Michigan’s Roads Are Getting Better Unless You Live Here

We all love to grumble about Michigan roads. But in recent years, there’s actually been some serious progress. Governor Gretchen Whitmer made “fixing the damn roads” her rallying cry, and across much of the state, we’re seeing smoother commutes and a fewer coffee-spilling potholes. (Thank god.)

But if you live in Hillsdale County, you might be wondering where that progress is hiding.

According to the latest report from Michigan’s Transportation Asset Management Council, 75% of the roads assessed in Hillsdale County were rated as “poor” in 2024, making them the worst in the entire state.

That’s not a few rough patches here and there. That’s three out of four stretches of road that are in rough shape. (Gogebic County, up in the UP wasn’t far behind with 71% of their roads being rated poor.)

How does Michigan judge it’s road conditions?

The state of Michigan uses a system called PASER (Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating).They use it to grade roads and determine whether a road just needs a little TLC or some serious full-on construction.

But there is a small flaw in this system since Federal-aid roads have to be checked every two years, but local roads don't.

And while these ratings are reported by county, the responsibility for maintaining them is shared across multiple agencies, from local road commissions to MDOT, so pointing fingers gets tricky.

Up Next: Folklore and strange things you may not know about the UP ⬇️

It will take time, but this is the first step to getting it fixed. And in the meantime, if you’re driving through Hillsdale County, maybe give yourself a little extra time and hang on extra tight to that coffee cup.