Whitmer pushes 45 cent gas tax plan for road fixes during Grand Rapids visit
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited Grand Rapids on Monday afternoon to push her plan to revitalize Michigan's roads, a promise she's touted since she pledged to 'fix the damn roads' during her election campaign.
Standing under a bridge along U.S. Route 131 on Monday, Whitmer again pushed her gas-tax proposal, calling the state's bridge system critical.
"Michiganders are known for innovation and grit and doing the right thing and working hard," Whitmer said. "The legislature should live up to those same values and get this budget done."
The Governor's proposal would increase Michigan's gas tax by 45 cents. The hike would generate $2.5 billion annually, and would bring the gas tax from the current 26 cent per gallon gas tax to 71 cents per gallon, according to the state budget office.
Whitmer highlighted a bridge holding up U.S. 131, which carries about 100,000 vehicles per day, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
MDOT said the bridge is in fair condition, but Whitmer pointed out flaws in the infrastructure, including water seeping into cracks on the bridge.
According to MDOT, there are about 1,100 other state and local bridges in Michigan that are in serious or critical condition. The department said that while it is doing its best to maintain the state's infrastructure with its current budget, the cost for doing so is going up. The department said that it would close any state bridges that pose a threat to the public. So far, no state bridges have been closed and MDOT wants to keep it that way.
"At any given time, we're travelling over bridges that are safe," Jon Bruinsma, a bridge engineer with the Michigan Department of Transportation, said. "But if an investment is not made, we'd have to close more bridges to traffic, and that would really get in the way of the motoring public's commute."
The Michigan legislature has not taken any action on Whitmer's proposal. In the past, Republican leadership in both the house and senate has said the governor's gas tax proposal will not be adopted because it's far too expensive.
The Republicans in the Michigan House have proposed their own plan to shift all of the current gas tax to fund roads. The Republicans have also suggested selling state-owned assets, such as the Blue Water Bridge and welcome centers, to raise the money.
