Michigan Gov. Whitmer signs $2 billion annual road funding bill

On Monday, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to invest $2 billion annually to fix Michigan’s state and local roads.

“Roads are not just about making life a little bit easier. It’s about jobs, it’s about families, it’s about our economy, it’s about the ability to move Michigan forward,” said Whitmer.

The governor locked in her commitment to her campaign promise in Clinton Township on Monday by signing the historic road funding bill.

“We’re looking at another $30 million annually, and that is significant. There was no question about it. The governor was going to find a way to figure out how does she solve this problem at a local level,” said Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel.

It’s an investment that took lawmakers compromising on both sides of the aisle. House Speaker Matt Hall tells CBS News Detroit that they got it done together.

“Governor Whitmer and the Democrats were only comfortable cutting a billion dollars of waste, fraud and abuse, and that was the limitation, so we matched them dollar for dollar. It’s about $2 billion to roads revenue and cutting waste, fraud and abuse and dedicated it all to roads. And also dedicating all of the money collected at the pump for the first time to roads,” said Hall.

This bill aims to bring more money, jobs and peace of mind for Michigan’s road crews.

“This deal is the largest transportation fund and increase in decades and will secure as many as 188,000 construction-related jobs,” said construction worker Tiran Clemons.

Since the governor took office, there have been 24,500 miles of Michigan roads repaired by the end of this construction season.