Michigan Freedom Fund, a conservative non-profit organization, launched a billboard campaign Friday reminding Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that she failed to keep her promise she made of fixing Michigan’s infrastructure.
This billboard campaign comes on the heels of the governor cutting $375 million in funding last month meant to repair the state’s crumbling roads and bridges. When running for governor, Whitmer famously said she was going to “fix the damn roads.”
“Michigan motorists elected Governor Whitmer to fix the damn roads, not slash the damn funding and veto hundreds of millions for critical repairs,” said Freedom Fund Executive Director Tony Daunt. “The Governor is clearly more interested in raising Michigan’s gas tax by 45 cents-per-gallon than she is fixing our crumbling infrastructure. Voters – and even the state’s top legislative Democrats – disagree.
The billboards are featured in high traffic areas on I-496 at Pennsylvania in Lansing and I-96 at Beck Road in Oakland County, according to Michigan Freedom Fund’s press release.
“Fix the damn roads? Whitmer vetoed $375 million from our roads and bridges,” the billboards read.
Daudt says Michigan motorists have had “enough of her broken promises.”
“Instead of getting the message and getting to work on meaningful solutions, the Governor stopped traffic and slashed emergency road funding,” he said.
Whitmer Communications Director Zack Pohl responded to the billboard by telling The Detroit News the $375 million would “only rebuild about 39 miles on the freeway and fix about four bridges in a state with over 1,000 bridges in poor condition.”
“While the DeVoses flush their money down the toilet on political attack billboards, the governor will remain focused on actually solving problems for the people of Michigan,” Pohl said.
To fix Michigan’s crumbling roads, Whitmer previously proposed three separate 15-cents gas taxes that would raise a total of $2.5 billion; however, Republicans disapproved of the tax proposal.
TRIP, a national transportation research nonprofit, conducted a 2019 study that found forty percent of Michigan roads are in poor or mediocre condition. Furthermore, the study said Michigan’s current road conditions cost the state $14 billion annually.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of Battleground State News. Follow Zachery on Twitter.
