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Highway Program & Non-capital uses

Highway Program & Non-capital uses

Public Act 51 of 1951 (Act 51) mandates how transportation funds are distributed and spent between MDOT and local entities. The intent of Act 51 is to distribute approximately 25 percent of federal aid to local jurisdictions for use on federal-aid eligible roads, with MDOT remaining responsible for ensuring federal regulations are followed and funds are managed appropriately. MDOT complies with this provision in an oversight role at various points throughout a project, while local agencies are responsible for planning scoping, and design, as well as testing and construction engineering services. Local agencies ultimately deliver more than 500 federal-aid projects annually with an average project cost of $500,000.

The table displays the investment strategy for FY 2025-2029 for the Highway Capital Program at $10.6 billion. This total reflects investments for pre-building activity (i.e., scoping, design, environmental clearance, and Right of Way (ROW) acquisition) and building activities.

2025-2029 Highway Program investment, including routine maintenance (in millions)

Trunkline Highway Capital Program (in millions)

FY 2025

Five-year total

Annual average
Repair and rebuild roads* $1,682.70 $4,660.0
 $932.0
Repair and rebuild roads** $363.4 $1,996.5 $399.3
Safety and system operations $188.8 $864.1 $172.8
Additional state and federally funded programs $91.4 $513.2 $102.6
Routine maintenance $496.7 $2,608.1 $521.6
Total $2,823.0 $10,641.9 $2,128.3
*Including trunkline modernization and roadside facilities.
**Includes $53 million in FY 2025 and $860 million total from FY 2025 to 2029 for ongoing Blue Water Bridge Plaza work accounted for in previous years.

This figure illustrates Highway Program investments over the total five-year period, with system preservation, outlined in red, being funded by both the regular highway program as well as the addition of Rebuilding Michigan bond funds up through 2025. Routine maintenance is also expected to increase year by year.

2025-2029 Highway Program investments by year (in millions)
$10.6 Billion

A graph showing the Highway Program Investment for FY 2025-2029.

 

This level of investment will provide Michigan travelers with approximately 537 miles of improved roads per year over the next five years, replacing and improving of 219 lane miles per year, extending the life of approximately 251 miles of pavement each year through the capital preventive maintenance (CPM) program and 293 miles per year with non-freeway resurfacing. MDOT also will manage its bridge assets with repairs to 101 bridges per year.

MDOT allocates pavement preservation funding by formula to its seven regions between the Road Improvements and Rebuilding, Non-Freeway Resurfacing, and Freeway Resurfacing programs. The formula is updated annually with current pavement condition, average daily traffic, regional costs, and eligible lane miles.

For the Bridge program, funding is distributed to MDOT regions through a bridge preservation allocation formula that uses the deck area of bridges in each National Bridge Inventory (NBI) condition. Funding is split into investment targets for replacement, repair, and preventive maintenance work.