- Local roads are in poor condition, with drivers like JP Pastorino feeling constant discomfort during their commutes.
- Lansing Public Services Director Andy Kilpatrick estimates local road repairs cost $500,000 to $1 million per mile.
- A full fix of Lansing roads would cost around $300 million, but the city currently has only $17-18 million available.
- Both Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican House have proposed road plans focusing on local roads, with a House plan passing out of committee.
- The road in front of Hooked on East Michigan Avenue is expected to be repaired in the fall, with residents encouraged to report potholes to 3-1-1.
You swerve around them, you hit them, and you may even pay for them.
"Yeah, I actually just had work done on my car," neighbor JP Pastorino said.
It's our local roads.
Behind the wheel, JP Pastorino often makes the commute to her job at Hooked on East Michigan Avenue.
"It is horrible. I literally feel like I am about to bottom out every single time I turn into here, every day," Pastorino said.
Waiting for the day the orange cones appear.
"They just fixed the road down—not even a mile—down the road. You can't fix this at all?" Pastorino said.
In order to fix the roads, you need money. But how much? I took that question to Lansing Public Services Director Andy Kilpatrick.
"Our local roads are anywhere from half a million to a million dollars a mile," Lansing Public Services Director Andy Kilpatrick said.
A cost that quickly adds up.
"If we had enough money to do the correct fix on all of our roads at today's costs, it would be about 300 million," Kilpatrick said.
Right now, they have about 17 to 18 million dollars.
"We need a sustainable, long-term solution for local roads. Every pothole is a reminder that we must act now," Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer said.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Republican House both introduced road plans that focus on our local roads.
On Tuesday, the House Republicans' $3 billion annual roads plan passed out of committee, providing 50% to county roads, 40% to local roads, and 10% to MDOT.
"We are ensuring in our plan that the money goes to roads, and it specifically goes to local roads—the type of roads you take from the driveway to the highway in your local neighborhoods and communities," Speaker of the House Matt Hall said.
Pastorino is hoping East Michigan Avenue is next.
"It's a great road to be on, but not a good road to drive on," Pastorino said.
Kilpatrick did tell me they expect to get the road in front of Hooked fixed in the fall. He also says if you see potholes in your neighborhood, call 3-1-1 so the city can fill them.
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