Is this the time for more road taxes? You bet it is

Posted by Andrew Heller | The Flint Journal May 20, 2009 12:00PM

If you could change one thing about the state of Michigan right now, with the snap of your fingers, what would it be?
More jobs?
I mean other than that.

Make the Lions less lousy?
C'mon. Be reasonable. You know that'll never happen.

The clouds? We could use fewer clouds.
I meant something we can actually do something about.

The roads?
Ding, ding, ding! Now you're thinking. I think most people - granted one wish - would choose better roads in Michigan over just about anything else.
Why?
Because, as you and I know only too well, they - not to put too fine a point on it - they stink. They stink like my 15-year-old son's sneakers. They stink like his gym bag after he's left a wet towel in it for a week. They stink like ...
Well, you get the idea. They're not good. And by "not good," I mean "goat paths."
I bring this up now because our fearless leaders in Lansing - after more less ignoring the problem for decades -- are finally, sorta, kinda ready to do something about it.
A coalition of heavy hitters in Lansing wants to dump the 19-cents-per-gallon flat gas tax with a stew of other taxes and fees that would ultimately result in an estimated $1.8 billion to fix the roads. Others say it would be simpler to simply raise the existing per gallon tax.
Either way, as usual, the timing is perfect. The nation is in the worst recession since the Great Depression. The state's economy is in shambles. Chrysler is in bankruptcy. General Motors will join them soon.
What better time to raise taxes, right?
Well, yes, at least as far as I'm concerned. The roads must be fixed. It's a problem that isn't going to go away, and it stifles business development and tourism in Michigan.(Would you move your business here if you drove on our roads for more than five minutes? Would you visit more than once? Michigan - the Shock Absorber State.)
Worse than that, the sorry state of our roads -- this'll sound strange, but I swear it's true -- is mentally debilitating to one and all.
We drive these roads day in and day out and, aside from the sheer physical toll on our vehicles and bodies, they reinforce in us the image that Michigan isn't a good place, a prosperous place, a place we want to stay.
You wonder why all our kids grow up and leave? Yeah, jobs, of course. But also there's a slow, subtle build-up in them of negative little messages about the state. The roads stink, the parks look shabby, the cities offer little, nothing seems first -rate. So off they go.
Good roads make a difference. I know it first-hand. My neighborhood was just repaved, transforming it overnight - physically and mentally -- from a place you'd never want to buy a house to what it is, a great family neighborhood.
The cost? Five grand per house, spread over 10 years.
That's steep. But some things you can't afford not to do.
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In Genesee Co., keeping roads fresh is messy job

5/11/2009, 2:17 p.m. EDT
DAVID HARRIS
The Associated Press

(AP) — VIENNA TOWNSHIP, Mich. - It's pothole season and the job of filling them isn't what you would call fun.
The asphalt is messy and has a musty smell. Cars whiz by in excess of 50 miles per hour in the work zone.
It's monotonous. It's dangerous. And it's hard work.

"It's a pretty thankless job," Genesee County Road Commission worker Jeff Rotenheber said recently. "People are ticked when they hit a pothole, and they're ticked at you when they have to go around you when you're working."
Road commission workers are at their busiest this spring, repairing roads throughout the county hit hard by the brutal winter.
"This spring, I've done it for two months straight," said worker Ralph Laugavitz. "That's all we did."
Workers spent one entire day filling potholes on a mile-long stretch of Saginaw Road between Lake and Willard roads in Vienna Township, about 65 miles north-northwest of Detroit.
"Since winter's been over, they've been right in our area," said Ron Green, 65, of Vienna Township. "There's a few places around Clio that's been bad for a while."
James Landon of Mount Morris is used to the potholes.
"It's pretty systemic with springtime," he said. "It's just part of living in this great state of ours."
The process of filling potholes is simple enough.
Two workers walk behind a truck loaded with about 6 tons of asphalt-made up of rock and tar-based glue-and scoop up a shovelful and lay it down.
But it's hard manual labor. One shovelful weighs about 30 pounds. 

"Your shoulders are aching when you are doing it everyday," Rotenheber said. "It keeps your upper body strong."
The workers start at 6 a.m. and usually work in fours as they make their way across the 2,000 miles of road the county maintains.
One drives the truck with the asphalt. Two fill potholes. The fourth follows in a pickup truck to warn motorists they are entering a work zone.
They work on one-mile stretches at a time with the knowledge their efforts will eventually be obliterated.
Patched-up Vienna Road will be repaved later this year, but the road commission still has to maintain it until then.
"You don't want people to bust tires or bend rims," Laugavitz said.
Rotenheber said although the work gets boring sometimes, he still enjoys it. "Everything you do makes a difference."

Hard times fuel debate over road funding

Posted by By GABRIEL GOODWIN | Capital News Service March 27, 2009 11:22AM

LANSING - Michigan's 120,000 miles of roads will continue to worsen if the state cannot find the money to sustain and enhance their infrastructure soon, experts say.

Since the 1960s, Michigan has been among the bottom 10 states in state and local transportation funding, said Kirk Steudle, Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) director.

He cites a major decline in the primary funding sources for transportation: state gas taxes and vehicle registration fees.
Revenue from both is declining, Steudle said, because motorists are purchasing fewer new vehicles and the gas tax has been the same since 1997 - 19 cents per gallon.

But Oakland and Genesee counties road officials, industry groups and a West Michigan business owner disagree on how to best maintain Michigan roads.

The Legislature and Granholm administration are considering a variety of proposals and options to get additional money to maintain and enhance roads.

In 1996, approximately 64 percent of state highways were rated in good condition, Steudle said, and that figure rose to 90 percent in 2007.

But Steudle warned that 2010 could be the last year Michigan will be able to fully match federal funding.

If that happens, by 2014 the number of Michigan aging roads and bridges will drop to around 64 percent because they continue to carry traffic volumes which are higher than in all but eight other states, he said.

Robert Slattery Jr., director of information systems and planning for the Genesee County Road Commission, said Michigan roads handle at least two times the weight limit of other states in the nation.

"The roads will continue to get worse and worse until we get adequate funding in transportation," Slattery said.

In his opinion, lax weight limit restrictions and environmental factors - sudden warming and freezing during the winter - that Michigan roads face are a recipe for disaster because commuters are beating up roadways while government is underfunding their maintenance.

Roads have been underfunded for at least the last 40 years, Slattery said, and Michigan has never ranked higher than 40 out of the 50 states for per-capita expenditures on transportation infrastructure. Currently, Michigan ranks 45.

"We surely have roads that people cannot get around on," Slattery said about road conditions' potential effects on tourism.

He said increasing the gas tax would be the fairest way to fund maintenance in the near future because "people who drive Michigan's roads more should pay more."

As hybrids and electric vehicles become more popular, it may cause the government to think differently about funding roads, Slattery said, but until then a gas tax increase "is a short-term solution for alleviating the situation."

Higher gas taxes could decrease fuel consumption, he said, encouraging conservation of resources and forcing manufacturers to develop more alternative fuels and vehicles.

"Gas prices fluctuate so much that a 10- or 20-cent gas tax increase would be almost forgotten overnight," Slattery said.

Keith Ledbetter, director of legislative affairs for the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, said based on overall performance, Michigan's road system is the eighth-worst in the nation and has the fourth-worst rural interstate and eighth-worst urban interstate conditions.

He said there were 11,499 miles of roads rated in "poor" condition in 2004 and the number increased by about 88 percent - approximately 21,617 miles - in 2007.

If that trend continues, nearly 45 percent of all roads will be in poor conditions by 2018, Ledbetter said.

Federal infrastructure aid is allocated in part on the basis of road quality. He projected Michigan will be short $102 million and will be unable to receive the federal aid beyond 2011 based on cuts in the state transportation budget.

If that happens, Ledbetter said, it would cost the state $576 million a year, totaling about $2 billion in federal aid by 2014.

He said the federal stimulus money - $845 million spread over two years - "would be a small drop in the bucket" compared to the needs.

Michigan's present spending of $3 billion a year, Craig Bryson of the Oakland County Road Commission said, is just enough to maintain current conditions.

And the Transportation Funding Task Force said the state needs to at least double traditional funding to improve infrastructure.

"We must increase investment in transportation soon or we will put past investment at risk, and the infrastructure and transportation service on which we rely will deteriorate," its 2007 report concluded.

Bryson said the state must do something with registration fees and gas taxes for "at least the next decade or so" until it can pursue other options.

He proposed ways to help local governments raise money for roads, including locally controlled sales taxes, vehicle registration fees, gas and diesel taxes, property transfer fee taxes and driver's license fees.

Bryson proposed a "private investment infrastructure funding" program to allow the initial money for enhancement of roads from private investors to be repaid from higher property tax revenue.

"The goal is to give communities choices," Bryson said. "In a sense, they are another tool for the toolbox."
Mark Griffin, president of the Michigan Petroleum Association/Michigan Association of Convenience Stores, said raising gas prices should be the last resort in a declining economy, not the first, and could harm the economy.

As an example, Griffin said someone who typically buys 20 gallons at about $2 a gallon would normally spend $40, but a 30-cent tax hike would cost an extra $6 for the fill-up.

While the difference isn't huge, it could mean less spending elsewhere, Griffin said.

He said most of consumers want the roads fixed but don't want the state making gas more expensive.

Griffin suggested alternatives, such as increasing the number of toll roads to generate more revenue and replacing the motor tax with a higher sales tax.

He said raising the sales tax by 1 percent and eliminating the gas tax would allow for lower fuel prices and generate more revenue because it would cover a wider variety of goods and services.

Craig Hoppen, president of J & H Oil Co. which owns 34 gas stations in West Michigan, including stations in Holland, Hamilton, Caledonia and Grand Rapids, agreed with eliminating the gas tax and increasing the general sales tax.

The company is headquartered in Wyoming, Mich.

Because consumption of gas and diesel fuels has dropped four years in a row, taxing a declining commodity is bad business, he said.

"You can't pick one commodity and expect it to be a lifeline," Hoppen said. "A revenue generator of the future needs to be found."

Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay for It Later

Author: AASHTO
See it at : http://roughroads.transportation.org/

Across the United States, motorists are losing $335 a year because of the wear and tear on their cars from bad roads, but in Michigan that number is even higher than the national average at $370, according a report released Friday by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and TRIP, a transportation research group.  The cost to motorists was even higher in cities like Detroit with a population of 250,000 or more, where people are paying $525 more annually.

The report, "Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay For It Later," found that one-third of the major highways in the United States are in poor or mediocre condition and roads in urban areas, which have more traffic, are in even worse condition.  In Michigan, 37 percent of the state, city and county major roadways are in the same rundown condition, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.  But Michigan fared well in some comparisons. Only 36 percent of metropolitan Detroit’s roadways are in poor condition. In the Los Angeles area, 64 percent of the roads are in poor condition.

"Michigan is in a battle to keep our transportation system in good working order," said Kirk Steudle, director of the Department of Transportation. "Rapidly increasing costs, diminishing revenues, and an inability to match federal funds in 2011 means rough roads will be an ever increasing part of driving in Michigan unless we commit to finding the resources to support the caliber of transportation system that Michigan's economy needs. "Legislation implementing the recommendations from the Transportation Funding Task Force, including taxes on the wholesale price of gasoline, will be introduced soon.

Almost half of Genesee County Roads deemed 'very bad,' but these are the worst

by Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal

Thursday April 30, 2009, 10:40 AM

Editor's Note: The listing of Genesee County's worst-rated roads should have indicated that South Center Road is a border-line road that separates Burton and Flint.

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- In a county where more roads are bad than good, Juan Garcia lives on the worst of the worst.

The little stretch of South Term Street in Burton, from Iron to Lockhead streets, is riddled with asphalt patches and potholes. It has cracking over more than 25 percent of its surface and severe ruts -- some of which sink down more than 2 inches deep.

Although the county Planning Commission issues a report on the general condition of major roads every year, a Flint Journal review of additional county records shows about three dozen sections of road were identified by evaluators last year as "very poor" --the worst of the worst -- just like the street in front of Garcia's house.

"That's true," the 64-year-old said of the rating for his street. "It's in bad shape, (and) it keeps getting worse."

Road sections in the "very poor" category were rated as a 2 on a numerical scale of zero (worst) to 10 (best). The road sections rated as 2 were as bad as it got for the entire 1,052 miles of federal-aid eligible roads in the county.

Almost 500 miles county's of asphalt and concrete roads were rated in the 0-4 area, meaning nearly half of all roads need structural improvements -- something officials say there isn't enough money to do.

Another 364 miles was rated from 5 to 7, requiring joint repairs, seal coat or crack filling, and just 189 miles of road are rated 8 to 10, needing little or no maintenance.

"You're like a hamster on a wheel" trying to keep it all fixed, said Flint Transportation Director John Carpenter. "These (worst-condition streets) are the ones that we give the most attention to."

Some streets rated among the county's worst last year were actually repaired late in the 2008 construction season or could be on the drawing board for repairs this year.

That's the case with Burton's Davison Road -- from Center Road to Farner Drive --which is being repaired with federal stimulus money.

"We have plans to continue to fix all of our roads as they become eligible and funding is available," Burton Mayor Charles Smiley said.

But many other roads with very poor ratings remain an aggravation for those who drive them.

"In general ... our overall system is deteriorating rather than improving," the new report says. "There is an increased need for (maintenance) improvements to help stabilize the (system)."

County Road Commission Manager-Director John Daly said funding remains the biggest obstacle to keeping up with repairs.

Streets under the jurisdiction of the Road Commission are funded based on the rating report, traffic volume and how much time has passed since the last major repair.

Most of the money for repairs of the major roads comes from a federal transportation tax on gasoline that is split between the Michigan Department of Transportation, cities and the Road Commission, which fixes township roads.

Road officials are also balancing the benefit of spending to properly fix problems in the worst roads -- which costs the most -- with maintaining streets that are in better condition but will deteriorate without maintenance.

"They can fall from that middle-category pretty quickly," said Stan Brantley, an associate planner for the county. "There's not enough money to do them all, (and) there's not enough money to do total reconstruction."

The condition of roads all over the county has riled drivers for years, and officials with road agencies have complained that funding has failed to keep pace with needs and the price of materials.

"It seems pretty bad this year -- probably the worst I've seen it," said Kim Harger, 41, who has lived in northern Genesee County for several years. "You can't help but hit potholes."

Federal stimulus funding will help some but can't cover many road repairs, says Flint Journal letter writer

by Flint Journal reader

Wednesday April 22, 2009, 10:49 AM

 

Since the first of the year, I have been making the rounds of township board meetings to introduce myself to the many newly elected officials and to discuss our common concerns relating to roads and bridges in Genesee County.
One question I have encountered in nearly every meeting is also the same one reflected in the comments of letter writer Denise Smith of Flint Township ["Letter writer: West Maple Avenue needs repairs," Your Letters, April 3]. She states that "It would be very, very much appreciated if the Road Commission and the federal government would spend the stimulus money where it is needed much more by considering road repairs to West Maple Avenue."
While I cannot argue that West Maple Avenue, like many local roads, is not in need of maintenance, I would like to make two points. First, it is important to understand that restrictions in the federal stimulus legislation limit stimulus funding to federal-aid-eligible roads only, meaning that the section of Maple Avenue in question, and all county local roads, are not eligible for stimulus funding. Nor are maintenance activities eligible -- on any road. And secondly, the Michigan Transportation Fund, which is the funding source for maintenance activities on county local roads, is increasingly inadequate to the task, decreasing another 4.77 percent this year.

The stimulus funding does not have as its principal goal the execution of an infrastructure repair program. Rather, it is a jobs-creation program. Its main goal is to get people working and do so as quickly as possible. And while there are many components to the legislation, for transportation projects speed meant using the federal aid funding procedures already in place, with their efficiencies and restrictions. One restriction is that only federal-aid-eligible roads qualify for funding. This means only county primary roads and city major streets. The section of Maple Avenue in question is a county local road and therefore not eligible for stimulus funding. Additionally, maintenance activities on any road are ineligible.

The MTF, from which all road agencies in Michigan receive money for road maintenance activities, will be decreased by 4.88 percent from 2008-2009 fiscal year level -- which was itself down nearly 4 percent from 2007. This means that the Road Commission will have $1 million less to spend on road maintenance in 2009 than in 2008 -- and almost $2 million less than in 2007.

MTF revenues are decreasing annually while the roads crumble more every day. The good news is that there does seem to be some recognition of this in Lansing. But until the amount of funding for road maintenance is increased, road agencies will be forced to prioritize routine services to local roads, choosing among the various necessary activities based upon ensuring the safety of the public.

The bottom line is that the stimulus money, while definitely a shot in the arm, amounts to only about one year's federal aid allocation and will not have a significant impact on the primary roads in Genesee County. And it will unfortunately have no impact on the maintenance of the local roads, including West Maple Avenue, that are not eligible for funding. In fact, until funding for road maintenance is increased to the point that road agencies have adequate resources to perform needed maintenance, we can and should expect to see continual deterioration of roads in Michigan.

John Daly
manager-director
Genesee County Road Commission

Weight restrictions for the Morrish Road Bridge

GENESEE COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION
211 WEST OAKLEY STREET, FLINT MI  48503-3995
FAX NUMBER:    (810) 767-5373  (Administration)
FAX NUMBER:   (810) 767-6570 (Engineering)
 
PHONE NUMBER:    (810) 767-4920FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION COVER LETTERNUMBER OF PAGES:    0   (Not including this page.)
TO:                             NEWS MEDIA  
FROM:                       Fred Peivandi, P.E., County Highway Engineer
DATE:                        March 17, 2009
COMMENTS:           Notice of Revised Bridge Posting

BULLETIN Effective immediately, the posting of weight restrictions for the Morrish Road Bridge over the Armstrong Creek between Frances Road and Dodge Road in the Township of Montrose will be lowered to: 14-15-17 tons for a single unit truck, 2 unit truck and 3 unit truck respectively.The posting of this bridge for weight restrictions is required for the safety of the traveling public.
If you have any questions, please call (810) 767-4920 ext. 234.Thank you.

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Cook Road Culvert

GENESEE COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION
211 WEST OAKLEY STREET, FLINT MI  48503-3995FAX NUMBER:    (810) 767-5373  (Administration)
FAX NUMBER:   (810) 767-6570 (Engineering)
 
PHONE NUMBER:    (810) 767-4920FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION COVER LETTERNUMBER OF PAGES:    0   (Not including this page.)
TO:                             NEWS MEDIA  
FROM:                       Fred Peivandi, P.E., County Highway Engineer
DATE:                        March 17, 2009
COMMENTS:           Notice of Culvert Closure 

If you have any questions, please call (810) 767-4920 ext. 234. Thank you.
           

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Weight Restrictions are still in effect

Frost Law Weight Restrictions

DATE: March 17, 2009
SUBJECT: Seasonal Weight Restrictions
Effective 6 AM Friday, February 13, 2009, the Genesee County Road Commission will place seasonal weight and speed restrictions on all county roads within Genesee County. These restrictions will remain in effect indefinitely.
WEIGHT RESTRICTIONS ARE STILL IN EFFECT
The Genesee County Road Commission conducted frost checks on March 17, 2009. Frost was found under the road where checked. Total depth of frost was between 17 to 50 inches and solid in all locations.

When spring weight restrictions are in effect on frost-restricted routes, axle loadings are reduced by 25 percent on rigid-based roads and 35 percent on flexible-based roads. Most restricted county roads reduce axle loading by 35 percent. Speed limits on frost restricted routes are reduced to 35 mph for every vehicle over 10,000 lbs. gross weight.
No truck, tractor or tractor with trailer, or any combination of such vehicles with a gross weight, loaded or unloaded, in excess of 5,000 pounds shall exceed a speed of 50 miles per hour on highways or streets or 55 miles per hour on freeways. Speed shall be reduced to 35 miles per hour where reduced loadings are being enforced during the period of seasonal weight restrictions.

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$45 million in stimulus money to fund area road work

by Ron Fonger | The Flint Journal
Friday March 06, 2009, 8:31 PM

GENESEE COUNTY, Michigan -- Just in time for summer driving, more than $45 million in federal stimulus money is on its way to the county for transportation, including $26.4-million for rebuilding more than six miles of I-475.
In addition to asphalt and mass transit, the new money also is paying for a new traffic tool that will tell I-75 drivers what lies ahead.
Traffic planners hope the addition of what they call an "intelligent transportation system" will persuade more drivers to shift onto I-475 from I-75 during peak congestion.
"It's information the driver can use to make an informed decision. Especially on Fridays and Sundays, I-75 gets clogged up," said Mike Hemmingsen, Davison Transportation Service Center manager for the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Using information collected by radar beams, roadside signs will tell drivers about how much time it will take them to travel from the junction of I-75 and I-475 in Grand Blanc Township to I-475 and I-75 in Mt. Morris Township.
I-75 drivers will see the new message signs later this year with work starting in the spring.
"They can be helpful as long as the information is accurate," said Neil A. Webster, 37, of Burton. "The signs that can indicate accidents (ahead) are also very helpful. I have been able to save me time a couple of times" by avoiding those areas.
Webster commutes to work in the Detroit area, spending plenty of time on area roads.
Shovel-work on I-475, easily the best-funded stimulus transportation project, probably won't start until 2010, Hemmingsen said.
MDOT plans to shut down all traffic as pavement is replaced, switching from northbound to southbound once that job starts in earnest.
Concrete in the 6.6-mile stretch hasn't been replaced since that portion of I-475 was built in the early 1970s.
"We design our pavement to last 25 years and we got 36 out of this (stretch)," Hemmingsen said.
Five bridges in the area also are targeted for repairs as part of the same job.
The county transportation money from the federal stimulus funding includes $8.5 million for the Mass Transportation Authority and three new MDOT projects that otherwise would not have been funded, Hemmingsen said.
Eight other projects, including creation of a new, more direct route to Kettering University from I-69, also received final approval from the county Metropolitan Alliance this week.
The county said in a news release that the $45.9 million in construction spending will create more than 1,900 jobs.

• Flint Journal extras Federal money pours in for road work
  Here are the transportation projects worth at least $1 million that have been funded with federal stimulus funds:
  • $26.4 million for road reconstruction and rehabilitation of five bridges on I-475 between I-75 on the south and I-69
  .• $8.5 million for communication equipment and preventative maintenance for the Mass Transportation Authority.
  • $3 million for repairs and resurfacing of Morrish Road in Swartz Creek.
  • $2.3 million for a new gateway between I-69 and Kettering University.
  • $2 million for new electronic signs and an intelligent transportation system on I-75, I-69 and I-475.
  • $1.5 million for pavement repair on Pasadena Avenue from I-75 to the Flint city limits.
  • $1.3 million for concrete repair on Clio Road from Pierson to Carpenter roads.
  • $1.2 million for milling and resurfacing on Silver Parkway from Owen to Silver Lake roads in Fenton.

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Miller Road communications errort wins PR Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 6, 2009
Contact: Manager-Director John Daly
(810) 767-4920
GCRC Web site: www.gcrc.org

Miller Road communications effort wins PR Award

Flint, Michigan. ---

The Genesee County Road Commission has received another prestigious award related to the reconstruction of Miller Road in Flint Township last summer. Last month the project received the Award of Excellence from the Asphalt Paving Association of Michigan for the quality of the reconstructed roadway. This time, kudos come in the form of a “CRAMmy Award” for Best Public Relations from the County Road Association of Michigan (CRAM), given at the CRAM Annual Highway Conference in Lansing on Thursday March 5th.  
“The ‘CRAMmy Awards’ highlight exemplary public relations activities carried out by road commissions throughout the state. They acknowledge and encourage excellence and creativity among our member agencies,” Association Director, John Niemela said.  “The efforts of the Genesee County Road Commission kept commerce moving on this busy road despite a major reconstruction.  The consistent effort to educate motorists and business owners has been recognized as a best practice for other road commissions to reference during future construction projects.” 
The challenge in the Miller Road project was how to accommodate over 2 million shopper-motorists while calming the fears and gaining the trust of over 300 retailers that generate over $2 billion revenue in one of the most depressed economies in the nation, during the $10 million reconstruction of Genesee County’s key commercial corridor, which was in immediate need of repair. Motorists feared the nightmare of negotiating the County’s busiest shopping corridor during five months of reconstruction. Many business owners expressed concern that the project would put them out of business.

To address these fears, the Road Commission undertook a multifaceted communications and outreach program, spearheaded by Robert Slattery, the Road Commission’s director of Information Systems and Planning, and public relations consultant Michael Dach, long before the first shovel was turned. This included a series of public input/information meetings held during the design phase; distribution of 10,000+ brochures; an emailed “Weekly Reconstruction Update”; press interviews; electronic message signs, partnerships with business groups, and actively seeking input through individual merchant visits.
A dedicated web page was constructed to outlet up to the minute information, including latest news, timetables, phasing plans, presentations, FAQ, background information, links to merchants in the corridor, maps, the brochure and an automatic email notification service.
According to Manager-Director John Daly, the intended message was ‘we know this is going to be difficult for you as merchants and motorists, but it is necessary, it will be better for all when finished, we are all in this together, we are asking for your input and we will do everything possible to minimize the impact on you’. The intent was to change the perception from ‘this is going to close my business, this will be a terrible hassle, the Road Commission really doesn’t care’, to ‘it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared, they do care, and the end result is worth the effort.’ We think we achieved this.”
Fear gradually gave way to trust and a realization that the Road Commission is sensitive to motorists’ and merchants’ needs and is doing everything it can to minimize the impact on them. Merchants and motorists became actively engaged and provided helpful suggestions and supportive comments through personal contacts and via email to the dedicated website.
“We believe that this effort has increased the trust in the Road Commission’s sensitivity to the concerns of its customers and in its ability to mitigate the impact of major projects. We will use similar public relations campaigns on all future major projects, seasonal programs (i.e. chip-sealing or winter maintenance) and in general to let people know that we are out there working for them, that we hear them and we do ‘get it’, and that we want to partner with motorists and residents to improve our roads.”
While GCRC monitors its roads closely, it welcomes calls from the public regarding dangerous conditions such as large potholes or severe gravel road problems. Motorists can report road issues to GCRC by calling (810) 767-4920, sending an email to rslattery@gcrc.org or clicking on the “Pothole Report” icon on its website, www.gcrc.org.
For more information about CRAM and these awards contact Monica Ware, Public Relations Specialist at the County Road Association of Michigan at 517.482.1189 Ext 17, or mware@localroads.net.

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Frost Law Weight Restrictions

DATE: February 12, 2009
SUBJECT: Seasonal Weight Restrictions
Effective 6 AM Friday, February 13, 2009, the Genesee County Road Commission will place seasonal weight and speed restrictions on all county roads within Genesee County. These restrictions will remain in effect indefinitely.
When spring weight restrictions are in effect on frost-restricted routes, axle loadings are reduced by 25 percent on rigid-based roads and 35 percent on flexible-based roads. Most restricted county roads reduce axle loading by 35 percent. Speed limits on frost restricted routes are reduced to 35 mph for every vehicle over 10,000 lbs. gross weight.

No truck, tractor or tractor with trailer, or any combination of such vehicles with a gross weight, loaded or unloaded, in excess of 5,000 pounds shall exceed a speed of 50 miles per hour on highways or streets or 55 miles per hour on freeways. Speed shall be reduced to 35 miles per hour where reduced loadings are being enforced during the period of seasonal weight restrictions.

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