Are Toll Roads In Grand Rapids’ Future? [Video]

After taking an economic smack in the face from the pandemic, Michigan's last hope to fix the damn roads may be to impose tolls.

This week the State Legislature began turning the wheels in that direction, as the House Transportation Committee voted to pass a bill which will fund a feasibility study into toll roads.

The bill now has to pass both houses to get funding.

Representative Jack O'Malley of Lake Ann told 9&10 News that the study will look into how much it would cost to retrofit state freeways to become toll roads, and other concerns.

“Let’s find out what would it take to do tolling. How could we move forward or should we not move forward?”, he told the news outlet.

Neighboring states Ohio and Indiana both have toll roads, but they were built that way. Michigan's were not.

So which Michigan roads would become toll roads? It's hard to say this far out, but O'Malley says they're all up for consideration.

“I-96, 94, 69, 127, 131, all potentially could be toll roads. If this goes through we’ll find out and that’s why I voted for it,” says O’Malley, “I don’t think tolling is really a good idea and doesn’t make sense but let’s find out. I could possibly be wrong.”