Whatever you may think of Michigan's roads now...

"The roads are in bad shape now," John Stoppels of Lansing said.

"I think the roads in Michigan are OK," Michael Tice of Clare said.

"I think there are a lot of potholes," Sue Sherman of Maple Rapids said.

Chances are, you may think less of them in about a year.

Tuesday, a House subcommittee voted to slash funding for the 2010-2011 Transportation Budget by 62 percent. Meaning MDOT would have to put the brakes on projects that maintain our state's highways and bridges.

"What's happening is we are not funding our roads properly, we are heading in the wrong direction in terms of pavement performance," Mike Nystrom of the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association said.

On top of fewer state dollars, Nystrom said, federal matching funds would be lost too. Because for every 20 cents the state puts in, the federal government chips in 80 cents.

"We aren't able to match that anymore, we are $84 million short," Nystrom said. "Therefore $475 million of federal money will literally go to states like Indiana, Mississippi, and other states that are happily accepting it."

So if there are fewer federal dollars flowing in to Michigan, local road commissions said there will be a trickle down effect, meaning they would have less money too, to fix local roads.

A simple solution Nystrom said is to raise the state gas tax -- revenue that would literally fill in the holes, but drivers didn't seem too keen on that idea Tuesday.

"I think we pay enough in taxes," Tice said.

"It's a necessary evil, but we already get taxed to death," Stoppels said.

Lawmakers tell News Ten there may be no other options.

"We need increases at the state level in order to secure money at the federal level in order to take care of the locals streets," Nystrom said.

Both the House and Senate must agree before the Transportation budget is set. The next step is for a House committee to vote.

There is another bill circulating in the House that would raise the state gas tax.