LANSING – In the wake of this morning’s bridge collapse on the Southfield Freeway that resulted after a truck collided with a pedestrian overpass, State Rep. Harvey Santana (D-Detroit) is calling for a swift, bipartisan response.
“This is a real tragedy,” Rep. Santana said. “A man is dead. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the deceased. I urge my colleagues in the Legislature not to trivialize their loss by engaging in finger pointing or political gamesmanship. What the legislature needs to do is come together and work out a fair solution to fix our roads and protect our citizens.”
The accident occurred on the Southfield Freeway between Joy Road and West Chicago in the heart of Rep. Santana’s 9th House District. “Detroit Public Schools’ Cody High School is nearby,” Santana said. “This could have easily been worse if that bridge had been loaded with kids on their way to school.”
Rep. Santana has spoken with the governor’s office this morning as well as the speaker of the house and officials at the Michigan Department of Transportation.
“Thousands of people travel the Southfield freeway every day – from Detroit Lions’ superstars to my own wife and children. They have a right to feel safe,” Santana said. “The governor’s people agreed that, as elected officials, we can’t afford to continue delaying action on road funding. Hopefully, some good will come from this and we will see some solutions come out of Lansing.”
“This is an opportunity to demonstrate leadership,” Santana said. “The political consultants are cutting up the video footage right now. Probably by tonight we will see the commercials with one party blaming the other for allowing our roads to crumble. I am calling on Democrats and Republicans for a truce. Let us agree not to politicize this issue. For the good of all Michiganders, let’s work together to fix our roads.”