After a harsh winter depleted funding geared toward road maintenance, a $167,343.76 special appropriation is expected to help offset the cost of necessary road repairs.
The funding East Lansing received is part of a $100 million supplemental appropriations bill, which Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law on March 14, for special winter road maintenance in Michigan.
Of the $100 million, individual counties received $39.1 million, cities and villages received $21.8 million and the Michigan Department of Transportation, or MDOT, received $39.1 million.
The money was allocated to different cities, villages and counties based on factors such as road mileage and population. They are required to use the funding for winter maintenance costs. The money MDOT received will be used to repair state trunklines.
East Lansing Director of Public Works Todd Sneathen said the funding allocated to the city will help cover the costs associated with the extra manpower needed for tasks such as snow plowing, salt use, vehicle use and vehicle wear and tear.
“This replenishes funds that we would typically use for prohibitive maintenance that we had to use in order to take care of all the snow and ice removal this winter,” Sneathen said.
But the funding only covers a small portion of the overall need for road funding in the area, East Lansing Mayor Nathan Triplett said.
MDOT Director of Communications Jeff Cranson said the appropriation was necessary after the winter diminished the available budget for road maintenance.
“We expect it to be at least $40 million over when winter is finally tallied,” Cranson said.
Cranson said the five-year average for winter maintenance in Michigan is about $88 million and he expects the state to be in the $130 million range after the harsh winter.
“I don’t know if (the funding) gets us all the way, but it’s close and it’s a huge help for the state system,” Cranson said.
Sneathen said road funding is an ongoing issue that needs to be resolved by Michigan legislators.
“Road funding is currently inadequate and really needs to be handled and reviewed by the legislature, who needs to come up with a better way to cover the costs of paying for road replacement and road maintenance,” Sneathen said.
House Speaker Jase Bolger recently proposed a transportation funding plan to build Michigan roads. The $500 million annual investment would focus on long-term lasting changes to avoid quick fixes.
Snyder previously told the Associated Press the funding plan falls short of his ideal spending target of $1.2 billion. However, he said the plan was “a very constructive step.”
