Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that “hot infrastructure summer is here” – her latest cringe attempt to play it cool on social media.
“#HotInfrastructureSummer is here, and everyone knows that strong, reliable infrastructure is real hot girl sh-,” Whitmer posted to X, along with a fire emoji and a video reiterating her unfulfilled campaign promise to “fix the damn roads.”
#HotInfrastructureSummer is here, and everyone knows that strong, reliable infrastructure is real hot girl sh- 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WxoFV6Tjk5
— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) July 1, 2024
“Michigan, we’re turning up the heat with some serious infrastructure projects. This season we’re taking our commitment to fixing the damn roads, pipes, bridges and everything in between to the next level,” Whitmer said over a dance beat in the video.
“We’re rolling up our sleeves and continuing our work on critical infrastructure that keeps our state moving. From smoother roads to stronger bridges to clean reliable water systems, we’re bringing the heat and making sure Michigan’s infrastructure is built to last,” she continued.
This summer’s scheduled road work, which she has relentlessly promoted through press releases and social media in recent months, “is about building a better Michigan for everyone,” the governor contends.
Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
“Stay tuned and stay excited,” Whitmer advised. “Hot infrastructure summer is here, and we’re just getting started.”
While Whitmer may be “just getting started” fixing the roads like she promised six years ago, her own administration admits it’s too little, too late.
A report recently released by the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council – comprised of local, regional and state planning experts appointed by Whitmer and Legislative leaders – found “roads are deteriorating faster than the agencies can repair them.”
The assessment shows that while the state improved 16.2% of toads eligible for federal aid between 2021 and 2023, 21.2% of those roads declined.
Go Ad-Free, Get Content, Go Premium Today - $1 Trial
It’s the same situation with non-federal aid roads, of which “47% were found to be in poor condition … (or) 2% more than from 2021 and 2022,” according to the report.
“Without additional and consistent long-term investment, the percentage of roads in poor condition will continue to increase as the increasing construction cost outpaces the ability to fix them,” the report reads.
As it stands now, about 33% of Michigan’s paved federal aid roads are in poor condition, 41% are in fair condition, and 26% are in good condition. The MTAMC predicts that by 2035, 52% will be in poor condition, 28% in fair condition, and 20% in good condition.
Michigan’s bridges, which are already the worst in the Great Lakes Region, will follow a similar trajectory, according to MLive.
“This forecast for the severe condition category predicts an increase in future years, with 20% of all bridges to be in the poor or severe category by 2035,” according to the report.
The reality is Michigan is quickly losing revenues it needs to repair roads, and the Whitmer administration and Democratic allies in the Legislature haven’t yet figured out a way to counter the trend.
The problem stems from government-imposed electric vehicle mandates and fuel efficiency standards that have tanked gas tax revenues, the primary funding source for road repairs.
According to The Detroit News:
Michigan roads are quickly approaching a revenue cliff as the state this year begins to spend the last $700 million tranche of $3.5 billion the Whitmer administration borrowed n 2019 to pay for highway reconstruction projects after lawmakers rejected propose tax hikes.
When the $3.5 billion runs out next year, the state will be saddled not only with paying off the loans and interest of that program but also facing an estimated annual revenue shortfall of up to $3.9 billion to continue paying for needed road work across Michigan.
In Lansing, Democrats are considering a $5 million pilot program to track Michigan drivers as the first step toward a potential mileage-based road user fee.
Whitmer, meanwhile, is looking to Michiganders to help her come up with better ideas.
In early June, Big Gretch unveiled a “PitchMI” competition she describes as “a statewide, Shark-Tank style competition helping innovators solve problems and address the biggest problems facing Michigan.”
The Whitmer administration’s top priority for the inaugural competition to give away $100,000 from taxpayers: transportation.
“Is it a new way to fix the roads?” Whitmer asked as she announced the competition at the Mackinac Policy Conference. “To everyone who eats, sleeps and breathes fixing the damn roads, now is your chance.”