Article Summary –
Michigan’s Pothole Payback contest, organized by Fix MI State, offers financial assistance to drivers whose vehicles suffer damage from poor road conditions, while also aiming to raise awareness about the state’s inadequate road infrastructure funding. Michigan faces a $3.9 billion road funding shortfall as the Rebuilding Michigan bond program funds run out, with Governor Whitmer and the Republican majority in the Michigan House proposing separate plans to address the issue. The contest underscores the urgent need for a sustainable road funding solution, as highlighted by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association’s call for legislative action.
Have you ever damaged your vehicle due to a pothole on Michigan roads? Michigan residents now have a chance to win money for repairs through a new contest.
Fix MI State, part of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, is conducting the “Pothole Payback” contest. Drivers can share stories of vehicle damage caused by poor road conditions. Each month through June, five entrants with the worst damage will receive up to $758 for repairs.
The trade association aims to both assist drivers financially and shed light on Michigan’s aging road infrastructure and insufficient funding.
“Michigan faces a road funding crisis that endangers construction jobs, and leaders must act urgently,” stated Rob Coppersmith, executive vice president of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, in an April press release. “Our roads are deteriorating, and Michiganders need sustainable solutions. As the legislature delays, we’re spotlighting this issue and aiding families with repairs.”
Fix MI State reports that Pothole Payback winners have experienced damages like broken rims, busted ball joints, and ruined tires due to pothole encounters.
Transportation industry advocates have long urged Michigan lawmakers to legislate a sustainable solution for the state’s road funding challenges.
Michigan ranks 30th in U.S. road funding and 40th in road conditions, according to a Citizens Research Council of Michigan report from March, highlighting a decline in maintaining roads cost-effectively from 2004 to 2024.
Michigan faces a $3.9 billion road funding shortfall as funds for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Rebuilding Michigan bond program deplete next year.
In 2020, Whitmer introduced a program to sell $3.5 billion in bonds over five years for major road and bridge projects, following a failed 45-cent gas tax increase.
As time dwindles, Whitmer and the Republican-led Michigan House proposed separate road funding plans this year.
Whitmer, committed to “fix the damn roads” since 2018, revealed her latest proposal in February to raise $3 billion annually by increasing corporate income tax, reducing government spending, taxing wholesale marijuana sales, and using the 6% gas sales tax solely for road maintenance.
A Republican-backed road funding plan passed in the Michigan House proposes removing the 6% gas sales tax and raising the gas tax by 20 cents per gallon, with funds allocated entirely for road repairs.
The House legislation faces obstacles as it requires passing the Democrat-led Senate and Whitmer’s approval to become law. Senate Democrats have yet to put forth their own funding proposals.
As legislative negotiations continue, Coppersmith emphasized the Pothole Payback contest’s role in spotlighting Michigan’s infrastructure struggles: “We can’t patch our way out of this.”
The next winners will be announced soon. To enter, visit FixMIState.org/potholepayback.
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