North of Toledo, we hit the state line and the roadway noticeably worsened. Tarred over cracks and covered potholes.

Yup. My aunt used to live in a 'burb of Columbus. I would go down 23, loop around Toledo to 75, and onward.

At that time, MDOT had recently been working on 23. Still noisy to drive on. The moment I crossed to Ohio, it was like driving on a billiard table.

The difference, of course, was that Ohio was willing to spend a bit on things that benefited the general population, rather than only the "JCs". Ohio supplemented fuel taxes and registration fees with money from General Revenue. Michigan used to put some General Revenue money into road maintenance. Then Lansing raised fuel taxes and registration fees, so they could withdraw the General Revenue money, to help cover more tax cuts for the "JCs".

For you folks that think Bill and I are exaggerating: the net sifter on per capita road maintenance spending in the Great Lakes region, in 2012:

In 2012, Michigan spent the least on a per capita basis for highways and road maintenance of any state in the U.S. At $126 per resident, its per capita investment was dramatically lower than all other Great Lakes states, where per capita spending doubled or nearly tripled that of Michigan

How Great Lakes States Compared in 2012

Michigan: $126 per person

Indiana: $339 per person

Illinois: $325 per person

Wisconsin: $295 per person

Ohio: $258 per person

Minnesota: $241 per person

In 2018, Whitmer ran for Gov, on the issue of road maintenance. Of course, the legislature wouldn't give her any money, until We The People decreed redistricting be handed over to an independent board, breaking the GOP's 40 year lock on the legislature.

from the net sifter:

In 2024, Michigan’s total state and federal road funding exceeded $6.6 billion (representing over $5.4 billion in state funds alone). On a per capita basis, Michigan spent about $660 per resident, ranking in the middle tier nationally (around 30th to 39th). Compared to other Great Lakes states, Michigan's per capita road funding is higher than Ohio and Indiana, but lags behind Illinois and Wisconsin when adjusted for total lane miles.

Middle of the pack isn't bad, considering the state had been dead last in the country, a dozen years earlier. Are we driving on billiard table smooth roads? No. Because middle of the pack funding, for a few years, can't make up for decades of neglect.

Steve