One-third of Michigan roads were in poor condition in 2008, a percentage that could climb dramatically in coming years if lawmakers don't pump more money into transportation, road advocates said Monday.

The Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association put out a list of cities and counties with the largest amount of bad roads. Detroit led the list, followed by Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor.

Wayne and Oakland counties had the most miles of federally funded roads in poor condition, although their actual percentage of bad roads was in the middle of the pack at around 25 percent.

Oceana, Osceola and Calhoun counties had the largest percentage of roads in poor condition, all topping 50 percent. Genesee County had the third-largest number of miles of bad roads and the ninth-highest percentage, 45 percent.

"Michigan's local road systems are collapsing because funding continues to plummet," MITA lobbyist Mike Nystrom said in a statement. "This isn't a case of road agencies not doing their jobs."

The findings were based on the Michigan Asset Management Council Annual Report of Roads and Bridges. The council was created by lawmakers after a transportation funding report in 2000.

According to MITA's report, 25 percent of federally funded roads were in poor condition in 2007, rising to 32 percent in 2008. About a third of Michigan's 287,780 miles of roads are federally funded.

The Michigan Department of Transportation agrees the percentage of the state's roads in good condition peaked in 2007 and has been declining since then. Road quality could hit an even bigger pothole in fiscal 2010-11, when the state is likely to lose up to $576 million in federal highway funds because it won't have the $102 million it needs to nab the matching funds.

If that happens, Michigan will go from spending more than $1.2 billion annually on highways to around $500 million next year and in following years, shoving road projects and the jobs that go with them off the drawing board.

"Many (motorists) are driving less and buying more fuel efficient vehicles and hybrids, leading to a $100 million decrease in gas tax revenue over the past five years, and this trend is expected to continue," MDOT notes in its 2008-2013 transportation report.

Making the problem even worse is the rising cost of raw materials such as asphalt and steel, and the increasing need as Michigan's roads and bridges grow older, requiring more work. Continued...