After Flint, lawmakers study $165M for other infrastructure

(AP) — Lawmakers confronting the cost of Flint's water crisis and the Detroit school district's enormous debt are also being asked for an initial $165 million deposit to upgrade aging underground infrastructure across Michigan.

Water mains, sewer lines, wastewater treatment plants, the electricity grid, oil and natural pipelines, and telecommunications infrastructure will require improvements, too.

At Gov. Rick Snyder's request, the Legislature is starting to consider the state's obligation to help modernize such "hidden" infrastructure a half-year after enacting a plan to address what is more visible to residents: deteriorating roads.

In the wake of the lead contamination in Flint, the Republican governor wants to create a Michigan Infrastructure Fund — which would be seeded with a proposed $165 million.

The budget proposal is among the most significant issues to be resolved in coming weeks, when lawmakers plan to finalize a $55 billion spending plan for the next budget year and more aid for the Flint emergency.

The Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, a construction trade group whose members include sewer and water contractors, estimates that Michigan is underspending on drinking water infrastructure by $284 million to $563 million annually.