Orange Barrel ImageA couple stories in Detroit’s daily newspapers today point to a big double whammy for anyone who drives: deteriorating roads and a declining pot of public money to fix them.

The Detroit Free Press reports that a study by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association concludes that “the percentage of roads in poor shape increased to 32% in 2008 from 25% the year before.”

From the story:

Wayne County led all of Michigan’s 83 counties in the number of road miles considered in poor condition, with 1,841 miles.

Oakland (1,292 miles) and Macomb (586 miles) counties were second and third worst on the list of counties with the ugliest road conditions. In a city-by-city comparison, the list of  cities with the most chewed up roads landed Detroit at the top of the list, followed by Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Flint and then Livonia.

The data used to compile the rankings comes from the annual report by the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council. That body tracks road conditions across the state.

The story’s most interesting part, however, deals with the need to re-consider how road construction and maintenance is funded going forward. From the story:

“Our legislative leaders need to stop ‘watching’ the funding problem evolve into a crisis and take appropriate action to correct it,” said MITA spokesman Mike Nystrom. “This isn’t a case of road agencies not doing their jobs. Michigan’s local road systems are collapsing because funding continues to plummet.”

Due to declining revenue from vehicle registration fees and gas taxes — the two local revenue streams used to pay for road construction and maintenance — the problem looks like it will get worse before it gets any better. In fact, according to a story in today’s Detroit News “an estimated $84 million shortfall in the MDOT road program will translate to the loss of $475 million in federal money.” That’s because the the state match triggers the federal funding.

The story goes on to document the dire economic consequences of less funding for roads and bridges. Keith Ledbetter,director of legislative affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, argues for structural reform to the way roads are funded — an argument that is also being marshaled with regard to the way public schools are funded in Michigan.

“We need a structural change,” Ledbetter said. “Since we’re based on a per gallon gas tax, we get less tax (revenue) for roads. What happens when we get these cars on the road that are getting 100 mpg or that are running on electricity?

“It’s absolutely critical that we make some change that accounts for how people now are driving.”