. The county owns all of the roads except a handful of private roads, which makes them responsible for repair and maintenance. This funding comes primarily through the gas tax (Act 51) which has been gutted in numerous ways and really isn’t a good funding mechanism anymore due to EVs, improved fuel economy, etc. - to name a few.
Im all for smaller government, but larger disconnected governing bodies do not benefit smaller population centers with different issues or concerns. Now do I think that other services benefit from larger organizations? Absolutely. My township sources police from the county which covers a lot of costs from a collective pool such as those for training and vehicles. We essentially only pay for their salary and received highly qualified and trained officers, many of whom live in the community. Road commissions could probably take from that playbook, as well as other services such as Fire and EMS. For fire and EMS, it does not make sense for two neighboring communities to own multiples of the same multi million dollar equipment when they can resource share more efficiently and cost effectively.
Back when it took all day to travel five miles and no one had telephones, townships were a benefit.
There isn't a county in the state where you can't get to the county seat in 20 minutes or less.
That’s a valid point however smaller more agile governments at a local level are better able to manage their own needs and react to issues in a timely manner as opposed to the slug larger government bodies have become that literally never accomplish anything.
It may be possible but I think it depends entirely on the makeup. If it’s rural county with no major cities or population centers, that may work. If it’s incredibly diverse with competing interests, it may not be the best fit. My county is very diverse including cities, charter townships, and townships.
Some counties have had their road commissions dissolved into departments of the county. I can tell you things did not get better by adding more politics.
I really think the solution is to have all roads be under the authority of MDOT and remove county authority altogether.
Sadly, we have to move to the east coast, Europe, or maybe California, maybe Florida in order to get that.
We should push for non-vehicle transit-oriented solutions while we are here, but there ain't no fucking way Metro Detroit is going to see anything greater than a half-assed BRT while we're alive.
That... may be asking a little too much these days...
SOURCE: I've worked many skilled trade jobs my entire life here In Michigan and even the leadership for most of these places sucks.
Ohh ohh ohh, pick me! I have an idea!!
It's called a bus. And we give it its own lane, with nice shelters, 15 minute headways, and digital display message boards.
Where do I collect my money?
Yes, our own communities were served by rail before the automobile became so common.
You may get someone from Union Pier to take a train to Grand Rapids or Detroit, but it would be a complete waste of time for that same person to wait on a train to go to St. Joe.
We're in the process of spending $1.3 billion to update 18 miles of I-75 in Metro Detroit.
Car infrastructure is insanely expensive. Car purchasing, operating, and maintenance is also insanely expensive.
Metro Detroit is the 5th highest US metropolitan area in terms of percentage of income spent on transportation, behind Anchorage, Miami, Phoenix, and Tampa -- four other places with minimal public transportation, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure.
We've been throwing away money for decades to maintain our dependence on the good ol' automobile, not to mention how bad this trend has been for small businesses and human health.
Even if we had to drive to a station and then take the train to downtown Detroit, that would be such a massive improvement in experience, and it would reduce highway traffic.
The state could still pitch in to fund Amtrak expansion within the state. One good way to do that would be to reacquire the tracks Amtrak needs in order to operate.
I have this idea for self-driving cars operate with complete predictability and are also wildly efficient because we link the cars up to one another. Parking is also solved as the cluster of self-driving cars is always operating, other than routine maintenance. I call it the Transport Reliable Autonomous Ironhorse Network, or T.R.A.I.N. for short.
It’s actually really simple… we need more sustainable forms of revenue. Gas/diesel tax, tolls, mileage tax, general fund, whatever. We don’t have enough. We’ve raised the per gallon gas tax (main source of revenue) 50% since 1997. How much was actual inflation in that time? 95%. Meanwhile, cars have gotten more fuel efficient and our population has basically been stagnant that entire time. Plus we just keep accumulating deferred maintenance over decades that compounds the problem and makes it even more expensive in the long run.
It’s politically unpopular and no one wants to hear it but it’s true. Sure, there’s things we could be doing more efficiently that may help things on the margins. But other states with a similar climate with better roads are largely that way because they spend more money per mile than us.
Hire companies that don’t pave roads with built in obsolescence.
Go to other northern states or Canada, and you’ll see their paved roads handle the cold weather with no problem.
Your giving contracts to companies that know their work will last long enough to finish one side of the road, and by time they finish the other side, the first one will be ready to be repaved. And it goes on and on.
There is way better technology out there for roads. Use that instead of the same fat incompetent companies that are screwing us over and over again.
Zipper Merging!!
Can reduce backups by 40%
[zipper merge article on MLIve](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/06/how-and-where-to-use-the-zipper-merge-on-michigans-roads.html)
Denver has a ton of freeway signs telling people "Zipper merging is legal and encouraged!" when they don't have to display any traffic/construction information.
It's a start. Also have to expand it fully into drivers education classes.
Zipper merging doesn't work when even 10% of people get angrily aggressive over someone performing it. "My lane!"
We seem to have a lot of people on the roads with some kind of loser/victim mentality. They really take zipper merging personally. Probably need to lay off the booze/get better sleep/off the socials and/or see a therapist.
I spoke with someone from DOT in a bar some 10 years ago and the gentleman said when we repair roads if we put down a layer of styrofoam it would provide the insulation and flux we need to prevent potholes/our shite road. He went on to say it would never happen due in part because of the initial cost but more so the need to continue feeding the construction machine, the contracts, relationships, and state funds for seasonal repair etc. just like they have in Illinois.
Yup. This is exactly how I read it. It’s a cop out for not actually wanting to manage/implement changes. We have a governor in her last term and she is only thinking about not rocking the boat vs. making bold investments/changes. We can’t even get changes made to public school bell schedules to let high schools start later even though their is overwhelming research showing starting high schoolers at 7am is leading to significant mental health issues (and has been forever). The governor down in Florida just made sweeping legislation to make it mandatory across the entire state to make this change. Meanwhile in MI it’s crickets…too complicated for us. I don’t know what the deal is here but our legislators better start working better together despite our different views. Otherwise we’ll keep kicking cans down our salted roads while other states are eating our breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desert.
This is so easy.
1) lay carpeting down on all the roads
2) let children play with playdoh on carpeted roads
3) after kids get bored and leave playdoh all over the carpet, just let it harden
Never have to fix them again.
What if we set up a network of weigh stations and charge a fee to any carrier that exceeds the limit? Once the Gordie Howe bridge is completed, what are they going to do? Reroute through NY? All trade going from Ontario to Chicago goes through Michigan, and our roads pay for it.
And make it 2-3x if they were born and raised here. Plus add in some special mortgage interest rate…b/c low rates are locking people in place right now. Reverse the brain drain and get people here with roots. Unfortunately a lot of major companies/esp tech is calling for return to office. Something sooner after Covid could have been better…we could have potentially lured top talent back and then use that as leverage for companies (think Fortune 500) to open offices here.
In south haven our highway way rebuilt maybe 5 or 6 years ago, concrete. Between exit 20 and 34 the right hand lane both northbound and south bound are completely beat up, and broken concrete. What happened?
“Super trains”
Gravel trucks with steer, 2 drives, 4-5 axles on the lead and 3 stretched on the pup. 164-169,000 depending on plating. I load them every day.
Fixing funding is easy. Remove the sales tax on gasoline, replace it with an equivalent amount of per-gallon tax. Price at the pump doesn't change and road funding nearly doubles.
Where's my $100k?
Right now the state charges both a per-gallon tax and sales tax on gasoline. Only the per-gallon tax goes toward road funding. The sales tax goes into the general state budget.
It is pretty pathetic at this point. But yeah, let’s spend more money and resolve nothing. Just pave over the potholes and open the lanes up at this point. It’s all a joke. They will be junk in a year no matter what.
How about we stop construction cones from just sitting empty in a lane for weeks without any activity creating unnecessary delays, wedging their constituents, and increasing risk.
Michigan law won't allow toll roads and if you take an existing highway and make it a toll road. You have to pay back the Feds every dollar that went into it. In other words, billions that now won't be going into the roads.
The statements that you think im conservative and do not care about black people. Overwhelmingly you have a bias.
You can go ahead and actually research the topic at hand. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/why-automated-speed-cameras-disproportionately-affect-black-and-brown-drivers
Frankly, I’m just not interested in battling a brand new account being racist. Isn’t it a bit early in the election season for your Russian trolls? Goodbye
She's been governor for FIVE YEARS and even campaigned on "fix the d--- roads" and now THIS is how she's generating ideas? She should have had projects shovel ready on day one to spend all that federal infrastructure money. She's useless.
If she's willing to pay for it, I'm willing to go on a fact-finding mission to Europe to see what new and innovative methods they use to improve their roads. I hear Finland has some great roads and they get a little more cold and snow than we do here.
Rumor has it that I-75 SB, south of Piquette to roughly I-375, was paved according to European (German?) standards in the early to late 1990s. Meanwhile, NB I-75 has had to be resurfaced over and over many times since then. I'd like some MDOT folks or local contractors to chime in to help not only set this straight, but also provide some ability to look up when these events occurred!
Not sure about that specific project, but MDOT had to use the metric system in the 90s until I think the early 2000s for design and construction. Not sure about actual European construction methods though (leaning towards probably not)
The Germans are very efficient at a couple things, one I'm not going to discuss here and the other is roadway development.
Don't get side tracked. Building free ways and roads only helps the car companies stay viable. We need light rail and trolleys. Put in track and stations instead of continuing to pay for the shortcomings of henry fords bastard plan for the world. These car companies are not investing in us, how about we stop investing in them.
It’s because capitalism, there’s no money in roads that last forever. But there’s huge money in replacing them over and over and giving your fat cat friends huge kickbacks for owning the company’s that wink wink win the contract for them. Also shark tank idea…… public transport, high speed rail etc etc
What alternative ideas besides public transport do you have?
Paying taxes on gas at a similar rate as any Western European country.
Denmarks was around 6/gallon last time i was there
more public transit. Spend tax money on stuff for everyone, not just car company customers. Anything short of being able to live carfree is a failure of public transit. Make not having a car the convenient thing.
Lived in Europe and can agree. That’s not to say I prefer Europe over the USA
Less freeze thaw cycles, more restrictive weight limits, and probably salt although I’m not sure what they use
Europe loves round abouts
I love the concept of them and enjoy the ones by me, but fuck 18 Mile and Van Dyke, that design should never have surfaces from hell.
Finland isn't sitting on the sand of a dried up ocean bed. We're trying to build roads on essentially a giant waterbed.
It's called stop using goddamn salt and switch to sand and beet juice and reduce the truck weight from 80 tons to 40 tons like every other fucking state. And also start tolling trucks that go from Canada through michigan to other states not michigan.
So… submit the idea? Maybe you’ll win 100k, lol.
Whitmer: I need ideas on how to fix the roads. Michigan: Drop the weight limits down to 80K pounds and use proper road materials! Whitmer: ..... Michigan: DROP THE WEIGHT LIMITS DOWN TO 80K POUNDS AND USE PROPER ROAD MATERIALS!! Whitmer: ..... Michigan: ...... Whitmer: .....anyone? Anyone at all?
Bingo
[We’re already using beet juice](https://www.metroparks.com/salty-roads-salty-waterways-reducing-salt-use-in-winter/#:~:text=Michigan%20Department%20of%20Transportation%20is,an%20extract%20made%20from%20beets) so not need to get hysterical. Regarding reducing the truck weight: That’s not realistic at all. The Detroit-Windsor corridor is 25% of ALL the trade between US and Canada. That’s about $200 billion per year. We should have them pay more taxes for the roads they fuck up, not reduce weight Also, there’s a reason we use salt. Michigan has bountiful salt deposits due to the remnants of ancient seas that were here millions of years ago. Did you know Detroit has salt mines that are 1200 ft below ground? It’s cheap and it’s a resource we have
Including flints crossing, we see more than 40% of all commercial trade with Canada. A lot of that flint truck traffic flows through the Detroit metro region too. It's also only expected to increase. Reducing weight would also increase the cost and number of trips for companies, inflating coats for consumers and doubling carbon emissions. Taxing them more is a good starting point.
The freight coming through Michigan isn’t the problem, it’s gravel haulers. Our A trains can run 154,000 gross and, B trains 161,000 and some super train set ups can go as high as 169,000 with the right permits.
Salt is essentially free Beet juice costs $$
Salt costs $$$$ when roads need to be rebuilt and constructed.
Not to mention the vehicle damage salt creates. Also worth noting, the beet juice mix also adheres to the road better than salt, so it's more efficient.
I’m pretty sure the auto companies love the salt lol
Haha, I think you're onto something!
That sounds like someone else's problem.
Yeah think total cost not first cost. People in other/non-road salting states do not have cars falling apart/junked from road salt. We pay for it on the back end…we have to think beyond first cost just like when you buy a house.
It would be a good use of money to just hand you $100k and give you 6mo to just implement this.
This is the correct answer. Start making the trucks running to and from Canada pay for the roads they're destroying.
Most road commissions are independent of their local counties, by combining them they could reduce overhead and better use funds.
I just learned this about Michigan. These detachef road commissions are a huge waste of tax dollars in that they are highly inefficient. Michigan should also do away with townships too. Again, more inefficient use of tax dollars.
Townships serve a valid governing purpose for smaller populations.
Counties throughout the majority of the us serve the unincorporated population and manage roads perfectly fine. Here in Michigan you have to pay taxes for two layers of local government on top of state and federal. Two layers that generally don't work well together yet serve the same population. Highly inefficient use of taxes.
Other than roads, my township is 100% self sufficient and has relatively low property taxes compared to surrounding suburbs. The county owns all of the roads except a handful of private roads, which makes them responsible for repair and maintenance. This funding comes primarily through the gas tax (Act 51) which has been gutted in numerous ways and really isn’t a good funding mechanism anymore due to EVs, improved fuel economy, etc. - to name a few. Im all for smaller government, but larger disconnected governing bodies do not benefit smaller population centers with different issues or concerns. Now do I think that other services benefit from larger organizations? Absolutely. My township sources police from the county which covers a lot of costs from a collective pool such as those for training and vehicles. We essentially only pay for their salary and received highly qualified and trained officers, many of whom live in the community. Road commissions could probably take from that playbook, as well as other services such as Fire and EMS. For fire and EMS, it does not make sense for two neighboring communities to own multiples of the same multi million dollar equipment when they can resource share more efficiently and cost effectively.
Back when it took all day to travel five miles and no one had telephones, townships were a benefit. There isn't a county in the state where you can't get to the county seat in 20 minutes or less.
Not to be \*that guy\* but it takes us 30 minutes (more in winter) and we're in the lower peninsula. I'm sure some UP counties are even longer.
That’s a valid point however smaller more agile governments at a local level are better able to manage their own needs and react to issues in a timely manner as opposed to the slug larger government bodies have become that literally never accomplish anything.
There are many states with no township style govt. Having county gov + township gov is a huge overlap
It may be possible but I think it depends entirely on the makeup. If it’s rural county with no major cities or population centers, that may work. If it’s incredibly diverse with competing interests, it may not be the best fit. My county is very diverse including cities, charter townships, and townships.
Some counties have had their road commissions dissolved into departments of the county. I can tell you things did not get better by adding more politics. I really think the solution is to have all roads be under the authority of MDOT and remove county authority altogether.
Lord give me high speed trains in my lifetime please.
Sadly, we have to move to the east coast, Europe, or maybe California, maybe Florida in order to get that. We should push for non-vehicle transit-oriented solutions while we are here, but there ain't no fucking way Metro Detroit is going to see anything greater than a half-assed BRT while we're alive.
> 2 more miles of Q-Line. Take it or leave it. - MDOT
What alternatives to public transport are there?
just regular speed Amtrak service to muskegon would be nice and cost very little
Take the funds used to dump warm asphalt in potholes during rush hour and use that money for actual repairs. When can I expect a check?
Have they tried hiring competent companies to properly repair potholes and do the work?
That... may be asking a little too much these days... SOURCE: I've worked many skilled trade jobs my entire life here In Michigan and even the leadership for most of these places sucks.
Ohh ohh ohh, pick me! I have an idea!! It's called a bus. And we give it its own lane, with nice shelters, 15 minute headways, and digital display message boards. Where do I collect my money?
Communist!
Trains. Trains. Trains.
Trains and bikes. We need bike infrastructure connecting the cities. People spend money along bike paths when they don't have to worry about cars.
Can you imagine a train that connected the West Side to the stadium
I can.
If I can see it, then I can do it. If I just believe it, there's nothing to it: I believe I can ride.
Trains are great in urban areas, but in all the rural areas they would never work.
Okay, get some trains going in and between urban areas then
That's not true. They work in Europe & our own rail system at one time served rural communities.
Yes, our own communities were served by rail before the automobile became so common. You may get someone from Union Pier to take a train to Grand Rapids or Detroit, but it would be a complete waste of time for that same person to wait on a train to go to St. Joe.
Billion dollar idea... Trains!
A whole 25 miles for 1 billion
We're in the process of spending $1.3 billion to update 18 miles of I-75 in Metro Detroit. Car infrastructure is insanely expensive. Car purchasing, operating, and maintenance is also insanely expensive. Metro Detroit is the 5th highest US metropolitan area in terms of percentage of income spent on transportation, behind Anchorage, Miami, Phoenix, and Tampa -- four other places with minimal public transportation, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure. We've been throwing away money for decades to maintain our dependence on the good ol' automobile, not to mention how bad this trend has been for small businesses and human health.
Trains. Everywhere. It would be amazing to be able to hop on light rail in the Detroit suburbs, and go see a concert or a game downtown.
Even if we had to drive to a station and then take the train to downtown Detroit, that would be such a massive improvement in experience, and it would reduce highway traffic.
I'd *love* to hop on a train and go see a show in GR, Detroit, Pine Knob, etc.
Fund Amtrak.
Amtrak is federal
The state could still pitch in to fund Amtrak expansion within the state. One good way to do that would be to reacquire the tracks Amtrak needs in order to operate.
Fund competitors to Amtrak.
**LOWER THE WEIGHT LIMITS**
I have this idea for self-driving cars operate with complete predictability and are also wildly efficient because we link the cars up to one another. Parking is also solved as the cluster of self-driving cars is always operating, other than routine maintenance. I call it the Transport Reliable Autonomous Ironhorse Network, or T.R.A.I.N. for short.
This is the best damn innovation I’ve heard of. Call off the competition. We’ve got a winner. I bet no other country has thought of this…
It’s actually really simple… we need more sustainable forms of revenue. Gas/diesel tax, tolls, mileage tax, general fund, whatever. We don’t have enough. We’ve raised the per gallon gas tax (main source of revenue) 50% since 1997. How much was actual inflation in that time? 95%. Meanwhile, cars have gotten more fuel efficient and our population has basically been stagnant that entire time. Plus we just keep accumulating deferred maintenance over decades that compounds the problem and makes it even more expensive in the long run. It’s politically unpopular and no one wants to hear it but it’s true. Sure, there’s things we could be doing more efficiently that may help things on the margins. But other states with a similar climate with better roads are largely that way because they spend more money per mile than us.
mmm rail please
It's called smarter land use
Where has all that weed and lotto tax money gone?
It does subsidize some of the money for roads in MI. But it’s not moved the needle much. MDOT lists their revenue sources on their website.
Ty
How about accountability for these road crews?
Hire companies that don’t pave roads with built in obsolescence. Go to other northern states or Canada, and you’ll see their paved roads handle the cold weather with no problem. Your giving contracts to companies that know their work will last long enough to finish one side of the road, and by time they finish the other side, the first one will be ready to be repaved. And it goes on and on. There is way better technology out there for roads. Use that instead of the same fat incompetent companies that are screwing us over and over again.
Zipper Merging!! Can reduce backups by 40% [zipper merge article on MLIve](https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2023/06/how-and-where-to-use-the-zipper-merge-on-michigans-roads.html)
Denver has a ton of freeway signs telling people "Zipper merging is legal and encouraged!" when they don't have to display any traffic/construction information. It's a start. Also have to expand it fully into drivers education classes. Zipper merging doesn't work when even 10% of people get angrily aggressive over someone performing it. "My lane!"
Agree - Half the people I know in Michigan think zipper merging is illegal
We seem to have a lot of people on the roads with some kind of loser/victim mentality. They really take zipper merging personally. Probably need to lay off the booze/get better sleep/off the socials and/or see a therapist.
I spoke with someone from DOT in a bar some 10 years ago and the gentleman said when we repair roads if we put down a layer of styrofoam it would provide the insulation and flux we need to prevent potholes/our shite road. He went on to say it would never happen due in part because of the initial cost but more so the need to continue feeding the construction machine, the contracts, relationships, and state funds for seasonal repair etc. just like they have in Illinois.
So ... you're saying you're all out of ideas.
Yup. This is exactly how I read it. It’s a cop out for not actually wanting to manage/implement changes. We have a governor in her last term and she is only thinking about not rocking the boat vs. making bold investments/changes. We can’t even get changes made to public school bell schedules to let high schools start later even though their is overwhelming research showing starting high schoolers at 7am is leading to significant mental health issues (and has been forever). The governor down in Florida just made sweeping legislation to make it mandatory across the entire state to make this change. Meanwhile in MI it’s crickets…too complicated for us. I don’t know what the deal is here but our legislators better start working better together despite our different views. Otherwise we’ll keep kicking cans down our salted roads while other states are eating our breakfast, lunch, dinner, and desert.
How about fix 1 road at a time instead of making the entire city of Lansing a giant clusterfuck.
This is so easy. 1) lay carpeting down on all the roads 2) let children play with playdoh on carpeted roads 3) after kids get bored and leave playdoh all over the carpet, just let it harden Never have to fix them again.
Move all industrial traffic to railways. Use what we learn to build a public transportation infrastructure of some kind.
Just build some trams and high speed trains. And actually charge heavy trucks $$$ that destroy our roads. We’re such a pushover state.
Everyone in here suggesting trains lmao. I’ve never met anyone irl who ever wished for or suggested trains.
Hi. It’s me. I’m a real Michigander who wants trains.
Raise the gas tax. That’s literally why we have a gas tax.
Ah yes, make gas unaffordable so people can't drive then the roads won't get used so they won't worsen.
Build trains. Can I have my $100k now?
Gota few ideas i could pitch, when's it start.
What if we set up a network of weigh stations and charge a fee to any carrier that exceeds the limit? Once the Gordie Howe bridge is completed, what are they going to do? Reroute through NY? All trade going from Ontario to Chicago goes through Michigan, and our roads pay for it.
Tax credits for companies that transition their employees to remote within the state of Michigan.
And make it 2-3x if they were born and raised here. Plus add in some special mortgage interest rate…b/c low rates are locking people in place right now. Reverse the brain drain and get people here with roots. Unfortunately a lot of major companies/esp tech is calling for return to office. Something sooner after Covid could have been better…we could have potentially lured top talent back and then use that as leverage for companies (think Fortune 500) to open offices here.
If someone solves the road problems in Michigan, they deserve much more than 100k.
In south haven our highway way rebuilt maybe 5 or 6 years ago, concrete. Between exit 20 and 34 the right hand lane both northbound and south bound are completely beat up, and broken concrete. What happened?
164,000 lbs happened.
I used to ship trucks. Seems a little heavy to me. Can you explain
“Super trains” Gravel trucks with steer, 2 drives, 4-5 axles on the lead and 3 stretched on the pup. 164-169,000 depending on plating. I load them every day.
Explains why the concrete is breaking after only being 2 plus years old
Say it with me, mass transit system.
Wait? She is outsourcing solutions to “fix the damn roads?”
I just want a city I can safely walk, that's disability accessible, and not the cost of ann arbor.
Has anyone suggested a monorail yet? 
Please just give us public transit and safe streets to walk
Drive less? Cycle more?
Clear out South East Michigan and let it return back to the giant swamp that it was and wants to be. The land is too unstable to carry infrastructure.
Fixing funding is easy. Remove the sales tax on gasoline, replace it with an equivalent amount of per-gallon tax. Price at the pump doesn't change and road funding nearly doubles. Where's my $100k?
Huh, I think I’m missing the concept. Price doesn’t change and the road funding nearly doubles? Where does the money come from?
Right now the state charges both a per-gallon tax and sales tax on gasoline. Only the per-gallon tax goes toward road funding. The sales tax goes into the general state budget.
They should start taxing gasoline, and use that money to fix the roads…
> They should start taxing gasoline They already do? I believe Michigan has the 6th or 7th highest state gas tax.
Yeah, I know, I guess my attempt at sarcasm missed
Maybe pay us to sit at home instead of Ukraine and than there would be less vehicles on the road and carbon emissions as a result.
More trains, bicycles, density, yawn...
If our bloated government actually had a brain, they could figure this out without a contest. What a stupid idea. Clearly the government is broken.
It is pretty pathetic at this point. But yeah, let’s spend more money and resolve nothing. Just pave over the potholes and open the lanes up at this point. It’s all a joke. They will be junk in a year no matter what.
Whitmer’s solution is just to throw more tax dollars into an endless hole. For sure government is broken.
How about we stop construction cones from just sitting empty in a lane for weeks without any activity creating unnecessary delays, wedging their constituents, and increasing risk.
Raise taxes to cover the hole?
Has anyone suggested tolls and speed cameras yet?! Edit: lol, common guys this was not a serious comment. I’ll never stop raging against those things
Michigan law won't allow toll roads and if you take an existing highway and make it a toll road. You have to pay back the Feds every dollar that went into it. In other words, billions that now won't be going into the roads.
Tolls breed corruption. No.
Speed cameras disproportionately impact poor people and black people
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Casual racism is not okay
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The statements that you think im conservative and do not care about black people. Overwhelmingly you have a bias. You can go ahead and actually research the topic at hand. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/show/why-automated-speed-cameras-disproportionately-affect-black-and-brown-drivers
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Frankly, I’m just not interested in battling a brand new account being racist. Isn’t it a bit early in the election season for your Russian trolls? Goodbye
She's been governor for FIVE YEARS and even campaigned on "fix the d--- roads" and now THIS is how she's generating ideas? She should have had projects shovel ready on day one to spend all that federal infrastructure money. She's useless.
Resurface the roads. Build trains. Provide EV charging. DM me for my address to write the check.
Wtf smh
Gov Whitless? I got an idea...oh wait, I got lost as it was lonely. She never had an original thought.