Whenever a government official or an academic researcher steps forward to talk about underground infrastructure – water and sewer pipes – they inevitably point out that this is “not a sexy issue.”
So, when Gov. Rick Snyder, who’s no Donald Trump at attracting attention with his rhetoric, stepped up on Friday to announce an innovative infrastructure improvement plan, perhaps it’s no surprise that hardly anyone noticed.
The Snyder idea is based on a simple question: Why does Michigan engage in road reconstruction projects without simultaneously replacing the aging water and sewer pipes just below the surface?
In an executive directive, the governor announced that a new coordination process will link road projects with underground infrastructure projects, where needed.
“Modernizing Michigan’s aging infrastructure requires significant investment, and we can minimize costs and disruption by enhancing collaboration on planning and projects,” Snyder said. “This directive aims to identify those opportunities where we can upgrade water and sewer infrastructure at the same time roads and bridges are being done.”
The Michigan Department of Transportation will work with the Department of Environmental Quality and other agencies to coordinate the identification of surface and underground needs.
Through collaboration with local governments, the plan would tackle water/sewer infrastructure projects at the same time that road contractors excavate and remove old pavement. Another goal is to improve methods of determining what pipes are cracking and crumbling. Yes, the exact location of many pipes that are approaching 100 years old is unknown.
It should also be noted that in some heavily populated areas these “pipes” are large enough to drive a dump truck through them.
The Snyder directive goes hand-in-hand with the governor’s recently established 21st Century Infrastructure Commission, which was created amidst the ongoing Flint water crisis.
MLive reported that at the Lansing Regional Chamber Economic Club last month Snyder said: “We had crumbling infrastructure. And why did roads get first priority? Because you hit a pothole. Just because it (a water pipe) is buried beneath the ground doesn’t mean it doesn’t have ‘potholes’ itself.”
In addition, the governor wants to create a Michigan Infrastructure Fund which would be seeded with a proposed $165 million and take a proactive approach, according to the Associated Press. Snyder is asking the GOP-led Legislature to set aside the money while the new 27-member commission works on a statewide infrastructure assessment and makes recommendations in December.
Thank you, Chad. You could tell that a lot of the problems with our roads are caused by problems in the pipes below. I’m looking forward to working with the road people to fix both at the same time.