By Rick Pluta, Michigan Public Radio Network
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wkar/local-wkar-899934.mp3
LANSING, MI –
Hundreds of construction workers, contractors and local government officials rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday. They called for money for roads, bridges, airports, and public transportation.
AUDIO:
The rotunda of the Capitol was filled with people, many of them wearing construction helmets and yellow or orange safety vests. They say Michigan is falling behind the rest of the country in the quality of roads, airports, and public transit. Gas tax revenue is on the decline, and that's forced the state to cancel more than 250 building projects. Michigan could also lose millions of dollars in federal matching funds.
Dale Ryder is a construction worker from Adrian who says he hasn't worked in 18 months.
"If they release the money for the roads, there's labor to be done out there, plus running the machines," he says. "That may give me the opportunity to go back to work."
The protestors want an overhaul of the transit funding system. That would be a big project for lawmakers to tackle in an election year.