Asphalt industry urges steady funding, highlights recycling, standards and workforce needs to House transportation committee

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard a presentation from the Asphalt Pavement Association of Michigan that urged lawmakers to back long-term, predictable road funding and described industry practices on standards, recycling and workforce capacity.

The association’s executive director, Brett Stannum, told the committee that Michigan produces roughly 15,000,000 tons of asphalt mixtures a year — the equivalent of about 25,000 lane miles — and that the industry directly and indirectly employs about 30,000 people and generates about $5,000,000,000 in annual spending in the state. "MDOT's specification is statistical based," Stannum said. "It not only requires you to hit target but also to be consistent. So you have an upper limit and a lower limit and statistically you have to stay between that." He added, "Asphalt pavements are the most recycled product in America."

Why it matters: the presenters said stable funding allows owners to execute timely maintenance and avoid more costly reconstructions later. Stannum and Kurt Brukink, the association board president and West Michigan area manager for Reith‑Riley Construction, warned that a funding ‘‘cliff’’ would force layoffs and could hollow out a trained workforce that is costly and slow to replace.

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