LANSING – Road projects announced Thursday by the Department of Transportation and legislators as part of a special pool of funds largely went to roads situated in districts held by Republican members of the Senate and the House.
As part of the 2013-14 fiscal year budget, the Legislature and Governor Rick Snyder set aside $115 million for a Road and Risks Reserve Fund where legislators would have more of a direct say in which projects would receive funding. Another $115 million becomes available for roads if not spent on something else before February 1. Traditionally, the Legislature appropriates funding to the department, which then determines how to allocate money.
As part of this process, the chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Transportation subcommittees, Sen. John Pappageorge (R-Troy) and Rep. Robert VerHeulen (R-Walker), gathered lists of requested projects from other lawmakers.
The 103 projects are split roughly in half between state and locally controlled roads. Most of them are not already part of the department’s five-year plan for road and bridge repairs.
Among the most expensive projects not already in the five-year plan:
Repairing Lotz Road in Wayne County east of the I-275/Ford Road interchange for $5 million;
Repairing Samaria Road in Monroe County for $5 million;
Rehabilitating Belle Isle roads at a cost of $4 million with MDOT’s list of projects noting the presence of the Grand Prix auto race;
Resurfacing M-227 in Marshall for $4 million;
Concrete patching of I-75 from the Ohio/Michigan border north to I-275 for $3.5 million; and
Milling, overlaying and patching M-59 between Elizabeth Lake Road and State Street in Oakland County for $3 million;
The money was added to the budget as a start toward addressing what Mr. Snyder and transportation policy leaders and interests say is a need for $1.2 billion annually in greater revenue for roads.
“I’m very encouraged by the Legislature’s willingness to devote greater investment in our transportation system,” said Snyder said in a statement. “The Roads and Risks Reserve Fund is a terrific start, and we’ll carry that momentum forward to our goal of fully funding the needs of Michigan’s roads, bridges, rails, airports and public transit. The longer we wait, the more difficult the solution will be.”
The location of the projects leaned heavily in Republican districts. All 26 Senate Republicans had at least one project in their districts compared to just five of the 12 Senate Democrats. And of those five, just two of those projects were requested by a Democratic senator. In the other cases, either the Department of Transportation or a House Republican requested the project.
On the House side, 56 of the 59 House Republicans had at least one project in their districts compared to 12 of the 49 Democrats that were in office at the time legislators submitted their wish lists. Only one of the 12 projects in a Democratic district appeared requested by a Democratic lawmaker.
In total, the projects touched a Republican House or Senate district 194 times and a Democratic district 22 times.
Democrats said the orientation of the projects was obviously tilted to the GOP.
“Infrastructure is very important, and our caucus members are excited these projects are coming to their area to support these local communities. However, the projects seem a bit focused in Republican districts,” said Katie Carey, spokesperson for House Minority Leader Tim Greimel (D-Auburn Hills). “The influx of jobs to these areas (is) important, but Leader Greimel remains committed to finding a transportation solution that serves all of Michigan.”
Robert McCann, spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, said the project list “sounds an awful lot like using taxpayer dollars to generate campaign talking points for (Republican) members.”
The leading Democrats on the Transportation subcommittees said they were never thrilled with setting up this fund to let legislators have a more direct role in the process. Both Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-Westland) and Rep. Andrew Kandrevas (D-Southgate) said even if the project list was split 50/50 between Republican and Democratic districts, they still would dislike the process that handles this pool of funds.
“MDOT exists to rank roads and needs and then to spend money for that purpose,” Kandrevas said. “I’m a critic of this fund. I don’t understand why it was done, why it was put into the budget.”
Kandrevas pointed to the $4 million for Belle Isle’s main road that serves as the race track for the Grand Prix.
“Is that really the most pressing issue in Wayne County?” he said.
Anderson said he had just begun reviewing the project list, but “what I see so far is Republican districts taken care of pretty well.” He said he would like to see which projects legislators recommended compared to what was already on the department list.
“When you get legislators involved in picking projects and submitting projects, the pressure sometimes gets put on the department to do something other than what makes sense from a scientific point of view, a real needs point of view,” he said. “It’s a misuse of tax dollars to have the projects decided based on political considerations.”
But Republicans defended the projects, which were finalized by the department in concert with House Speaker Jase Bolger (R-Marshall) and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville (R-Monroe).
Of the appearance that political party played a significant role in where projects will take place, Bolger spokesperson Ari Adler said officials tried to select projects the department felt it could accomplish with the money available and said there is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican road.
“A lot of projects existed that we don’t have money for, so we had to chip away with the money that we had for a down payment,” he said. “The important thing is the roads are getting improved, bridges are getting repaired. There’s a lot more to do. But this is a starting point.”
VerHeulen said he thought the list was fair to Democrats, noting more than $2 million in spending for two projects in the district of Rep. Collene Lamonte (D-Montague). Lamonte faces a competitive fight for re-election in 2014.
Those projects also are in the district of Sen. Goeff Hansen (R-Hart), who also might face a tough re-election battle.
VerHeulen also said he liked the mix of projects for local and state roads.
“On balance, I’m pleased that we’re making the investment,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Still, VerHeulen said he would prefer using a different process for the 2014-15 fiscal year. While legislators know their districts well, asking them to pick the most important project in their district is difficult, and there is a regional component to consider, not just district by district, he said.
“Personally, I don’t think this is the best method to do it,” he said.
Pappageorge could not be reached for comment. Asked in the spring about politics coloring the selection of the projects, he strongly objected.
“Now, wait a minute. Do I look like I do that? Have you seen me do that? How many years have I been here? No,” he said then. “The priority’s going to be a deliberative process, and I’m going to be part of that.”
Road interests praised the projects, but also noted the need for much more funds.
“We commend the Legislature for their attention to funding for Michigan’s deteriorating infrastructure,” the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association said in a statement. “However, this one-time source of funding is not adequate in comparison to the $2 billion in additional annual funding that is needed for roads and bridges in Michigan. We look forward to working with the Legislature in the New Year to find a long-term stable, annual source of infrastructure investment.”
“As county road agencies use this winter to line up next summer’s projects and resources, these funds are a welcome and timely addition for the coming road construction season,” said Denise Donohue, director of the County Road Association of Michigan, in a statement. “We view the announcement of these grants as a Christmas present to Michigan residents, and appreciate the cooperation between the Legislature and the Governor’s office in taking this step toward restoring our roads.”
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