The Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC) published Michigan’s 2019 Roads and Bridges Annual Report and distributed it to the Michigan Legislature, State Transportation Commission and Michigan Infrastructure Council (MIC) as directed under Michigan Compiled Law (MCL) 247.659a(9).
“We understand this report comes at a difficult time due to the coronavirus disease 2019. However, it remains important the TAMC’s efforts and that of our partner agencies in the continued infrastructure data collection and analysis of 2019 is shared,” stated Joanna I. Johnson TAMC Chair.
The year 2019 was an active year for TAMC, from continued collection of Road and Bridge data to new efforts in developing policy, procedures, training materials, technological tools and templates for Transportation Asset Management Plans. “The TAMC continues to support our dedicated transportation partners in collecting condition data and in using the condition of our infrastructure assets to make data driven decisions,” Johnson said. The 2019 condition data indicates 21% of these roads are in Good condition, 40% are in Fair condition, and 39% are in Poor condition; in 2018, the breakdown was 21% Good, 38% Fair, and 41% Poor. The pavement life cycle suggests the number of potholes continues to outpace the ability to fill them.
The 2019 report also provides new data on the condition of all bridges in Michigan, including the new “Severe” condition category which is a measure of bridges that are a high risk of being closed due to deterioration that poses a safety concern. According to the data, 3.8% of Michigan’s bridges fall into the Severe category, which is almost double the National Average of 2%; Michigan also has the highest volume of Severe bridges among Great Lakes states. In simplified terms, the bridge life cycle, reflects the deteriorating bridges outpaces the ability to repair and replace them.
Michigan’s 2019 Roads and Bridges Annual Report can be viewed, along with other past reports, interactive maps and transportation dashboards at www.Michigan.gov/TAMC.
This effort was achieved through a cooperative effort of individuals from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), city and village and county road agencies, in coordination with regional planning agencies, and metropolitan planning organizations. For questions about this report or other TAMC program initiatives, contact Joanna Johnson, TAMC Chair at (269) 381-3170 ext. 220 or Roger Belknap, TAMC Coordinator at (517) 230-8192.
John LaMacchia is the Assistant Director of State and Federal Affairs for the League handling transportation, infrastructure, energy and environment issues. He can be reached at [email protected] or 517-908-0303