On April 9, from 12-1 pm, Infrastructure Research Council analyst Eric Paul Dennis will present findings from his recent report, A Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan’s Road Program. His presentation will highlight the following points:

• Michigan ranks 30th among all 50 states in road funding and 40th in road system conditions.
• Michigan’s road program performance declined between 2004 and 2024.
• Policy discussions should include an evaluation of options to improve Michigan’s road performance. At the top of that list: repealing and replacing Public Act 51 of 1951, Michigan’s main road funding law.

Register Today

Meanwhile a New Citizens Research Council Report Argues for Reform of Michigan’s Road Funding Program as Part of Increased Investment 

Livonia, MI, March 25, 2025 – Tuesday, Citizens Research Council of Michigan released novel research that makes the case that more work is needed on the road funding issue than just securing more resources for roads and bridges.

The new report, A Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan’s Road Program, examines the level of resources committed to roads and bridges and assesses their performance as measured by the condition of the road system. The analysis uses 50-state data to compare Michigan’s level of funding and road conditions to its peer states, while also examining how the state’s changing funding levels have translated to changing road conditions over time.

In a Nutshell:

•              Michigan ranks 30th among all 50 states in road funding levels by an assessment of data from 2012 to 2021 and 40th in road system conditions using the latest available data.

•              Michigan’s road program performance – the efficacy in utilizing given funding levels to maintain the public road network – is found to have declined between 2004 and 2024.

•              Policy discussions regarding road funding should include an evaluation of options to improve Michigan’s road program performance. Primary among policy implications are recommendations to review the efficacy of Michigan’s approach to pavement management and to prioritize the repeal and replacement of Public Act 51 of 1951, the main road funding distribution law.

“We applaud the Governor and Legislature for addressing the difficult policy decisions related to dedicating more resources to the road system,” said Eric Lupher, president of the Research Council. “However, we think what is done with the resources in the system matters as much as the total funding levels. The fact that most of Michigan’s peer states have achieved better system conditions than Michigan and several of them have achieved better condition with similar or lower funding levels is one red flag that what we’ve been doing isn’t working as well is it should.”

This research provides a uniquely objective and independent analysis of what is known about road funding levels and road system conditions in Michigan.

Eric Paul Dennis, Research Council associate for infrastructure policy added, “Evidence suggests there are multiple inefficiencies in our current system. Allocating more funding to roads without addressing these inefficiencies may reinforce systemic problems without making much progress in fixing the roads.

“Michigan’s citizens and taxpayers deserve a thorough evaluation of transportation funding policy before being subjected to substantial tax increases or redirecting general fund revenue from other programs.”

Reform of the road program should begin by replacing Public Act 51 of 1951. The report documents many indications that available resources are not getting to the roads in need of repair. Additional reforms that could be considered include the authorization of local-option taxes to supplement state-shared revenues, introducing highway construction cost inflation into the resource distribution methodology, and assessments of Michigan’s pavement management methodologies.

Paper copies are available upon request.

###

Founded in 1916, the Citizens Research Council of Michigan works to improve government in Michigan. The organization provides factual, unbiased, independent information concerning significant issues of state and local government organization, policy, and finance. By delivery of this information to policymakers and citizens, the Research Council aims to ensure sound and rational public policy formation in Michigan. For more information, visit www.crcmich.org.