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Carra Introduces Plan For Long Term Road Maintenance
By: Mike Stiles - Thursday, October 7, 2021

State Representative Steve Carra (photo courtesy of State of Michigan)

(LANSING) – State Representative Steve Carra has introduced a plan to ensure long term maintenance of roads in Michigan.

Carra, a Republican from Three Rivers, and a member of the House Transportation Committee, on Wednesday introduced House Bill 5369, which would require the Michigan Department of Transportation, whenever undertaking a new construction or full reconstruction of part of a highway, to award a contract for designing, building, operating, preserving and maintaining a road.

Each contract would continue for at least ten years after completion for the initial construction project. The plan would stipulate that the lowest compensation for the contractor in any year of the contract must be at least equal to ten percent of the highest-paying year of the contract. The bill would also specify that a contractor would not be allowed to establish tolling as part of operating the road.

Local governments would be authorized, but not required, to make similar contracts for construction and maintenance of local roads.

Carra says Michigan's infrastructure should be designed so it won’t need to be re-repaired only a short time down the road. He says if we only focus on fixing the roads, and not on building them to last, we merely pave the way to mediocrity.

Carra says his plan will allow for road professionals to be brought on for long term commitments. He says using the private sector and competition to our advantage will create opportunities for savings, fixing our roads better and more responsibly than Governor. Whitmer’s plan to raise taxes.”

House Bill 5369 was referred to the Transportation Committee for review.



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