An advocacy group for Michigan road workers claims Livingston County ranks 14th-highest among Michigan's 83 counties in local bridges in need of redesign or repair.
The bridge report was compiled by the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, which represents highway construction companies and suppliers.
According to the report, there are 92 local bridges in Livingston County, 40 of which it rated in "poor" condition. It states there are 62 bridges that are the responsibility of the Michigan Department of Transportation in the county; of those, it rated 14 in "poor" condition.
The report takes the combined 154 bridges with a total of 54 rated "poor" to calculate 35 percent of county bridges are in bad shape.
Bridges rated as "poor" are either "functionally obsolete," or have outdated design; or "structurally deficient," which means one or more parts of the bridge needs repair.
Last month, MDOT issued its latest evaluation of state and county bridges.
The reports have the same information, but the association's report compares bridges on a county-by-county basis, said Mike Nystrom, the association's executive vice president.
Funding solutions for Michigan's roads and bridges have been on the table for at least two years, but political will to act on them remains elusive, Nystrom said.
"There's never a good time to increase fees and taxes, but there will be a point when return on investment has to outweigh the lack of political will," he said.
The bridge report followed an earlier association study that stated 26 percent of state and local roads have deteriorated to "poor" condition.
The association supports recommendations of the state's Transportation Funding Task Force, which two years ago urged increasing the state gas tax, diesel tax and vehicle-registration fees to fund more road improvements.
Motorists pay an 18.4 cents per gallon in federal gas tax on top of the 19 cent-per-gallon gas tax and 15 cent-per-gallon diesel-fuel tax. The state's 6 percent sales tax is charged on the federal portion of the total.
Nystrom said his association hopes for action on existing legislation before the year's out.
"We are certainly pushing for a lame-duck solution, but we did this because the latest bridge numbers came out and we are constantly putting information out that highlights need," Nystrom said.
The Legislature hasn't been silent, however.
A recent proposal by state Rep. Richard Ball, R-Bennington Township, would increase the state's gas tax by 4 cents this year, and by another 4 cents in 2013, to 27 cents per gallon.
House Bill 5768 would increase the diesel tax by 6 cents this year, and by another 6 cents in 2013, also to 27 cents per gallon.
State officials make clear there is little money to do major highway projects. Livingston County road officials maintain the county is a "donor county," which means its residents contribute more in transportation taxes than the amount of those taxes spent within the county.
The county Road Commission this year adopted the approach of keeping roads rated "good" in good condition, rather than to take on new, large-scale projects this construction season.