Traffic Delays and Crashes Cost Average Michigan Household Thousands
When you break down all of Michigan's road conditions including poor roads, all the traffic delays, car crashes, and even deteriorating bridges, it leaves most of us discouraged about driving anywhere.
But the bottom line is this, guess who's paying for it all? We are! Why do you think we pay so much in taxes? So we can help pay for Michigan's roads, bridges, and even our highways.
As it stands right now, the average Michigan household is paying over $4,000 a year in costs to help fix our crumbling roads, bridges, and more.
Mlive.com tells us:
And the cost of driving on poorly maintained roadways will continue to rise for Michiganders-to over $6,000 a year by 2031-if the state doesn't invest more into improving its transportation systems, according to the 2022 report by TRIP, a national nonprofit that analyzes transportation issues.
Speaking of poor roads and bridges, I live in Okemos and construction crews are working on fixing the old Camelback bridge on Okemos Rd. It should be completed by November.
And just this week, road crews added hundreds of orange barrels along Grand River in Okemos with a road project that will take a full year to complete.
We have the worst roads in Michigan. They are absolutely horrible to drive on. Even I-69 heading to Charlotte and beyond are some of the worst highway roads I've ever driven on.
Mlive.com also adds:
The report released this week found that nearly one quarter, or 24%, of the state's major roads and highways are rated poor condition for their pavement surfaces. Forty-three percent of the roadways are in fair condition, and only 34% are rated in good condition.
And think about what these horrible road conditions are doing to our vehicles. Many of them end up at the dealership getting all kinds of repairs. This is costing the average Michigan household just over $1,000 to fix damages from poorly maintained roads.