In his third State of the State address, Gov. Rick Snyder asked the Legislature to come up with a way to raise about $1.2 billion dollars that he says is needed to fix the state’s roads, bridges, buses, and trains. The state that brought modern transportation to the rest of the world is now fractured by crumbling roads, congestion, airport and train delays, and poor bus service. But questions remain, and local funding options should remain a high priority.
You can expect one topic to be high on the agenda when Gov. Rick Snyder delivers his annual State of the State address next week: How we’ll pay for transportation in Michigan. The Republican governor, who set out to change the way Michigan invests in its road and transit network, is expected to unveil more details of his long-term strategy for fixing Michigan’s broken transportation system.
Young people and young families want to live where they can bike downtown, walk to schools and parks, and shop at a nearby grocery store. But high rent prices are forcing them to the outlying areas where they have no choice but to drive to meet their basic needs.
Trains soon could be chugging along to northern Michigan, connecting Michigan families to large metropolitan areas like Detroit and Chicago. That is, of course, if the case can be made to upgrade the already state-owned tracks between here and Ann Arbor for freight rail, first.
Last October, Governor Snyder called for some bold new ideas about how we invest in Michigan’s transportation system, from roads, bridges, bicycles, buses and trains. And next Thursday at 4:00 PM, here at the MLUI office, folks around the Traverse City region can weigh in on some of those ideas.
Our friends at the TART Trails, the Land Information and Access Association (LIAA), and My Wheels Are Turning have teamed up to lead a coalition of local groups and citizens to move the concept of Complete Streets forward in Grand Traverse County.