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Michigan Avenue is one bumpy ride: Potholes make Dearborn's gateway the pits

Michigan Avenue is one bumpy ride: Potholes make Dearborn's gateway the pits. Tom Greenwood The Detroit News March 21, 2008. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/METRO05/803210393/1410/METRO01. The Problem.

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Michigan Avenue is one bumpy ride: Potholes make Dearborn's gateway the pits

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  1. Michigan Avenue is one bumpy ride: Potholes make Dearborn's gateway the pits Tom Greenwood The Detroit News March 21, 2008 http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080321/METRO05/803210393/1410/METRO01

  2. The Problem • The stretch of Michigan Avenue running through the city's west business district is one nasty piece of road, state transportation and Dearborn officials agree. They also agree that repairing the road won't happen anytime soon. • Every day, the 37,000 motorists who travel on U.S. 12, between Brady and Outer Drive, find themselves funneled into a jarring, bone rattling gauntlet of potholes, crumbling concrete and disintegrating asphalt. • It's impossible to say if this is the worst stretch of roadway in Metro Detroit since many others, also receive plenty of complaints. • But this primary stretch of Michigan serves as a gateway to some of Dearborn's most visited attractions -- The Henry Ford complex and Ford Motor Co.'s world headquarters -- making it all that much worse since the first thing tourists notice is giant craters in the road, motorists and business owners said.

  3. … and • The last time the section of Michigan was reconstructed was in the early 1980s, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. In 2003, MDOT did an overlay between Evergreen and Greenfield. The road was reconstructed in the same area in 2003 and 2004. • "We applied a 1½ inches asphalt overlay so the road would look good for the Ford Motor Co.'s 100th year anniversary in July," said Rob Morosi, MDOT's spokesman. Morosi said the state is aware of the road's deteriorating condition and intends to completely reconstruct the avenue. • "But we haven't yet determined when we'll be able to get to the project; perhaps 2009 or 2010. The main issue is to coordinate our reconstruction effort with the city of Dearborn's combined sewer overflow project. The city intends to put in new sewers along Michigan Avenue. • "It doesn't make any sense for us to completely reconstruct the road only to have the city come in a year later and rip it up to install new sewers. The idea is to do both projects at the same time."

  4. Why do Michigan’s Roads Suck? • Local governments own disproportionate share of roads and the funding formula is not a good one. • We permit much heavier trucks than anyone else. • We have very little public transportation. • Essentially no tolls, and diesel fuel tax ($0.15/gal) is less than gasoline tax ($0.19).

  5. Focus on Point 1 • We fund taxes based on miles of road per county. • Doesn’t account for how heavily or how lightly used. • Lightly used two-lane road is funded same as heavily used multiple lane highway.

  6. What is the Impact? Per Mile Traveled Per Capita Highest Lowest Source: Citizens’ Research Council, Improving the Efficiency of Michigan’s Highway Revenue Sharing Formula

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