Michigan operating engineers back Whitmer's $700M infrastructure investment
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Operating engineers across Michigan applauded Gov. Whitmer on Wednesday after she added an additional $700 million to the rebuilding of the state's roads.
Operating Engineers 324, which represents 15,000 residents operating heavy machinery for construction on the state's infrastructure projects, technicians, and stationary engineers, expressed their support for the governor's decision to add the funds necessary to complete the Rebuilding Michigan Plan.
“Michigan's infrastructure remains one of our most pressing concerns as a state," Operating Engineers 324 Business Manager Douglas Stockwell said in a statement.
He continued, "The members of Operating Engineers 324 have been answering the call, rebuilding Michigan roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure, and will continue to do so well into the future.”
The Rebuilding Michigan Plan aims to fix the state's highways and bridges.
"Since my first day in office, we've gotten to work moving dirt and pouring concrete to fix our damn roads and bridges, but there's always more work to do until we get the job done right," Whitmer said in a statement. “That's why I'm adding another $700 million to road work this year through the Rebuilding Michigan Plan."
According to Whitmer, while under her administration, the state fixed 20,000 lane miles and 1,400 bridges, and supported over 45,000 jobs without raising taxes.
The last phase of the Rebuilding Michigan Plan includes key projects like I-94 near Detroit Airport, I-696 from Southfield through Warren, and a bridge in Erie Township, according to Whitmer's office.