LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Upper Peninsula lawmakers are pushing a series of local infrastructure and community projects as state budget negotiations move into a critical phase at the Capitol.
The proposed legislatively directed spending items included in the House budget plan range from road repairs and flood recovery projects to school safety upgrades and community development initiatives across the U.P.
Rep. Karl Bohnak (R-Deerton) said the projects were selected after identifying infrastructure and public safety needs throughout his central Upper Peninsula district.
“I travel across my district, and my district is the central upper peninsula, and there’s so much need, infrastructure need, and so on,” Bohnak said. “And we isolated 6 projects, and those six projects have tentative approval.”
Among the largest proposed U.P. appropriations is $1.4 million for parking lot and traffic flow improvements at Superior Central Schools intended to improve student safety during pickup and drop-off times.
Another $1 million proposal would help repair Waucedah Road in Dickinson County, while the Baraga County Road Commission is slated to receive $682,000 for flood recovery work tied to repeated storm damage in recent years.
Bohnak said some projects are intended to address long-standing infrastructure problems in rural communities with limited local tax bases.
“That road has really had a lot of problems,” Bohnak said of Waucedah Road. “We had heard a report of a rollover on the road due to the fact that it was so terrible.”
The spending plan also includes $500,000 for the 906 Adventure Team to help develop Gluski Park in Marquette County. Bohnak said the organization focuses on youth outdoor recreation and mentorship programs.
Other U.P. projects in the House proposal include:
- $700,000 for a fire apparatus truck in Negaunee
- $600,000 for elevator upgrades at Bessemer Area Schools
- $600,000 for elevator replacements at Gogebic Community College
- $600,000 for Michigan Technological University research into Mackinac Bridge closures and conditions
- $350,000 for a ladder truck purchase in Escanaba
- $1 million for electrical and data system upgrades at Lake Superior State University
The proposals are part of a broader legislatively directed spending package that House lawmakers expanded to roughly $150 million statewide.
Bohnak said House Republicans have emphasized additional transparency requirements during the earmark process, including committee testimony and public review of spending requests.
“One thing that the house republicans have done is make sure that these requests are vetted because so many times there’s money that goes out the door and we don’t know where it’s going,” he said.
The projects still face negotiations with the Senate and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer before a final budget agreement is reached.
Upper Peninsula lawmakers are also continuing to push separate infrastructure requests connected to the proposed Copperwood Mine project in Gogebic County, including electrical grid upgrades and road improvements near Wakefield Township.
Bohnak said the U.P. legislative delegation broadly supports the mining-related infrastructure effort as a way to stabilize population loss and encourage economic growth in western Upper Peninsula communities.
