RCKC honored with four statewide IMPRESS Awards

LANSING, MI – The Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (RCKC) was honored with three statewide IMPRESS Awards and a People’s Choice Award at the 2024 County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan Highway Conference held in late March in Lansing. IMPRESS Awards recognize county road agencies that demonstrate innovation on noteworthy projects in the categories of Communications, Operations and Collaboration. 

This year, RCKC received an IMPRESS Award in Collaboration for “Lake Street project collaboration;” an award in Communications for “Township Lunch and Learns;” and an award in Operations for “Chip sealing light.”

“Road Commission of Kalamazoo County’s outstanding three awards prove they have a deep commitment to safe operations, cost effectiveness and external communication,” said Denise Donohue, CRA CEO. “The road commission continues to serve its community by ensuring best practices on the roads.”

Collaboration
In 2023, RCKC managed a project on Lake Street with the City of Kalamazoo and Kalamazoo Township, consisting of water main replacement, sanitary sewer and sidewalk installation, road reconstruction and drainage improvements. This collaborative approach reduced time, cost, user delays and wear-and-tear on the road.

Communications
RCKC introduced “Lunch and Learns” in 2023 as a new opportunity to meet, collaborate and chat with its township partners. Communication between townships and road commissions is crucial for effective and efficient infrastructure management. RCKC founded a new communication avenue to talk things through. 

Operations
Two years ago, RCKC introduced a modified signal light into its chip seal operations. This light replaced the use of hand signals and has been effective in increasing safety, accuracy and efficiency out on the road projects. This entry was also awarded the People’s Choice Award.

An independent panel of communications and operations experts from several of Michigan’s 83 county road agencies judged all IMPRESS Awards submissions. Award recipients were honored for projects that solved time constraints, labor costs, communication barriers and fostered collaboration.

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% of all roads in the state, including 90,500 miles of roads and 5,900 bridges. County road agencies also maintain the state’s highway system in 63 counties. Michigan has the nation’s fourth-largest local road system.