VIDEO: GR roads task force: Invest $9M/year

63% of Grand Rapids roads rated 'poor'

A task force assigned to look into fixing Grand Rapids streets says the city must act now -- but taxpayers may have to foot the bill.

The Sustainable Streets Task Force says 63% of Grand Rapids streets -- about 300 miles-worth -- are in poor condition. Only about 50 miles of the city's 600 miles of streets are considered in good condition.

The city says the current condition or roads is embarrassing, but that it's more than an issue of pride. If left is disrepair, the task force says, 94% of roads will be in poor condition within nine years.

To determine that, the city has turned to the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council. The council has outfitted a truck with laser measuring tools, cameras and GPS to get an idea of road conditions.

"This allows us to check the entire roadway surface for all of Grand Rapids -- all of Kent County," explained Darrell Robinson, Transportation Planner for the Grand Valley Metropolitan Council.

Michigan Street is a prime example of the problem: A bumpily poor excuse of a red carpet from highways to a fast-growing and booming downtown community.

The city's final goal is to have 70% of all city roads in a "state of good repair" over the next 15 years. It's estimated that would take a $22 million investment.

Gov. Rick Snyder says he intends to focus heavily on Michigan roads in the coming years. In his budget, he asked lawmakers to raise the state gas tax from 19 cents per gallon to 33 cents per gallon to fix aging infrastructure.