DETROIT, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A leader in the construction industry today called for the implementation by Governor Granholm and the Legislature of two reports which would create thousands of jobs and give the state's economy a badly needed infusion of billions of dollars in new revenue.

S. Evan Weiner, chief operating officer of the Edw. C. Levy Co. which for more than 90 years has been one of the state's top integrated construction materials companies, said that in the torrents of words written about Michigan's crisis-ridden economy, little has been said about a possible transfusion that could help alleviate the state's financial trauma.

He said the possible lifeline comes from of a study produced by a committee appointed by Gov. Granholm --the Transportation Funding Task Force (TF2) -- which in its recommendations pointed out that if the state were to invest $3 billion annually in its transportation infrastructure, that would create 126,000 jobs and yield $15-l8 billion in other economic benefits.

In reaching this conclusion, TF2 pointed out that Michigan is woefully under-funding its transportation infrastructure and if that problem were not solved, deterioration of the infrastructure would increase dramatically. Also, if the state were to do nothing, it would lose $1 billion a year in federal funding because transportation agencies will no longer be able to afford to provide the local match for federal dollars to which Michigan is entitled.

The TF2 report makes several recommendations to increase transportation funding, including: increasing Michigan's gas and diesel taxes, converting the fixed-rate tax to a percentage of the fuel sales price, adjusting registration and other fees, allowing local-option transportation funding, and introducing various reform measures.