By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-893554.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Truck drivers say Michigan has some of the worst roads in the country. A new survey in Overdrive Magazine shows Michigan ranks second for overall-worst roads. That's up from the number-three ranking last year.
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Michigan roads are seldom referred to in glowing terms, and the survey of truck drivers is no exception. The survey ranked Michigan second only to Pennsylvania for the bad condition of roads.
Mike Nystrom is with Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association. He says poor state funding has caused 38 counties to turn some paved roads back to gravel.
"That is a regressive situation," he says. "We are going backwards as a state by doing that."
Nystrom says neighboring states such as Indiana continue to improve their roads, which could cause Michigan to lose prospective business. He says the Legislature should approve a new gas tax at a few pennies a gallon to help pay for maintenance of the roads. But lawmakers have been debating a gas tax for several months and have failed to find enough support to approve the increase.