Does the Road Commission plan for future projects?
The Genesee County Road Commission (GCRC) often hears comments to the effect that the reason we have all these road congestion problems is because of “poor planning.” Usually those comments are made by people who are not familiar with the kind or amount of planning that actually occurs. Road agencies have been working with communities for decades to identify future road needs. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has a five-year construction program detailing what will be built around the state over the next five years to address identified and projected road needs. The problem is not planning. The problem is funding. Current road funds go for maintaining the existing system. Additional funds are needed to make significant improvements to the system. Unfortunately, none of the new revenue generated by development goes to road agencies. Those new revenues, namely property taxes, go to the schools, cities, villages or townships, county general government, etc., but not to MDO
