On Tuesday, Michigan’s Department of Transportation Director Kirk Steudle told lawmakers that deteriorating roads and a harsh winter will leave Michigan roads riddled with potholes.
“In the next couple of years, deterioration will accelerate,” Steudle said. “I think you’re going to see a lot of that in this next month.
“As this brutal winter finally lets go, you’re going to see one of the biggest pavement breakups that we’ve ever seen in our lifetime. It’s already started.”
Harsh elements and salt can wreak havoc on roadways. This year, Michigan has experienced an especially brutal winter. When ice contracts and expands, it breaks cracks in the roadway. The result is a pothole.
“Frankly, there are roads out there that have frost heave in them that I’ve never seen in my 30-year career,” Steudle said in testimony before the state House appropriations subcommittee on transportation.
Steudle told lawmakers they need to provide more money in the budge for repairs.
MDOT budgeted approximately $88 million for highway repairs, however Steudle said it will likely cost $117 million to maintain and fix the ailing roads.
Read more about this at Michigan Live.