Road Repair Overdrive: Michigan’s Plan to Solve Its Pothole Problem in 2022 

Every spring season, a fresh batch of potholes crop up on Michigan roads. Crews will now be working overtime to fix them as quickly as possible.

Need to Know

• Michigan’s Department of Transportation is prioritizing fixing potholes.
• Every spring, Michigan sees more potholes form as ice melts.
• The new infrastructure law provides a historic opportunity to build more sustainable, modern roads.

LANSING, Mich.—Keep an eye out, because road construction is about to shift into overdrive. 

The Michigan Department of Transportation will use overtime and all available resources to fix state roads as “pothole season” settles in, under directions from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

“Dealing with car damage from driving over potholes while on your way to work or school is frustrating for every Michigander,” Whitmer in a press release. “No family should have to spend their hard-earned money on repairing a flat tire or a broken axle caused by these potholes.”

State transportation director Paul C. Ajegba signed onto the order, saying that the best way to prevent potholes is by fixing roads and bridges “the right way the first time.” He said that, except for cases of clearing roads after a storm, this will be the department’s first priority.

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In addition to prioritizing road repairs, the Michigan Department of Transportation will have to provide a way for drivers to “easily” report the location of potholes. Exactly how the department plans to do that is unclear.

MDOT already has a pothole hotline for state highways, which can be reached at 888-296-4546, and there’s also a form online. Other municipalities have apps where drivers can report safety hazards. 

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Whitmer’s new order applies to state highways. Local municipalities are responsible for their own roads, and Whitmer has encouraged quick payments to them for fixes as well.

State police will also be responsible for enforcing work zones that make pothole repair possible, Whitmer said.

“When we are not clearing roads from the latest storm, our crews will be out fixing potholes as quickly as possible,” Ajegba said.

Whitmer has proposed the largest infrastructure package in state history, funded in large part by the infrastructure act Congress passed last fall. It would fix roads and bridges throughout the state.

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