Could Ice Cream Save Michigan's Rocky Roads?

A family-owned Shelby Township ice cream business has developed Michigan Pot Hole ice cream, a take on rocky road ice cream. (Photo via Facebook)

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If you’re from Michigan and like rocky road flavored ice cream, but not the state’s rocky roads pocked by jarring potholes, you’ll love Michigan Pot Hole ice cream.

Ashby’s Sterling Ice Cream in Shelby Township plans to donate 1 percent of the sales from the newly created ice cream flavor to the state for road repairs, the Detroit Free Press reports.

The ice cream is described as “thick, black-tar fudge in chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolate asphalt,” or fudge cups. Dianne Tunison, marketing director for the family-owned company, said Michigan Pot Hole ice cream is “kind of tongue in cheek and meant to be fun.”

And just in time, too. Michigan Department of Transportation communications director Jeff Cranson said the spring pothole season will be a doozie on state and county roads.

Cranson thinks it’s a sweet deal for the state.

“If eating ice cream can help fund repairs, why not?” he said

Any money raised by ice cream sales will be deposited into the State Trunkline Fund.

“MDOT has received a few donations in the past, but in very small amounts,” he said. “We simply treat it as miscellaneous revenue.”

May 5 Vote on Proposal 1

Michigan leaders are hoping to build a larger pot of money for road repairs through Michigan Proposal 1, which would increase the state sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent to raise $1.3 billion toward Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges.

The proposal goes before voters May 5.

The proposed constitutional amendment, hatched between Gov. Rick Snyder and legislative leaders in the lame-duck session, is messy because it also makes it legal to use the school aid fund to support community colleges as well as K-12 public education, but makes the fund off limits to universities.

As an alternative raising taxes $1.9 million to create a $1.3 million fund, some lawmakers want to direct more fuel tax fuel tax money to road funds without raising gas prices. Under Proposal 1, gas prices would jump 8 to 9 percent per gallon, based on current pump prices.

The proposed legislation probably won’t come up until after the May 5 election.