Michigan roads

Counties are working overtime to fill in potholes. Some road commissioners say this is one of the most severe pothole seasons they have experienced.

Gretchen Whitmer’s $74 billion budget would be by far the largest in state history. But problems with roads, schools, infrastructure and broadband have been years in the making and became worse in the pandemic.

When Michigan is awash in extra funds and other compromises are tough to find, lowering tax burdens is something that ought to be attractive to people on both sides of the aisle.

The state Senate allocates more than Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposed, but Michigan’s infrastructure has been underfunded for years.

In Michigan’s slice of Trump Country, some communities say the federal stimulus isn’t worth the hassle. Their neighbors may get the money instead.

The once-in-a-generation legislation promises to bring more than $10 billion in public works aid to Michigan, a state in dire need of upgrades to roads, dams and bridges, drinking water systems and other protections against climate change.

At all levels of government in Michigan, federal COVID relief funds are a potential boon for public projects and programs that have endured decades of chronically low investment.

Michigan’s roads and bridges are in sorry shape. Biden’s infrastructure bill wouldn’t fix all of them.

The massive storms that ripped through southeast Michigan this summer are likely the state’s new normal, but our aging infrastructure was designed for the climate of the past.

Bridge Michigan environmental reporter Kelly House moderated a Zoom discussion with two experts about our changing state and environmental justice.

Here’s why disinvestment matters. Certain Detroit neighborhoods flood, and the city versus the suburbs debate has kicked up again.

Two weeks after Detroit’s heavy summer rain flooded thousands of homes, residents are still cleaning up debris and filing claims to restore their property. With high insurance premiums and low coverage, Detroiters are relying on FEMA for assistance.

The authors lived in Dearborn most of their lives, and haven’t seen resentment like this. Largely Arab-American neighborhoods were hit harder than more affluent west Dearborn. The city cites topography, but some see other factors at work.

Each time these disasters strike, promises are made to solve the problem. Just as surely as the flood waters always go down, we are here again today dealing with another such crisis.

Nearly 6 inches of rain inundated Detroit’s water and sewage systems last weekend, causing basements to flood in residential and commercial properties across the city. As residents continue to clean the debris and file insurance claims, they say quick, Band-Aid fixes are unacceptable.

A bipartisan federal deal on infrastructure is welcome, but experts say it won’t meet Michigan’s long-term needs for modernized, updated stormwater systems in an era of climate change.

Michigan cities, townships, villages and counties are expected to receive a collective $4.4 billion from the COVID-19 stimulus package. Experts say the “rescue plan” can help local governments meet their immediate needs and think long-term.

Governments are receiving a windfall unseen in decades, $5.9 billion to state coffers and $4.4 billion to cities, towns and counties. As communities eye neglected infrastructure and other needs, use this database to see how much is coming to Michigan communities.

Lansing's interest in tolling has gone back decades but this year the state Legislature and Gov. Whitmer's administration have taken big steps to make it a reality.

Fixing the roads is important to Michigan residents. But enacting safety laws for road workers is even more vital.