LANSING, Mich., Oct. 19, 2023 — The Michigan House of Representatives voted out House Bill 4897 today with unanimous bipartisan support. This bill would allow equipment sharing between the Michigan Department of Transportation and county and local road commissions.
“Have you seen the equipment used to inspect bridge infrastructure?” said state Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), chair of the Transportation, Mobility and Infrastructure Committee. “These helpful tools are called Snooper Trucks. The vehicles have long arms flexible enough to hang off the side of a bridge, navigating the inspecting crew below the undercarriage of the overpass. This equipment can cost a lot of money. It is tools like this that will be more accessible and affordable from this legislation, saving MDOT and local road commissions important funds.”
House Bill 4897 garnered support from Michigan’s Department of Transportation, Michigan Association of Counties, Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, Oakland County Road Commission and the County Road Association.
“This bill will improve the efficiency of road agency operations by reducing costs, while also eliminating burdensome obstacles placed on accessing special road equipment,” Shannon continued. “MDOT and our local commissions are so important to Michiganders’ mobility — it is only right that we implement policies that save money, make their jobs easier and may even save them time.”