Last month, state Rep. Beau LaFave called upon Gov. Rick Snyder to consider the activation of the National Guard to resume road projects across Michigan and the Upper Peninsula that are stopped by a labor dispute.
Gov. Rick Snyder this week mentioned the possibility of activating the National Guard heavy equipment operators to fix the roads.
“We have six weeks and several projects across the state that are being affected by this dispute,” said LaFave, of Iron Mountain. “It’s an unnecessary roadblock to better roads and bridges. Drivers are impacted and our current infrastructure plans are at a standstill. We need to see work done immediately.”
The union has yet to negotiate a new deal between the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA).
LaFave said the state has put more than $4 billion in new funding, a record amount, to fix Michigan roads and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) needs to resume work immediately.
Projects on M-95 and US-2 in Iron Mountain, M-35 Cedar River Bridge in Menominee County and the Escanaba River Bridge have been stopped by the recent labor dispute.
About 11,000 citizens are members of the Michigan National Guard.
