(Source: MIRS.news, Published 05/09/23) Michigan's infrastructure received an overall grade of C- Monday from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), with roads and energy specifically receiving a D.
The Section 2023 Report Card evaluated 14 infrastructure categories and found the state improved in many sectors, but found the energy grid and bridges lacking. ASCE Michigan Section President Brad Ewart said the state was improving. Michigan received a D+ overall on the 2018 state report card.
"It took us a long time to get to where we are and it's going to take a while to get us up to high grades, but it's really going to take the will of the Legislature and the will of the leaders in Michigan to prioritize this and to invest the money that's needed to get these things in good condition," said ASCE Michigan Executive Director Ron Brenke.
Brenke said Michigan has put a lot of money into infrastructure over the last several years, but the state is making up for years and years of infrastructure underinvestment.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer made the roads a centerpiece of her administration. She frequently touts new road projects started by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
"We are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads in every region of our state, from Southeast Michigan all the way to the U.P.," Whitmer said.
She said her administration has fixed nearly 20,000 lane-miles of road and 1,400 bridges across the state.
The report card showed that roads had improved from a D- in 2018 (See "Civil Engineers Grade Michigan Roads As D-," 3/6/18).
Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association Executive Vice President Rob Coppersmith said Michigan needs $3.9 billion added annually to roads and bridges to fix the problem.
"This is unacceptable, and we need Michigan's leaders to take action now," Coppersmith said.
Including roads, the report card looked at 14 areas and graded them between A, which would be fit for future use and exceptional, to F, which is critical and failing with signs of deterioration.
Aviation, rail, public parks, wastewater systems and inland waterways all received a C grade, which is fair to good but requires attention.
Many of those systems were getting funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with the Department of Natural Resources announcing several park improvement projects for summer 2023.
"The federal infrastructure law is a major boon for Michigan, and we have already announced more than $5.3 billion for Michigan’s infrastructure, with many more funds to be realized," Ewart said.
Solid waste received a C+, while transit, schools and dams received a C-.
Drinking water and bridges received a D+. Bridges were one of the two categories that lost ground since the 2018 report card.
The other area to slip was energy, which went to a D because the grid has been dealing with reliability issues that have gotten worse since 2018.
"We experienced slightly more interruptions to power services than the national average, and it takes roughly 37% longer for our services to be restored after an outage," Ewart said.
He said the grid was starting to go beyond the time it should be replaced, and outages would continue as more severe weather hits the state.
Along with roads and energy, stormwater systems in Michigan received a D grade.
"These grades show that Michigan legislators and agencies are continuing to work hard at improving our built environment, but there is plenty of work to be done," Ewart said.
