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'Fix the damn roads': Gov. Whitmer touts $4.8 billion Building Michigan Together infrastructure plan

By Amber Ainsworth
Published  March 29, 2022 10:42am EDT
Michigan
FOX 2 Detroit

Michigan to spend $4.7 billion on infrastructure

Michigan plans to use $4.7 billion to repair and replace infrastructure.

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2/AP) - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is touting the Building Michigan Together Plan ahead of signing the bipartisan bill.

The plan will pour $4.8 billion into roads, bridges, regional airports, transit, and water infrastructure.

The money will also support jobs, Whitmer said.

"The Building Michigan Together Plan makes historic, bipartisan investments in the kitchen-table issues that matter most to Michigan families and builds on our work to fix the damn roads," Whitmer said. "I am so proud that the Michigan Legislature and I were able to come together to get this done and continue fixing the roads together with the right mix and materials, so they stay fixed. This plan will make a real difference in our communities, support thousands of good-paying jobs, and set up Michigan’s economy for decades of success. It is a testament to what is possible when we put Michiganders first."

The plan has more than $380 million for road and bridge repairs and pump stations to prevent highway flooding; $250 million to improve state parks and recreations areas; $200 million for local parks; $250 million to expand broadband access; and $100 million to expand access to affordable housing.

Other big-ticket items include an additional $500 million for rent and mortgage assistance, $322 million in COVID-19-related spending, and $140 million to stabilize the unemployment benefits fund and improve the functioning of the state agency that disburses the aid.

The Building Michigan Together Plan calls for critical investments of $645 million in Michigan’s infrastructure, including:

  • $317 million for state and local road and bridge programs
  • $66 million to make state transportation infrastructure more resilient to future flooding events by adding reliable generator backup power to all 164 state-owned pumping stations
  • $93 million for airport infrastructure improvement grants
  • $66 million to improve public transportation
  • $25 million investment in the statewide Mobility Futures Initiative

This report includes information from the Associated Press.