Potholes already sprouting in Ann Arbor area; long-term fix needed for deteriorating roads, officials say

Posted on Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:02 a.m.

Potholes already sprouting in Ann Arbor area; long-term fix needed for deteriorating roads, officials say

By Cindy Heflin

Washtenaw County Road Commission employees Steve Hubbard, left, and Robbie Straits apply cold patch to the numerous potholes on the westbound I-94 on-ramp off of Ann Arbor Saline Road in Pittsfield Township Wednesday.

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

It might seem too early for potholes, but don’t tell that to Ann Arbor resident Deedra Cravens.

Cravens and her husband, Jim, were driving on US-23 north of North Territorial Road late Sunday afternoon when what appeared to be the mother of all potholes rose up to meet them.

“It immediately blew out both tires on the driver’s side,” Cravens said. “We got off to the side of the road, and someone behind us hit the same pothole.”

That car was also damaged, she said.

Jim and Deedra Cravens stand with one of two tires that blew out after their Ford Escape hit a pothole along US-23 recently.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com

The Cravens’ vehicle is now at Briarwood Ford outside Saline awaiting repair. Both rims need to be replaced, and the vehicle may need front-end and alignment repairs, Cravens said.

Potholes are an unfortunate reality in Michigan, said Jim Harmon, director of operations with the Washtenaw County Road Commission. And freeze-thaw cycles like we’ve seen this week are prime weather for potholes to blossom.

“It’s important for the public to understand that we live in the northern part of the country where we go through these freeze-thaw cycles,” he said, noting the cycles weaken roads to the point that they can break up when cars and trucks travel over them, creating potholes.

Cravens said a police officer told her there were multiple calls about the pothole on US-23. She said that lane of the freeway should have been closed to protect drivers until it could be repaired.

Kari Arend, spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, said the department will close freeway lanes if potholes are bad enough. She didn’t know whether the pothole that damaged the Cravens’ car had been reported.

Report a pothole

Motorists can report potholes, depending on where they are, to the Michigan Department of Transportation, the Washtenaw County Road Commission or the city where they live. Here's how:

For potholes on interstates and state highways, fill out a form on MDOT's website or call 888-296-4546.
In Washtenaw County, call 734-761-1500 or e-mail wcrc@wcroads.org.
In the City of Ann Arbor, call 734-99-HOLES or file your report online.
In Ypsilanti, contact Public Service at (734) 483-1421.
If your car is damaged by a pothole, you might be able to get some help with the repair cost by filing a claim.
To file a claim for pothole damage that occurred on a Washtenaw County Road Commission-maintained road, call 734-761-1500.

The number of potholes the Washtenaw County Road Commission has dealt with so far is typical for this time of year, Harmon said. The worst of the pothole season will come later in February and March as daytime temperatures start to rise. But Road Commission workers were taking advantage of a lull in the need for plowing and salting to fix potholes Wednesday, he said.

Workers were using a cold patch mixture of small stones and asphalt emulsion that’s used in cold weather months when hot asphalt isn’t available. The Road Commission typically goes through 1,000 tons of cold patch a year to fix potholes, Harmon said, at a cost of about $50 per ton. The county was able to save more than $25,000 starting last year by switching to a process of making its own cold patch rather than buying it.

Meanwhile, Harmon said, the condition of Michigan roads is a serious problem.

“The funding for roads and highways has been steadily diminishing,” he said. “The money is not there to improve roads and rebuild roads to the level that can withstand that freezing and thawing.”

He said the federal stimulus package has provided some funding to maintain roads that were in fair condition. “But the majority of the road surfaces are continuing to deteriorate,” he said.

Harmon said officials are working to come up with funding solutions.

“In the meantime, we’re still going to patch the potholes,” he said.

Cindy Heflin can be reached at cindyheflin@annarbor.com.

Comments

Joy

Sat, Jan 29, 2011 : 10:14 a.m.

It's time to consider some strategically placed and priced toll roads. How about a toll road on US 23 at the Ohio/Michigan border. Michigan residents pay 10 cents per mile, Ohio residents pay $10 per mile and all others pay 25 cents per mile. Semis would need to pay double due to the extra load (and tires) placed on our roads. Charging folks from the ain't great state of Ohio higher rates will solve several problems at once - reduce the vermin and increase the revenue at the same time not to mention avoiding more taxes on gas. If the taxes on gas get much higher, I for one will be unable to afford to drive to work.

aslick

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 5:12 p.m.

Coming from the North East which has a climate very similar to here I can tell you without a doubt that these road issues are from crappy construction in the first place. Cement + salt and a wet climate = problems. Why michigan does not use asphalt is beyond me. In CT where I am from every 2-4 years EVERY highway is resurfaced overnight! None of this divert to the other side and take half a year to break up cement and repour BS. They just go in a train of vehicles and scrape up the old topcoat, prep the bottom surface, and lay down a new thin layer. Works great, roads are smooth. CT also doesn't use many chemicals on roads. They use sand and dirt. Works in very cold temperatures, doesn't ruin cars, and doesn't ruin roads. They do use one chemical before a storm they lay onto the road that dries and keeps snow from sticking once it does snow. And their snow removal during a storm is more efficient..... Michigan needs to go study some other states and learn how it is supposed to be done

angryman

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.

i live in ann arbor, crappy roads are to be expected. 2 years ago the city of ann arbor made everyone pay to have there sidewalks fixed. My buddy with the corner house had to replace 19, at a cost of 300 a pop. So what they are saying is.....its more important to walk safely, then it is to drive safely. Your very smart elected officials working for you.

Kim Kachadoorian

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.

This new comment system seems to really drag the load speeds on articles! Potholes - go look at "stadium bridge" there are a couple of wheel destroying holes on that thing right now.

Bill

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 1:32 p.m.

@ John B., how do plan for adequate drainage when everything is underwater, like in an annual monsoon? Where does water go when it has no where to go? Clearly with the thaw and freeze cycles, the roadways are also experiencing drainage. Clearly, a different bird, entirely.

snapshot

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 4:24 a.m.

Our government employees get paid well, have great pensions, great health plans, and lots of time to come up with excuses as to why they can't do the job. There's a reason they call it collective bargaining. They collect and we pay the price.

Lew Kidder

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 12:31 a.m.

To the reader who noted the relative excellence of Wisconsin roads when compared to those in Michigan: Wisconsin's gas tax is 32 cents per gallon. Michigan's is 19 cents on gas and just 15 cents on diesel. Of course their roads are in better shape - their citizens are willing to invest in them. Note: Michigan's investment in roads is shamefully low when compared with any of our neighbors. Ohio's gas tax: 28 cents a gallon. Illinois: depends on the locality, but usually somewhere in the upper twenties. Pennsylvania: 35 cents a gallon. It's not rocket science.

John B.

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.

Precisely! Well-said.

Halter

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:30 p.m.

The stadium bridge is currently so bad between the road surface, the one-lane in each direction that some people insist driving 50 mph over is okay, and the horrible and deep potholes right now, that even though I live one block from the bridge and it is my lifeline to everything, I will not longer drive over it. That stretch needs to not only be repaved, it needs to be closed until it is either torn down or rebuilt.

Halter

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:29 p.m.

bedrog

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 10:50 p.m.

a practical piece of advice: there is a real tire-blower on the south side of center on E.huron river parkway about 1/4 mile west of the intersection with chalmers ( the golf course is to the north).

bugjuice

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 10:37 p.m.

Our roads are bad because some of us are realize that quality infrastructure costs money... tax money. If annarbordotcom wants posters to stay on topic then they should be prepared to call out and restrict those who continually denigrate those who disagree with them using terms like "cultist". It implies that those who believe in climate change as something increasingly caused by humans and could be reversed by human behavior and technology as dangerous people like David Koresh and Jim Jones.

Stefanie Murray

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 10:02 p.m.

@loves_fall, the link worked fine for me when I tried it - I'm using Firefox: <a href="http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/Pages/StreetMaintenanceServices.aspx" rel='nofollow'>http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/Pages/StreetMaintenanceServices.aspx</a>

loves_fall

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 9:56 p.m.

The link provided above to report problems in AA doesn't seem to work -- the site asks for a username and password. Is there a link that people who don't have an aa.gov login can use to file a report?

Stefanie Murray

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 9:35 p.m.

This conversation is beginning to drift off-topic. Please keep further comments closer to the topic of the thread, which is potholes and road conditions. Thank you.

bugjuice

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 9:30 p.m.

Then the climate change deniers are cult-like in their behavior as they cling to any out of context shred of evidence outside the research and data of the vast majority of climatologist and related sciences. I wouldn't say they were cultists, but they are definitely cult-like.

Macabre Sunset

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 9:46 p.m.

Respecting Stefanie's post, I'll keep this to the hidden reply and won't start any new posts about this tangent. Vast majority? Only if counting solely the people vetted by those who control the major journals. Those who don't agree have trouble finding research money. Deniers? No. There's evidence enough that it's warmer than it was 30 years ago. The question is more about the validity of selective tree-ring studies (of which a central figure at East Anglia is the major researcher) which are used to produce the "hockey sticks" that scare the living you-know-what out of people. And whether any changes in climate can be directly linked to human behavior. Those questions are still being studied. Anyone who claims to know definitively, for example, that the ice caps will be gone in ten years (as Al Gore has repeatedly claimed) is being more a cultist than a scientist.

applehazar

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 8:31 p.m.

Has the road commission ever driven over 94 on Ann Arbor Saline Rd? That section has not been paved for over 3 years. I am sure the county will say that's state property, the state will say it's federal property. Where is the reconstruction money? Oh - it was spent making the signs. Bottom Line - a dirt road is better than this.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 8:23 p.m.

Gee, I guess its OK to call those of us concerned about global warming "cultists", but not so much to generalize, without pointing the finger at a specific person, about those who use such terms? OK, I'll try again. "The East Anglia emails revealed that the pro-AGW crowd is very much cult-like in its behavior." It is as appropriate to use the actions a small band of scientists at a single university as a tool with which to slander all who are concerned about climate change as it is to use the VERY moderate and VERY nice and VERY collegial and VERY thoughtful comments (he says with as much sarcasm as he can muster) of conservatives in this and other discussions as a tool with which to slander the entire conservative movement. There--does that work? Good Night and Good Luck

Chase Ingersoll

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:42 p.m.

The East Anglia reports and manipulated data were what the supporters used in the global warming, scare media echo-chamber, that has now changed their tune to"climate change" When I was in public school Junior High (1980) our science class consisted of "peak oil" propaganda to support Carter's tax payer subsidized solar panel systems that were so poorly designed and thought out that 10 years later I was in college and as a summer job was selling upgrades to those systems which were still sitting on houses, but not used, because they didn't generate any heat. The so called global warming experts are just business people that are selling fear in exchange for more funding of "so called research" that they are intentionally skewing. And FYI, I don't know if it even needs to be said, but anonymous comments and especially those where the author is attempting to cloak themselves with the name of a respected journalist is just...by definition less than credible.

Macabre Sunset

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 7:46 p.m.

Not really too much. The East Anglia emails revealed that the pro-AGW crowd is very much cult-like in its behavior. There's a dogged determination to rig the peer review process, and it has been quite successful to date. As for the Limbaugh/Hannity/whomever you mentioned in your other post... never watched one of their shows. I'm hardly a conservative. For those who don't see what the growing pension/entitlements burden is doing to state budgets, I think you'll be surprised when California and Illinois default on bonds, declare bankruptcy and start the next round of the current financial crisis. Don't you think transferring the financial burden of poor roads (fixing them versus letting us deal with higher car repair costs) is a form of raising taxes? Same net effect.

bugjuice

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:38 p.m.

Isn't referring to people with whom you disagree on alleged "unproven" climate data and with whom you might agree (or not) on other issues, as "cultists" a little too much?

Bill

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:32 p.m.

Ignatz, I'm glad you asked. Actually, in India they have no weight restrictions governing their roadways or even highways, so consider yourself lucky that Michigan does. Second point, monsoons are far more deadly and destructive to roadways, then Michigan snow or ice will ever be. Consider the affects of a roadway being underwater for up to a month? Imagine what that will do to the surrounding soil composition and erosion? Thanks.

John B.

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 7:07 p.m.

I would strongly disagree about the assertion regarding rainwater being worse for roads than freeze-thaw cycles. Drainage can be properly planned for and handled (though we often screw that up in Michigan as well - note, for example, the terrible lack of proper drainage for Huron River Drive that is only recently beginning to be corrected). Freeze/thaw cycles can cause spalling (chunks of pavement separating from the slab or aggregate, causing potholes). Different bird entirely.

timjbd

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:29 p.m.

Just gimme my tax cut.

Macabre Sunset

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.

Kind of silly to mention climate change. If the cultists are right and we're on the bottom of the blade of their overhyped hockey stick, an increase of 2-3 degrees over the next 50 years isn't going to do anything but change when the potholes start appearing by a week or so. The cultists, for similar reasons, warned us to expect horrific hurricane seasons in the immediate future. That isn't happening. What is happening is that Michigan has made poor budgetary decisions. The state needs pension, benefit and entitlement reform. Right now, everyone's tax money is going to support the few, which leaves much less, per person, for the infrastructure that everyone uses. Ignore major road maintenance for a few years, as Jenny did, and this is what you get.

snapshot

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 4:39 a.m.

You obviously haven't taken the time to truly investigate what weather havoc melting ice in the Arctic and Anctic will cause with a 2-3 degree rise in temperature. When I was kid in the 60's I was out in the sun all the time and never got a sunburn....sun block didn't even exist now you can get burned in a matter of hours because of the diminishing ozone layer.

Forever27

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:54 p.m.

wow, just wow. Rather than blame liberals you might want to offer up a solution. The problems with the roads is not a result of pension programs for state employees. But I'll give you credit for raising a strawman in honor of conservative debate tactics.

bugjuice

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:40 p.m.

"Climate cultists". From Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly's lips to yours. Spare us the denigration.

bugjuice

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 4:57 p.m.

Not that I'm suggesting anything, but there are (small and stupid) upsides to the effects of climate change here in Ann Arbor like fewer and less severe freeze that cycles.

Ignatz

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 4:08 p.m.

@Bill, Thanks for the link, but I don't see how a method made for a tropical location would apply to a temperate climate. Also, I think that the average vehicle weight in India is much less that Michigan, which has a ridiculous limit for trucks.

Bill

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.

Contrary to popular opinion, the earth is not flat nor solid. Hence, the road commission should investigate modern technologies that might help mitigate reoccurring wheel eating potholes, instead of literally patching the problem every winter and spring. By the way, we know about the freeze thaw cycles in Michigan. Quote: " For example, a concrete mix was designed that could be used for fast-track construction, and also meet the strength criterion prescribed by the government," Thombare explained. Till date, the researcher claims, his road is a pleasure to drive on, with not a single pothole despite two monsoons." Link: <a href="http://www.karmayog.org/roadsnews/roadsnews_31159.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.karmayog.org/roadsnews/roadsnews_31159.htm</a>

Ignatz

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 3:04 p.m.

Yes, the roads are not built to last, not are they maintained with they frequency or methods necessary. If you wany good roads, you're going to have to pay for them. Good roads are being engineered every day, it's just that we are not doing it. We'll pay more up front, but they'll last longer. If we do more intesne repairs, that'll extend the life even more. We're already paying for bad roads through car repairs, so lets put the money where it will do the most good. Yes, I'm talking about raising taxes. We need to get out of this Walmart mindset.

pchbob

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 3:02 p.m.

Understanding that the Stadium Bridge will (hopefully) be repaired in the next many months; the ridiculous state of Stadium Blvd. between Main and Industrial and number of potholes that a City road crew were repairing (again) earlier this week on that stretch is a complete joke. Would it really have been that costly to repave that short stretch this summer??

sun runner

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:38 p.m.

@cleaningman: "Three years ago when my son was a junior in high school he came home and told me that a teacher in his school told the class that Michigan's roads are in such bad shape because the state is situated between two lakes and the land mass is continually moving, causing the road surfaces to break apart." Obviously, then, the solution is to drain Lakes Michigan and Huron. Problem solved! Having studied geology at the U of M, I am appalled at the frightening lack of basic scientific knowledge in the working of the earth displayed by this person. Potholes on I-94 eastbound between Zeeb and Jackson are already opening up in the usual spots where they have appeared without fail every year. I'm in the process of memorizing their locations in order to avoid them. Speaking of monster potholes to avoid, watch out for the tire-chewing beast on the bridge ramp where M-14 eastbound splits with US 23 south.

stunhsif

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.

Ah heck, just raise the gas tax 100%. Just kidding, how about we build better roads to begin with ? I agree with Bablat, it is a "jobs program" in this state, a racket for certain.

a2grateful

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.

I am grateful for nature's contribution to traffic calming. . . ; )

Bill

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:34 p.m.

Great, so more accidents because the roadways are eating tires and causing people to lose control of their vehicles. Gosh, u must be a genius.

Bablat

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:07 p.m.

It's a racket. Look at the roads in other states and other countries, nice roads, few potholes. In Michigan it's a job program, create and perpetuate jobs. The more temporary the fix the better. Even brand new roads need fixing after couple years because of such lousy quality.

timjbd

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:35 p.m.

It's the opposite. People demand tax cuts tax cuts tax cuts so the money that might have been available for doing the roads properly in the first place is not available so the roads get patched on the cheap. Then money we don't have must somehow be extracted from other parts of the budget. "Hey, no one is breaking into my house right this second so maybe we can cut back on police and use THAT money to patch the road." But people LOVE to hear about tax cuts so politicians give the people what they want. You can't have it both ways. Use your tax cut to build yourself a road.

Tony Livingston

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:07 p.m.

Speaking of freezing and thawing, I was in Alaska 2 years ago and was amazed that their were no potholes in the roads. You could drive for miles and never hit rough spots. I don't think we are building high quality roads. Either the preparation or the materials are substandard.

bob

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.

Isn't a great deal of Alaska on permafrost? If so, no real freeze thaw cycle...just mostly frozen.

snapshot

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 4:29 a.m.

Inferior materials and workmanship is the problem

xmo

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 2:06 p.m.

So, is there a solution to stop potholes in Michigan? or are we stuck putting a patch on them? The auto companies have used plastics to stop having rusting cars why haven't we solved this issue?

Hmm

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:57 p.m.

What is this "already" in the headline? The roads in Ann Arbor have been atrocious especially on the west and south sides for a long time

Snehal

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:50 p.m.

Can anyone sue the city for failure to repair potholes and if they blow up their tires due to that. I do not want to end up spending hundreds of dollars in this economy if my tires get blown up due to potholes. Is there a website that shows the roads with potholes so that one can avoid those roads or be extra careful?

loves_fall

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 10 p.m.

I think you can (not sure if on a city level, but on the state level), but you have to show that they had sufficient notification and that they didn't take action within some specified time limit, both of which can be hard to do. I've heard it's almost impossible to reclaim damages from the state, and I doubt the city would be much better.

Chase Ingersoll

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:22 p.m.

TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGY: This link is to a new process where a two man machine using infared technology heats the asphalt surround the pot-hole so that there is a hot to hot seamless bond. Putting hot asphalt seal on cold asphalt results in a porous bond...which results in....more potholes. THIS IS SUCH A NO BRAINER that I can only believe that we are still using the old technology, because it is a "shovel ready jobs program". <a href="http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/10/prweb4696884.htm" rel='nofollow'>http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/10/prweb4696884.htm</a>

bob

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.

Very interesting...thanks for the link.

cleaningman

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 1:14 p.m.

Three years ago when my son was a junior in high school he came home and told me that a teacher in his school told the class that Michigan's roads are in such bad shape because the state is situated between two lakes and the land mass is continually moving, causing the road surfaces to break apart. Unbelievable! I don't know what the answer is either to keep the roads in better shape. Wisconsin and Minnesota's roads are in great shape.....perhaps the reason is because they are too far north and they don't have freeze and thaw cycles.

Lew Kidder

Fri, Jan 28, 2011 : 12:24 a.m.

Wisconsin's gas tax is 32 cents per gallon. Michigan's is 19 cents on gas and just 15 cents on diesel. Of course their roads are in better shape - their citizens are willing to invest in them.

ghl

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 12:49 p.m.

Yes we do live in the northern part of the country BUT i have driven in Canada and other northern states on far, far better roads than we have here.

KJMClark

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 12:29 p.m.

We need two things: a new funding method for road repairs and fewer roads to maintain. Oil prices are rising again, making asphalt more expensive and discouraging people from driving as much. So at the same time repair costs go up, funding goes down. As people switch to higher-mileage cars and trucks, and in some cases electric cars and trucks, this problem is going to keep getting worse. The inevitable higher gas prices will keep pushing people to use less gas. But people seem utterly opposed to different taxes or higher gas taxes to replace that lost revenue, and Michigan's population is declining. We need a plan to reduce the cost of our transportation network, and that's going to require reducing maintenance on some roads. That either means turning the road back to gravel or expecting local residents to take care of their road maintenance costs. Either way, some people are going to pay more, through paying for their road to be plowed, for repairs from potholes, or with their time as they have to slow down to safely use unplowed and gravel roads. Wishful thinking isn't going to fix any roads. Also, AnnArbor.com has published many articles about this problem back to 2009, and mlive probably has even older articles. It's not a new problem. It might help to provide some links to the past coverage. This one's a good start: <a href="http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county-road-project-spending-to-drop-significantly-in-2010/">http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county-road-project-spending-to-drop-significantly-in-2010/</a>

Atticus F.

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 9:32 p.m.

This is just another excuse to raise taxes. Every spring We hear the same thing "Fix The Roads!". It's been that way since I was a kid. The only difference is that now we have less people traveling on them, while at the same time, we have the same old number of construction companies looking to gobble up revenue for roads that are not being used as much.

John B.

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.

@Atticus: That wear and tear argument is fallacious. Because our max. truck weight limits are double what is allowed in the surrounding states (150,000 pounds in Michigan vs. 75,000 elsewhere), about 98% of the damage to our roads is done by trucks, not passenger vehicles. Yet trucks only pay about 30% of the road taxes. It is, in effect, a subsidy to trucking. It was enacted decades ago, primarily to alllow the auto industry to more easily move heavy tooling, such as large stamping presses, etc. Our bad Michigan roads are also not a weather-related issue. Drive across the border into any neighboring state, and the roads almost always immediately get significantly better. The bad weather doesn't stop at the state line!

Forever27

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 6:47 p.m.

It's that type of forethought and understanding of the revenue stream that will get politicians fired. People stop listening the minute they hear anything remotely close to the word tax.

Atticus F.

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 3:12 p.m.

KJM, you should also note, that as the population goes down, and people drive less, we have less wear and tear on our roads. Also, we get federal road funding because we've adopted federal (draconian) DUI guidelines.

Alan Goldsmith

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:14 a.m.

"It's important for the public to understand that we live in the northern part of the country where we go through these freeze-thaw cycles," he said,..." Brilliant.

KathrynHahn

Thu, Jan 27, 2011 : 11:34 a.m.

Uh...yea, and so is Wisconsin, Minnesota, all of Canada, but they don't have the crappy roads we have!