Michigan has had its fair share of problems, and its poor road conditions are likely to remain dismal due to COVID-19.
According to Bridge Michigan, annual road ratings, as reported by Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council, reported that there had only been minor condition improvements made throughout Michigan between 2018 and 2019, during which time there was a small increase in state spending on the project.
However, now with the coronavirus crisis and fewer cars on the road, fuel tax revenue has all but dried up.
Twenty-one percent of major state roads were listed as being in "good" condition in 2019, but that number is overshadowed by the 39% that were rated as "poor" condition and the 40% that were rated as being in "fair" condition.
Local road agencies have also rated their roads, saying that about 51% of them are in "poor" condition. "Good" ratings, on the other hand, increased from 15% to 16% in 2018.
Bridges were rated to be 38% in "good" condition, and 4% were rated as being in "severe" condition.
Joanna Johnson, who serves as the chair of the Transportation Asset Management Council and managing director of the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County, said that the data makes clear to her that there is little progress being made when it comes to the condition of the roads.
While there have been plans to improve the roads in the past, the fact that fewer Michigan residents are driving now, with the stay-at-home order in place, means that there are significantly fewer tax dollars coming in to supplement the funding of the road improvement project.
University of Michigan economist Gabe Ehrlich said that the rebound will likely occur slowly following the economy's reopening. “The conventional wisdom seems to be the economy's going to reopen in phases, and it's going to take time between phases,” Ehrlich told Bridge Michigan.
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