GR Task Force to report on 'dire' roads

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - What do you get when you mix declining tax revenues, more fuel-efficient vehicles generating lower gas tax revenues and the rising cost of repairing roadways?

Not much money to fix Grand Rapids roads.

Cold patch may be the only thing holding many streets together by 2013, when the city's general fund stops contributing to street repair in Grand Rapids.

"Our streets are in dire shape," said Deputy City Manager Eric DeLong. "We'll have a very limited capital investment - roughly $500,000 to $1 million a year - when we should be investing $12 million. And we'll be able to patch and plow snow."

As of last year, just 6% of city streets were considered to be in good condition. Another 38% were rated fair, while 56% were rated poor.

It costs around $1 million to replace a one-mile stretch of failed roadway. City officials say if they could just maintain these roads they could keep them from falling into disrepair - and save money.

The Grand Rapids City Commission appointed a 30-member Sustainable Streets Task Force to work on the problem.

"We'll look at innovation, creativity, how do you get the most out of your investment dollar," DeLong said.

This is the kind of outside-the-box thinking Gov. Rick Snyder encourages through state aid for local communities.

Of course, the task force could also come up with a more traditional solution, like raising taxes.

"I don't know what they're going to come back with," DeLong said. "That's why we're doing it. To have the community help us figure out what's the best outcome here."

The task force must deliver its report by the end of this year.

On the Net:

Grand Rapids Sustainable Streets Task Force (pdf)