Are our roads getting worse?
We just finished our 4,000+ mile snowbird annual adventure, which left us feeling like our roads and interstates are worse than ever. It doesn't look like our government is able to keep up at all wit...
Forum Discussion
The roads and bridges in West Michigan are in very good shape and nearly all are good to very smooth. We have freeze and thaw constantly which really affects cement roads with heaving. However, blacktopped roads don't fare that well either as potholes pop open if or when water gets under the blacktop and freezes but fortunately they are very quick around here to patch the holes fast even in winter if they occur. Yes, new roads and bridges are being constructed in our state like the new M-231 with limited access and a 8/10ths mile long bridge across the Grand River for instance. US-31 4 lane divided along the lakeshore with most of it being limited access. The M-6 limited access freeway being totally rebuilt/resurfaced around the south side of Grand Rapids. US-131 freeway thru Grand Rapids. Also I-96 and I-196 E/W thru downtown Grand Rapids.
Now the roads and highways in the Detroit/region area are another story and I won't get into the details as it's mostly politics which is not allowed on the forum. Michigan is now a "Right to Work" state for about 5 years now and we here in West Michigan have seen a huge difference in what has been accomplished on the roads since with the same annual dollars being spent. Also in/at the GR Ford International Airport (Michigan's 2nd largest airport) as the money goes so much further and so much more can be done with better quality projects with the same bucks/tax dollars.
Yes, at the same time we have built new hundreds of miles of paved and signed wide bike and pedestrian paths. Over 160 miles of them just in the area where we live. Done wisely, both can be done at the same time. Pet passenger train rail systems which are extremely expensive and mostly vastly underused suck so much of the roadway dollars away so there's so little left for what the roads tax and funds were supposed to be for!
BTW, the Grand Rapids MI metro area is well over a million population (MSA) presently and over 1.5 million including the surrounding area (CSA) and growing fast constantly. Not a small place by any stretch!
Now the roads and highways in the Detroit/region area are another story and I won't get into the details as it's mostly politics which is not allowed on the forum. Michigan is now a "Right to Work" state for about 5 years now and we here in West Michigan have seen a huge difference in what has been accomplished on the roads since with the same annual dollars being spent. Also in/at the GR Ford International Airport (Michigan's 2nd largest airport) as the money goes so much further and so much more can be done with better quality projects with the same bucks/tax dollars.
Yes, at the same time we have built new hundreds of miles of paved and signed wide bike and pedestrian paths. Over 160 miles of them just in the area where we live. Done wisely, both can be done at the same time. Pet passenger train rail systems which are extremely expensive and mostly vastly underused suck so much of the roadway dollars away so there's so little left for what the roads tax and funds were supposed to be for!
BTW, the Grand Rapids MI metro area is well over a million population (MSA) presently and over 1.5 million including the surrounding area (CSA) and growing fast constantly. Not a small place by any stretch!
