Back to the Gravel Age

Over the past three years, 38 of Michigan’s counties have returned their roads to gravel because they lacked the money needed to maintain their paved infrastructure — and this year nearly half of the state’s counties will be faced with making the same decision, the County Road Association of Michigan warned last week.

Local road commissions have returned more than 100 miles of paved roads to gravel, the group said. This year, 65 local commissions have said they expect to delay capital preventative maintenance due to lack of funding.

Counties have returned roads to gravel when the pavement begins to crumble — presenting safety concerns to motorists — and they don’t have the money necessary to reconstruct the roads.

“Last year, newspaper headlines hailed the return to the stone age. This is exactly what we have seen in recent years,” said John Niemela, the group’s director.

For the past three years, the association has surveyed county road agencies to determine the impact of decreased Michigan Transportation Fund revenues.

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Transportation industry Michigan
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