LANSING — The Whitmer administration announced the week, the start of road construction in seven Michigan counties. The work will take place across the state including repaving work on M-227 and rebuilding a ramp on the I-94/I-69 interchange in Calhoun County, resurfacing and other improvement work on M-50 in Jackson County, resurfacing work on M-123 in Luce County, repairs and upgrades to the US-31 bascule bridge over the Manistee River in Manistee County, and chipsealing on M-88 in Antrim County, M-93 in Crawford County, and M-18 in Roscommon and Crawford counties. Based on economic modeling, these investments are expected to support 2,876 jobs.
In a release Governor Whitmer stated, “Across Michigan, we are moving dirt and fixing the damn roads to drive economic activity, help Michiganders go to work, drop their kids off at school, and run errands safely. Through the end of this construction season, we will have fixed, repaired, or replaced nearly 20,000 lane miles of state-owned roads and 1,400 bridges since I took office, supporting 89,000 jobs without raising taxes by a dime. Let’s roll up our sleeves and keep getting things done.”
As part of the new projects, MDOT will begin resurfacing and improvement work on M-50 from Valley Farm Road to Lincoln Road in Jackson. Based on economic modeling, this investment is expected to support 10 jobs.
“I am excited to see that this work is coming to fruition and that it will create smoother and safer shoulders for our commuters along M-50,” said state Senator Sue Shink (D-Northfield Twp).
In 2018, then-candidate Whitmer made national headlines with her slogan, “Fix the Damn Roads,” and has made infrastructure a centerpiece of her administration. In 2021, Governor Whitmer testified before Congress urging more federal spending on highways and bridges.
