LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Roger Victory on Wednesday cosponsored new Senate legislation to use $1.5 billion in federal funding to repair all Michigan bridges listed in severe condition.
“This is about wisely and effectively using the record amount of federal resources we have this year in a way that will benefit the good people of Michigan for years to come,” said Victory, R-Hudsonville. “From families taking their kids to school to farmers getting their products to market, our roads and bridges are critical to our economy and way of life. This plan will drastically improve safety on our roads and enable our communities to dedicate more of their funding to fixing local roads — and do it all without raising taxes.”
Senate Bill 529 would use $1.5 billion in federal recovery funds to fix bridges across the state in severe condition through bundling, where the design and construction of multiple projects around the state are contracted at the same time.
Of the nearly 12,000 bridges in Michigan, 7,038 are managed by local municipalities. Of that number, over 400 are in critical need of repairs. SB 529 would fund repairs for all of the bridges in severe condition.
The bill also includes an additional $126 million in federal money to improve safety at several intersections between railways and roadways.
Michigan has over 4,000 rail crossings with public highways within the state, and in 2020, was ranked the 15th worst in the nation for the total number of collisions, injuries, and fatalities at highway-rail crossings. The funds would help reduce or in some cases eliminate train-vehicle interactions through grade separation at crossings throughout the state.
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