State and local officials announced a list of road projects that would get a funding boost from the state’s Roads and Risk Reserve Fund.

Some major fixes to our roads are on the way thanks to a state general fund surplus found earlier this year.

House Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R-Traverse City) announced today that certain local transportation projects would be funded through the Roads and Risks Reserve Fund, a fund set aside for critical transportation projects around the state.

The projects include $500,000 for a Division Street study, $1 million to replace the aging Front Street bridge in downtown Traverse City, and money for street repairs in the villages of Kingsley and Fife Lake.

We’re thrilled that state and local leaders made it a top priority to invest in fixing our existing roads in our cities and villages.

The announcement also reflects the strong commitment between Traverse City and the state to work together to make long-term improvements to Division Street. It will jump-start what we hope will be a community-driven planning process that will lead to major fixes to the busy road.

Here’s a press release from MDOT and a link to a list of projects.

While the small injection of money is nice, state leaders are still trying to find a way to come up with a long-term transportation funding solution. Earlier this year, Gov. Rick Snyder said the state needs another $1.2 billion annually just to maintain our roads and bridges. The legislature has yet to find a long-term source of funding.

James Bruckbauer is the Michigan Land Use Institute’s transportation policy specialist. Follow him on Twitter at @jimbruckb. Reach him at james@mlui.org.