How are road funds divided between the state and local road agencies?

State fuel tax and vehicle registration fee revenues are collected in a single "pot" known as the Michigan Transportation Fund. After money is taken off the top for a number of items including the Bridge Fund and Mass Transit, the remaining money is divided between the Michigan Department of Transportation, county road commissions and cities and villages according to a formula established by the state Legislature.


The formula calls for 39.1% of the money to go to MDOT (which has jurisdiction over 8% of Michigan's roads), 39.1% to go to county road commissions (which have jurisdiction over 75% of Michigan's roads) and 21.8% to go to cities and villages (which have jurisdiction over 17% of Michigan's roads).

Roads in Oakland County brochure.

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1. How much money does a penny of gas tax generate in Michigan, and for Oakland County?
2. Are all of our taxes going to fixing the roads?
3. Doesn't all the development taking place in Oakland County mean lots of new money for roads?
4. How are road funds divided between the state and local road agencies?
5. Statistics indicate that we've all been driving more. Doesn't that mean more gas tax revenue?
6. How are federal funds distributed in Oakland County?
7. Is RCOC spending all its money in some other community?
8. What do road improvements cost RCOC?
9. Why don't developers pay more for adding traffic to our area?
10. What about using property taxes for roads?
11. Why not eliminate Oakland's donor status?
12. Why aren't the roads widened before multiple housing projects (or commercial developments or other traffic generators) are allowed?