Lt. Gov. Gilchrist on why he’s touring crumbling roads and Michigan’s role in the future of mobility

This week’s guest: Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist talks about his tours of Michigan’s crumbling roads and what he’s learning. Tuesday, he toured state trunklines and focused on the decades-long challenge to find sustainable funding for Michigan roads and bridges. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is also showing reporters roads in need of investment across the state.

https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/discussion-ramps-up-with-legislature-on-mi-roads/

https://www.wilx.com/content/news/Gov-Whitmer-sits-down-with-News-10-for-exclusive-interview-567013721.html

Gilchrist also talks about Michigan’s leading asset management council and the innovative efforts to assess pavement condition and determine why a lack of investment means finding ways to extend the life of poor roads that should otherwise be rebuilt. Gilchrist explains why the same roads seem to be under frequent repair, slowing the flow of commuters and commerce, and why appropriate investment allows for rebuilding roads for the long term.

https://www.michigan.gov/tamc/

The governor’s fiscal year 2020 budget proposal would have dramatically improved state trunklines over the next nine years. The graph shows the projected decline in state trunklines with status quo spending. (Trunklines are I, US, and M-routes.)

https://www.michigan.gov/images/mdot/MDOTTrunklinePavementConditionForecasts_679268_7.png

Gilchrist also discusses his passion for public transit and how it has been important to his mobility and that of his family in Detroit. In November, he joined federal officials to announce grants for new public buses in Flint and Detroit.

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/michigan-gets-12-8m-in-grants-to-improve-busing

Describing himself as an eternal optimist, he expresses faith in burgeoning mobility technologies and the promise they hold to enhance quality of life and to provide access to transportation for all. Earlier this month, he represented Michigan at the Consumer Electronics Show. In this video, he talks about Michigan companies showing off their technology there. And he makes the case for more automotive investment because of the human capital Michigan provides, especially with Michigan’s concentration of engineering talent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3mBsErvWcA&feature=youtu.be

https://www.moodyonthemarket.com/mi-lt-gov-gilchrist-makes-case-for-automotive-investment-in-mi-at-ces/

https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news/study-michigan-tops-u-s-with-number-of-engineers-per-capita/