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Industry experts remain optimistic theres still time for Democrats to do something meaningful on infrastructure, especially considering Whitmers past interest. They insist, though, that the only way to make gains on road repair is coming up with new, ongoing funding.

We certainly will never give up hope, said Lance Binoniemi, vice president of government affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents road and water infrastructure construction companies across the state.

But make no mistake, it will take political courage to find a long-term, sustainable road funding solution, he continued. It's as simple as that.

A March study commissioned by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association found that Michigan needs up to $3.9 billion more per year to fully fund road repairs, up from the $2.2 billion annual gap projected in a 2016 study of needs commissioned by the Snyder administration.

The new estimate is higher even though it takes into account the additional state and federal funds invested in infrastructure. The report concludes that failing to fix and maintain existing roads before they deteriorate further will continue to significantly increase road funding potentially up to $11 billion annually.

Michigans infrastructure is primarily funded by a 27.2 cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and diesel fuel. The state has the seventh-highest per-gallon tax in the country, in part because the 6 percent sales tax applies to fuel.

Currently, 33 percent of Michigan state-operated roads eligible for federal aid are in poor condition, according to the states Transportation Asset Management Council. Local roads funded by cities and counties are in worse shape, with 45 percent in poor condition.

"The cost of inaction is not just imagined here it's real," Brad Williams of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce said at a March 7 press conference on road funding. "If we don't do something soon, you know these costs are only going to go through the roof.

Efforts to come up with a better long-term funding mechanism for Michigans infrastructure have largely fallen flat.

A 2015 ballot initiative to raise new revenue for roads was rejected at the ballot box. The subsequent legislative deal signed by Snyder designed to devote another $1.2 annually to roads through an increase in vehicle registration fees and fuel taxes didnt fully kick in until 2021 and also pulled from the states general fund.

Getting that deal through took years of negotiations and was still politically controversial and subsequent efforts by Whitmer to fix the damn roads and reopen discussions about gas tax hikes were rebuffed by a then-Republican-majority Legislature.

Whitmers suggestion when she took office in 2019 was to raise the gas tax by 45 cents per gallon, an idea that was dismissed as ludicrous by Republicans and even made many Democrats wary.

Addressing the states road funding needs now would be no less politically difficult. The MITA-commissioned study explored several options that would make up the difference, including:

Michigan Democrats now control the Legislature and the governors office and so could, in theory, make headway on road funding. But their slim majorities in both chambers, which includes lawmakers in politically competitive districts, means any serious effort would need at least some Republican buy-in, said Adrian Hemond, a Democratic strategist and CEO of the firm Grassroots Midwest.

A road funding package means raising new revenues that means raising somebody's taxes, he said. Nobody in a vulnerable seat wants to vote for that. Nobody in leadership wants people in vulnerable seats to vote for that. There's really not a way to make that happen in a politically responsible way without it being bipartisan.

Whitmer told Bridge Michigan in December she wont pursue another major gas tax hike. In her February budget proposal, Whitmer didnt propose any major infrastructure funding overhauls, instead focusing on past bonding investments and proposing setting aside funds to match federal government infrastructure grants that could become available.

She has expressed some interest in alternative ideas, including a fee on vehicle miles, pointing to states like Oregon that reimburse motorists for fuel taxes if they instead pay a tax based on how many miles they drive.

Industry insiders say its imperative the state consider such options as electric vehicles which dont rely on gas, but will still cause wear and tear on Michigan roads become more prevalent.

A report conducted by Anderson Economic Group for the County Road Association of Michigan found that, because Michigans main source of road funding comes from fuel taxes, the state missed out on an estimated $50 million from 2019 to 2021 from electric vehicle drivers. That shortfall will only grow as more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles.

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Michigan Democrats in no rush to prioritize fixing the damn roads - Bridge Michigan