KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — The Road Commission of Kalamazoo County has released their annual report to the public, which contains data of almost 200 different projects and partnerships through 2018.
According to an official press release, “These efforts are on-going and continuously developed to meet the needs of our changing reality, while improving our infrastructure.”
Citizens have the opportunity to see how money is spent on these projects, as well as where the money comes from.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for citizens to look at the great work and the great projects that we’ve done across the county, along with our 15 township partners throughout the county,” RCKC Managing Director Joanna Johnson said of the report. “I think the big takeaway is the number of projects that we did in 2018, just in terms of miles of road that we paved, chip sealed, and even our gravel roads that we’ve re-graveled. We know there’s a lot more to do, but this really focuses on the large amount of projects and improvements that have been made throughout the county and our pavement conditions.”
Looking ahead, the RCKC is planning several five-year operations.
“Focusing forward, this is our 110 years of public service in our road infrastructure,” Johnson said. “As you look to this year and on, on our project page of our website, we have five-year plans. We have to prioritize all of the work that we have.”
Road projects are not the only areas covered by the RCKC.
“We’re talking about projects, but we also have maintenance type activities – some mowing, the guardrail work, the signs, all of that is part of our infrastructure system,” Johnson said. “You can look on our website, you can see all of the projects that we have planned for five years from now. We’ll be looking at it again at the end of 2019 and rolling it into the next five years. We’re always looking at minimum five years ahead.”
Another interesting aspect of the report is a section entitled “How much do I contribute to the Funding of Michigan Roads?,” which is a calculator form that citizens can fill out to determine how much money they contribute to road maintenance.
“I think we all know that our gas tax dollars, as well as our vehicle registration fees, are primarily what goes into the Michigan Transportation Fund (MTF) as a source of revenue for our infrastructure,” Johnson said. “Typically, those are going to the higher volume roads. Here in Kalamazoo, those dollars are also shared because we are limited to what we can spend on construction-related purposes on our roadways that are not our primary road system if we don’t have a source to help match that.”
In Kalamazoo County, many townships help contribute to the roads.
“I’m very proud to say that here in Kalamazoo county, our townships, as well as our citizens and residents in various townships help contribute to the support of our local road system for construction projects,” Johnson added. “Examples of that are Wakeshma Township. This past year, the citizens out there approved a millage for roads. We are limited, but with the help of our townships and citizens, there’s also other means to help support the local road network.
Speaking on the report as a whole, Johnson hopes that the citizens of Kalamazoo County can see how much work the organization puts in year-round.
“We have a team of dedicated public service employees working really hard to improve our infrastructure,” Johnson said. “The good news is that what we do is well out there. You can see it. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don’t, but we have a lot of work that we do, and I hope that this annual report helps to showcase the depth and the volume of what we do and that we work hard to make improvements.”
Citizens wishing to get involved with the RCKC may be interested to know that the organization is currently hiring.
“This is a very rewarding career in every aspect,” Johnson said. “It’s been increasingly difficult for us to recruit, especially for our road maintenance operations with commercial drivers licenses. That is a very competitive market right now, but if you’re willing to do things other than driving a truck, we have a great variety of work here that we do. We are the first road commission in the State in 2018 to start an apprenticeship program.”
The full report, along with the contribution calculator form, can be viewed online at https://www.kalamazoocountyroads.com/publications.php.
