We all know Michigan's roads can be rough, and this time of year, potholes are at their worst. Now, a campaign is giving drivers a chance to turn their costly repairs into cold, hard cash.

Watch Ali Hoxie's report below Pothole Payback Contest aims to shine spotlight on Michigan road funding problems

It's the Pothole Payback contest, and it's designed to shine a spotlight on the state's ongoing road funding problems.

I first told you about this program last April, and now, this contest is back for Year 2. It's meant to both help drivers with up to $800 in repair costs and remind lawmakers about ongoing infrastructure issues.

Watch our previous report Pothole Payback Contest: Program will reimburse Michigan drivers for damage from potholes

It was only a few weeks ago in March, on his way into work, that Chris Coon hit a pothole on Eureka Road near I-275. The damage was so bad that his 2017 Ram 1500 caught fire.

"The roads are just trash, they're beating up people's vehicles, and it's insane," Chris told me. "I got about five miles from work, and it ended up catching on fire, and it blew out the tire, so I had to get the wrecker, the fire department, all that good stuff.

His car suffered from pretty hefty damage, and with it, a pretty hefty price tag.

Ive replaced everything on the passenger side, as far as the brake caliper, the brake line, the knuckle, the wheel bearing, the CV shaft, and a new tire. I put two new tires on it," Coon said. "I've probably got $1100 just in parts."

It's drivers like Coon that the contest is looking to help.

That would be great get some of my money back," he said.

The contest is through the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation program, or MITA. For the next three months, up to five winners from Michigan will receive up to $800 each. Why $800? That's the average cost of pothole-related repairs.

I asked Rob Coppersmith, the Executive Vice President for MITA, about why they brought the contest back.

"Well, the potholes are coming back," Coppersmith responded.

He tells me soome funding has come through to fix Michigan roads, to the tune of $1.8 billion. However, it's about half of what MITA was advocating for to bring 80 percent of roads to 'good' or 'fair' conditions.

We needed an additional $3.9 billion annually, to put us on a trajectory to good and fair over the next 20, 30 years. The current trajectory is a little bit slower than that," Coppersmith said.

According to the most recent data from the American Society of Civil Engineers, about 40 percent of roads in Michigan are in 'poor' condition. And it is drivers that pay the price.

We pay unbelievable rates for our licensing, our registration, and then the gas tax. Thats just crazy, and we get nothing for it except busted up vehicles that we have to repair, replace, and fix ourselves," Coon said.

The contest runs from now through June, and you can enter it at this link. Make sure you add pictures of the damage to your car for a chance to win $800.

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