County road agencies work together
fabricating new equipment

LANSING, MI –Embracing the spirit of innovation and efficiency, Midland County Road Commission (MCRC), along with Ottawa County Road Commission (OCRC) and Saginaw County Road Commission (SCRC) think out of the box when it comes to new equipment.
 
All three road commissions have successfully devised new, useful tools that can save time, money and effort in caring for their county roads. New pieces of heavy equipment created by the three include the Brine Transfer Arm, The Undertaker and All-in-one-Reclaimer.
 
In looking for an easier way to transfer brine to and from their trucks, MCRC thought up the design for the Brine Transfer Arm. The arm includes pumps and hoses allowing for simultaneous transfer of brine to trucks and tanks. Not only does simultaneous transfer save time, but also reduces any mess or mishap that may have occurred transferring brine in previous ways.
 
In addition to Midland County Road Commission, OCRC has been hard at work with their new machine for cleaning under the guardrails. The Undertaker is Ottawa County’s new best friend when it comes to cleaning up debris and de-berming the area below the guardrails where plant material and sediment build up. The Undertaker easily picks up this debris, saving numerous hours and employees needed to do this job.
 
In Saginaw County, another ingenious road invention has been put into use. The All-in-one-Reclaimer is a multi-faceted attachment capable of grading and brooming the shoulder of the road in just one pass. This brilliant device saves many hours of work and allows for this daunting task to be completed with fewer workers on deck.
 
“The ingenuity of all three of these counties has demonstrated how creativity and hard work come together to provide efficient ways to maintain our roads,” said Denise Donohue, executive director of CRA. “With the help of the new equipment, maintaining a safe road system will be easier than ever.”
 
For more information on these new tools, visit micountyroads.org/newsroom/crossroads/ and check out the summer edition of our magazine!

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 63 counties. Michigan has the nation’s fourth-largest local road system.

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