Governor Granholm and transportation supporters at HB 4582 bill signing.

This morning, at 9:20 AM, Governor Granholm signed into law, HB 4582 (Gonzales), which appropriates $873million dollars in federal transportation stimulus dollars for Michigan road projects.  It was a neat experience for me as it was the first bill signing ceremony that I attended in the 10 years I've been working in Lansing.

Because of this bill, Michigan will be able to spend the $873 million in federal transportation funds for highways, roads, bridges, and transit projects.  According to the Act, transportation projects that will receive funding must be shovel-ready and most of these were pulled from existing MDOT 5-year plans.  Projects that are being funded include road resurfacing, rehabilitation and widening, bridge rehabilitation, and transportation enhancement projects and will create or sustain 25,000 jobs.

This is all great news, but there is still work that must be done.  Lately, I've been finding myself quoting MDOT Director Kirk Steudle.  He told us at our 2009 Capital Conference "This is a great shot in the arm.  The problem is that the arm is falling off the body."  This one time package will not sustain the day to day funding of our transportation needs.  The way that we fund transportation in Michigan is failing, and if the Legislature does not act soon, the work that the stimulus money does today will fall apart in a few years.

The Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) has observed that Michigan needs to double our current investment in transportation.  That means that we have to look at either changing the way we tax motor fuels, or look at increasing the flat gas/diesel taxes.  Failure to do so will mean that Michigan won't be able to match $576 million in federal transportation dollars.

Today was great ... but now it's time to get to work.

FacebookTwitterLinkedInDel.icio.usDigg It!