Survey Asks How Government Leaders Rate Roads

Fewer than one in five local government leaders label their roads in good condition, according to a new University of Michigan survey.

The survey questioned top elected and appointed officials in the state’s 1,800 or so units of government on a wide range of road-related issues.

The majority said their roads are in fair (57%) condition, with nearly a quarter rating them as poor.

Jurisdictions with poor road conditions are also more likely to say that within the last five years they have resorted to grinding up paved roads that they can no longer afford to maintain, turning them back into dirt or gravel roads.

And while those officials want more funding for roads, less than half, 43% supported a sales tax hike, which is on the statewide ballot in May.   Thirty-eight percent support such an increase.    However, the survey was conducted before the legislature finalized the current proposal set for the ballot.