LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino on Thursday introduced legislation to allow local road agencies to respond to minor road issues more quickly by allowing them to do more small projects themselves.
“Our local roads are in most need of repair, yet too many local projects are being delayed due to unnecessary red tape,” said Bellino, R-Monroe. “My bill would reduce overly burdensome and outdated restrictions — allowing local road agencies to address more small projects themselves. This would help speed up work on some projects and also help create additional competition to lower costs.”
Senate Bill 150 would give local communities more options to conduct road projects by raising the spending limit on projects that can be completed without a competitive bidding process from $100,000 to $250,000. It also restricts counties to an $800,000 maximum annual allowance under the non-competitive bid option.
The original threshold of $100,000 was established within Public Act 51 of 1951. Current law specifies that all road construction projects conducted by the Michigan Department of Transportation or local road agencies — whether they be new builds or preservation — with a price tag over $100,000 must be submitted for a competitive bid before work can begin.
“The current threshold has not been increased to keep up with inflation and has greatly reduced the ability of local road agencies to respond with timely solutions to minor issues,” Bellino said. “The quicker these kinds of road problems can be addressed, the better it is for both drivers and taxpayers.”
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