"The right to criticize government is also an obligation to know what you are talking about."

-Lent Upson, first director of Citizens Research Council

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April 4, 2025

On April 9, from 12-1 pm, Infrastructure Research Council analyst Eric Paul Dennis will present findings from his recent report, A Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan’s Road Program. His presentation will highlight the following points:

• Michigan ranks 30th among all 50 states in road funding and 40th in road system conditions.
• Michigan’s road program performance declined between 2004 and 2024.
• Policy discussions should include an evaluation of options to improve Michigan’s road performance. At the top of that list: repealing and replacing Public Act 51 of 1951, Michigan’s main road funding law.

New report shows current road funding laws in Michigan are outdated and ineffective, WDET (April 3)

New report: Michigan’s roads rank 40th in US; experts say:scrap road-funding formula and start over, Vic McCarty Show WTCM (March 31)

Research group advises new road funding model for Michigan, WSJM (March 29)

New formula for improving Michigan roads, WPHM 1380 (March 28)

Report: Michigan is trailing other states on road upkeep and needs new funding method, Lansing City Pulse (March 26)

Report: Michigan is trailing other states on road upkeep and needs new funding method, Michigan Advance (March 26)

New study calls for overhaul of Michigan’s road funding and allocation legislation, WKAR Public Radio (March 26)
Report ranks Michigan 30th in road funding and 40th in road conditions, ABC12 (March 26)

New Report Says Road Funding Needs Overhaul, WJR Detroit (March 26)

Eric Lupher talks with Chris Renwick about road report (begins 1 hr, 15 min), WJR Detroit (March 26)

Assessing Michigan’s Roads, WJR Detroit (March 26)

New Citizens Research Council Report Argues for Reform of Michigan’s Road Funding Program as Part of Increased Investment, Michigan Business Network (March 26)

Eric Paul Dennis - The WILS Morning Wake-Up, WILS 1320 (March 26)

New analysis recommends changes to Michigan’s road funding formula, WSJM - Moody on the Market (March 25)

CRC: Legislature Should Scrap, Replace Act 51 Road Funding Law, Gongwer (March 25)

As Michigan’s road costs rise, experts say current funding method ‘isn’t working’, Bridge Michigan (March 25)

Michigan’s roads ranked 40th in U.S. in new report, MLive.com (March 25)

Replace Michigan's 'obsolete' road funding rules to avoid 'more of the same,' group says, Detroit News (March 25)

Report: Reform of Michigan’s Road Funding Program Needed as Part of Increased Investment, DBusiness (March 25)

Michigan should rip up road-funding formula, start with blank slate, report says, Crain’s Business (March 25)

Catch Up On Recent Papers:

• A Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan's Road Program
• Michigan May Want to Reconsider Requiring Foreign-Trained Doctors to Repeat Residency Training
• Medicaid Eligibility Rule Changes Will Create "At-Risk" Funding Cliff for Schools Next Year
• Michigan Needs a State-Level, Expert Commission to Reform its Local Government Funding Model
• Policymakers at All Levels Can Work Toward Better Indoor Air Quality

Detroit News politics editor and columnist Chad Livengood sat down with the Research Council’s infrastructure analyst Eric Paul Dennis, PE, to discuss the Council’s recently released paper, "Data-Driven Assessment of Michigan’s Road Program," which makes the case that Michigan legislators should overhaul the way the state divvies up money for road improvements.

The report was released and podcast recorded as state lawmakers are currently seeking billions of dollars in additional infrastructure funding.

Dennis makes the case that overall funding levels are just one factor affecting road quality—smarter spending and systemic reforms are just as critical as additional revenue to maintain and improve infrastructure conditions statewide.

Find all #FactsMatter podcasts on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, Amazon or wherever you get your podcasts.

Other Recent Podcasts:

• Michigan has an underperforming road system. State lawmakers need to address it.
• If lawmakers are serious about reforming budget earmarks, they should put it in law
• Gov. Whitmer's new budget plan: funding bumps for students, new sin taxes and more

(See above for the week's coverage of the 2025 Michigan Road Program Report)

Port Austin Zoning Ordinance Debate Deepens With Village Response Letter, Newsbreak (March 28)

Even after bankruptcy, Detroit is in debt, CapCon (March 27)

Detroit mayoral hopefuls embrace tax breaks for revival despite some objection, Detroit News (March 26)

Port Austin Michigan Zoning Crackdown Sparks Public Outcry Over Tent, Camper Ban, Newsbreak (March 26)

Michigan districts brace for cuts, as number of needy students falls, Bridge Michigan (March 20)

Tax relief, road projects competing for dollars in Lansing, Detroit News (March 12)

Michigan road funding efforts have stalled before. Can new plans break the traffic jam?, Detroit Free Press (March 12)

MI House Republicans shock Democrats with introduction - and quick passage - of budget bills in Lansing, WCMU Public Media (March 7)

Tax, cut or both? Gretchen Whitmer needs House GOP help to fix Michigan roads, Bridge Michigan (March 6)

A year later, Whitmer silent on MSU board’s request to remove 2 trustees for misconduct, Lansing State Journal (March 6)

Hall Not Sold on Final Book Closing, MIRS News (March 5)

Research Director Craig Thiel last week testified before the House K-12 Appropriations Subcommittee on two recent papers where he addressed issues of K-12 funding and equity for disadvantaged students and the schools they attend. The first paper, Congress has failed to address the inequities of Title I. Michigan Lawmakers Should Step In, revealed substantial variation in the amount of per-student dollars that similarly-situated districts receive.

• Michigan policymakers have no control over how the federal Title I program operates and splits funds among the state’s 840 individual local school districts, but they do control other funding streams that can be used to address the inequities inherent in Title I.
• Michigan lawmakers should address what Congress has gotten wrong over the past six decades and prioritize state budget resources to partially equalize the per-student allocations dictated by the federal formula

He also testified on his most recent report (see above) on how changes in the federal government's pandemic-era Medicaid eligibility rules will create an "at-risk" funding cliff for schools next year. Read the summary above and find the paper here: Major Drop in Economically Disadvantaged Student Counts Will Create "At-Risk" Funding Cliff for Schools Next Year.