Governor Rick Snyder says he hopes to reach a bipartisan deal soon with the Legislature that would generate more than a billion dollars to pay for fixing roads.
As we hear from The Michigan Public Radio Network’s Rick Pluta, he says time is growing short.
Governor Snyder says there’s wide agreement that roads need to be fixed. Republicans control the House and Senate, but have not reached a consensus on how to raise the needed money.
The governor says he’s asking Democrats as well as Republicans to put their ideas on the table in hopes of forging a deal.
“I’d really like to get it done as part of the budget process, so you’re looking at the end of May, June time frame in terms of having some answers," he says. "So we really need to make some progress fairly soon.”
Snyder says the right solution will save drivers money over the long term, and give a boost to the economy.
Democrats say they’ll be watching for proof the governor’s committed to a bipartisan solution.