Governor Whitmer addresses road concerns and more in her second State of the State address

LANSING, Mich. - Governor Gretchen Whitmer addressed education, job growth, and healthcare in her State of the State speech Wednesday night, but the main focus was on her plan to fix the roads.

Her "Rebuilding Michigan" plan intends to fix the crumbling roads across the state without raising gas prices.

Instead, she plans to request bonds from the state, putting $3.5 billion into 122 road projects, with the goal to start those projects in the spring.

This will nearly double the money available to fix the roads over the next 5 years, and allow MDOT to save taxpayers money by avoiding the annual cost of inflation.

Governor Whitmer admitted that she still needs to work with lawmakers to find a long-term funding solution for roads and bridges, but believes her plan is a great start.

Also addressed in her speech was the Michigan Reconnect program, which, if the funding proposal passes with lawmaker support, would provide free skills training and degree programs for adults.

She also annouced 11,000 new jobs were created in the past year and restated her commitment to ensuring Michigan workers are paid fairly for the jobs they do.

In memory of Governor Milliken, Governor Whitmer also declared that there will be a ground breaking this year on the Milliken Visitor Center at arch rock on Mackinac Island.

This was only the governors second State of the State address given since taking office.