While a lot of folks look forward to one form of March Madness, there’s a whole lot more who despise the madness of March when fluctuating daily temperatures virtually guarantee a growing crop of increasingly dangerous potholes in Michigan roadways.
Fortunately, organizers at Fix MI State are hosting a “Pothole Madness” Bracket Challenge side-by-side with the national March Madness competition in the collegiate basketball realm.
The best part is whoever wins the Pothole Madness Bracket Challenge will win a gift card worth $1,000 towards new tires for their vehicle.
While pothole frustrations run rampant year-round for those of us who live and drive in Michigan, no season is more frustrating than when the winter thaw widens the gaps of those potholes with seemingly full force. To kick off the season on an up note, Fix MI State is hosting their Pothole Madness bracket challenge to identify the worst of the bunch.
Beginning next Monday, March 9th, Michigan residents across the state are encouraged to submit photos of their worst potholes for a chance to be entered into the statewide Pothole Madness bracket challenge. The challenge will run through early April and the winner will receive a $1,000 gift card to a tire repair shop to spend on their broken, flat and damaged tires and suspension systems.
Mike Nystrom, Executive Vice President of the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association, says, “Even as a short-term solution for our state trunk lines has been identified, Michigan continues to fail in identifying a long-term solution to fix our crumbling roads – particularly local driveway to highway streets and roads,” and adds, “Our elected officials may be satisfied with the current road repair policies, but Michiganders are not. The least we can do is showcase our roads and help a family make needed car repairs.”
From March 9th-16th, Michigan residents are encouraged to submit their pothole photos to the Fix MI State Facebook and Twitter channels st the links below. The campaign will then select the worst potholes for entrance into the Pothole Madness bracket. The public will be invited to participate in voting ”winners” through the bracket, with a final winner announced in early April.
Here’s the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/FixMIState/
Here’s the Twitter link: https://twitter.com/fixmistate
Nystrom says, “We know the road industry is doing all they can to keep on top of our infrastructure with the current available resources. The Pothole Madness challenge will remind our lawmakers of the depth of our road maintenance problems and the very real costs drivers face whenever they receive a new bill for mounting car repair costs caused by the failure of the state to invest in our infrastructure.”
Industry experts, business and community leaders, and politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that the state needs to invest at least $2.5 billion annually in infrastructure for the next two decades to actually solve Michigan’s infrastructure problem. More information about the state’s infrastructure needs can be found at FixMiState.org, a campaign led by the Michigan Infrastructure & Transportation Association.
