Gas prices going up are the last thing Samuel Williams wants.
"None of us will be excited about the gas prices increase," exclaims Williams. "I mean we have more places to go and it's costing more and more to get there!"
But the gas tax coming on January 1st will increase gas prices by more than 7 cents per gallon. The new year will also bring a 20% increase to car registration costs. All of the revenue from those increases will then go back into the roads.
"The road conditions are terrible," says Douglas Mulkey, "I mean there's no doubt about that. It's no surprise to anybody, I mean it's the price that has to be paid."
Chad Gamble of Lansing's Department of Public Works says the city desperately needs some help with fixing the roads.
"The city of Lansing has over 400 miles of roadway that we are responsible for maintaining. Approximately 300 miles of roadway is in the lowest rating condition that we have," says Gamble.
Which is why the two million dollars the tax will generate in 2017 for Lansing will help with the roads, but it will only chip away at the problem.
"If we were able to snap our fingers right now and prove all of our roads, it would cost us approximately $225 million," states Gamble.
Which makes people like Williams wonder if their roads will be repaired anytime soon. But others, like Douglas Mulkey say for a few more dollars a year, it's worth it:
"As long as you see the results, I'd say so."
You can renew your registration at the current price, as long as it expires in the next six months. You can do that online or at a Secretary of State's office.
