When we drove out to Grand Rapids in March for the NCAA hockey regional, we immediately noticed upon entering Michigan that the roads were in strikingly terrible condition. Everywhere else -- upstate New York, Ontario -- had given us a smooth ride. In my road trips to seven other states for hockey games, the interstates were all in fairly good shape.
Interstate paving projects usually involve a combination of state and federal government funding, so road maintenance requires a contribution from the states. In Michigan's case, it was obvious that paving the roads wasn't a priority. It's not hard to understand why. The state's unemployment rate has soared to 12.7% and the auto industry is collapsing. Michigan has other problems on its hands.
I'm not saying that the state should have made paving a higher priority. However, the bumpy roads do reinforce the image of Michigan as a deteriorating state. When the state government already can't provide the kinds of services people have grown to expect, and when the state's economy continues to head down a spiral from which it will be difficult to recover, it appears that things in Michigan will continue to get worse before they get better. The roads, too, will become bumpier before they are paved.
Which brings us to today's news. Some Michigan counties have given up on paving completely:
More than 20 of the state's 83 counties have reverted deteriorating paved roads to gravel in the last few years, according to the County Road Association of Michigan. The counties are struggling with their budgets because tax revenues have declined in the lingering recession.
Driving through Michigan at 75 mph, it's tough to grasp how many people are losing their jobs or exactly what the collapse of the auto industry holds for the state. However, as you are jostled up and down from the cracks and divots in the road, the state's economic woes suddenly become more palpable.
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