The Jackson Board of Commissioners have voted to approve the purchase of a new piece of technology.
The Wirtgen 38-hundred Cold Recycler will cost the county $5 million. It grinds up the existing pavement then adds cement and other materials to turn into new pavement that can be laid down.
Jackson county's road department says it would save taxpayers $125-million over the next 50-years.
Road construction crews say that's not worth all the jobs it would cost them.
Jackson county's transportation director says the right thing to do is buying this machine to save tax dollars when fixing roads.
But the Michigan infrastructure trade association -- which represents road crews -- says the taxpayers will be better off letting the private sector do the work.
Bolt says getting this machine will save even more -- around one hundred thousand dollars per mile of road and two and-a-half million a year. But there's also a potential cost -- job losses caused by private road crews not getting enough work.
The county disputes that too -- saying this machine will not only fix the roads but it will actually create jobs.
The road department could start training to use the machine in April and could be putting it to work by June 1.
