FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Christina Strong
Phone: 517.482.1189
Email: cstrong@micountyroads.org
Grand Traverse County Road Commission honored with two IMPRESS Awards at statewide Highway Conference
Lansing, MI – Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) was honored with two IMPRESS Awards at the 2017 Annual Highway Conference hosted by the County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan in March. IMPRESS Awards look at the new and innovative ways county road agencies have developed to take care of local roads and bridges in Michigan.
“Our county road agencies set a high bar in overcoming obstacles and improving the local transportation system,” said Denise Donohue, director of the County Road Association of Michigan. “Grand Traverse County Road Commission has come up with innovative and collaborative strategies and tactics for community outreach and road improvement across the board.”
GTCRC created a “Virtual Road Tour” for communication purposes that utilized a videographer and drone technology. This innovation provided a virtual annual report on road projects at a higher quality, eliminating the use of uncomfortable buses and hours of labor setting up a physical tour of job sites.
Borrowing a treatment normally used to preserve truck beds called “Rhino Lining”, Grand Traverse County Road Commission found a long-term solution to preserve the metal columns in its wash bays. This saved money and will put off the day when renovation is needed.
An independent panel of communications and operations experts from several of Michigan’s 83 county road agencies judged submitted projects. Award recipients were honored for their projects that solved time restraints, labor costs, and communication barriers.
The 83 members of the County Road Association of Michigan represent the unified voice for a safe and efficient county transportation infrastructure system in Michigan, including appropriate stewardship of the public’s right-of-way in rural and urban Michigan. Collectively, Michigan’s county road agencies manage 75 percent of all roads in the state, including 90,000 miles of roads and 5,700 bridges. County road agencies also maintain the state’s highway system in 64 counties. Michigan has the nation’s fourth-largest local road system.
