Grand Rapids Reporter

Michigan’s road infrastructure recently got a boost in the form of a $50 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration.

According to a state government news bulletin, the money was given to reimburse for emergency renovation of roads and bridges in the central portion of the state in 2020.

“This grant will bring federal taxpayer dollars back to Michigan and help us continue to fix the damn roads and bridges,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in the bulletin. “In 2020, after historic flooding and dam failures, we took action to fix impacted roads and bridges, and I am grateful that Michigan is getting that money back. 

"Since I took office through the end of this year, we will fix 16,000 lane miles of road and 1,200 bridges, and we need to maximize every dollar we have to invest in our infrastructure and make it easier for families and businesses to get around our state. We have been through a lot over the last couple of years, but tough times call for tough people, and we will keep getting things done and moving Michigan forward,” the governor said.

The state has allocated roughly 10% of the $513 million that was provided t by the Emergency Relief Program.

“These funds will help communities across our nation repair roads and bridges damaged by severe weather events, which are becoming increasingly common because of climate change,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “From recent hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast, to wildfires in California and floods and mudslides in numerous states, we must address the devastating impacts of climate change and work to build more sustainable transportation infrastructure to better withstand its impacts for years to come.”

After a May 2020 storm caused widespread flooding due to dam breaches, roughly 30 roads and bridges in Central Michigan were damaged. Three bridges within two miles of each other in Midland and Gladwin counties were completely destroyed.

“This critical funding will provide Michigan with even more resources to invest in our infrastructure and make Michigan's communities more resilient," Zach Kolodin, chief infrastructure officer for the state, said. “We look forward to working with local communities to identify funding opportunities that will enable them to complete infrastructure projects that will be transformational.”