State Rep. Jamie Thompson will host a roundtable on the future of state infrastructure on Friday, Oct. 6, allowing people to engage in an ongoing discussion of how to tackle Michigan’s crumbling roads and how certain proposals would impact them and their families.

The event will take place from 10 a.m.-Noon at Woodhaven Community Center, located at 23101 Hall Road in Woodhaven. Joining Thompson as special guests will be state Reps. Joseph Aragona, of Clinton Township, and Matthew Bierlein, of Vassar. Residents and local officials are welcome to attend.

“The Michigan Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the state’s infrastructure a C- grade this summer. That’s completely unacceptable and shows that our current plans for fixing our roads isn’t having an impact,” said Thompson, of Brownstown. “Good infrastructure is key for keeping people in our state and making it attractive for people and job providers looking to locate here. It’s important for our economy, our communities and people who live, work and raise their families here.”

Since beginning her first term representing Michigan’s 28^th House District in January, Thompson has pushed for plans that will help fix roads from driveway to highway that people use every day. When reviewing a budget for the upcoming fiscal year that spends nearly $82 billion but includes no additional funding for local roads, Thompson supported an amendment to the budget that would have invested $1 billion to fix local infrastructure. The amendment was not incorporated into the signed budget.

“I talk with a lot of people who are taking their kids to school, making a short drive to go see a family member or running errands, and they still see those roads they use in rough shape and not getting fixed,” Thompson said. “It’s great seeing a few large, state-owned highways get repairs, but local roads are a priority for an overwhelming number of people, and they’re not getting addressed while tax dollars go other places.

“I’m committed to finding ways to put more emphasis on our local roads while remaining mindful of what hard-working taxpayers can afford. These discussions will further highlight this issue and how we need to go about it, and I invite anyone who is interested to attend.”

The roundtable will be one of several upcoming local public events hosted by Thompson discussing key issues in Michigan. People seeking more information about the Oct. 6 event can contact Thompson’s office by calling (517) 373-1772 or emailing JamieThompson@house.mi.gov.