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KCRC Receives $3.3 M Funding Increase

KCRC Receives $3.3 M Funding Increase

The supplemental appropriation from the Michigan Legislature, signed today by Governor Rick Snyder, provides a $175 million increase in transportation funding, garnering the Kent County Road Commission (KCRC) $3.3 million in additional revenue. The road commission will use these funds in 2018 to complete approximately 25 miles of additional improvements to its primary and local roads.


“We applaud the governor and Michigan Legislature for championing this much-needed funding infusion to roads,” said KCRC’s Managing Director Steve Warren. “With the increase, the Kent County Road Commission will expand its 2018 construction schedule to include more improvements across our network.”

About ten (10) additional miles of primary road improvements will be added to the 2018 construction schedule. The projects are being selected based on a number of factors including road condition, traffic volume, location and cost.

The primary road projects include (but are not limited to):

    • Wilson Avenue from 92nd Street to 108th Street
    • Fruitridge Avenue from 10 Mile Road to two miles north
    • Belmont Avenue from Post Drive to 10 Mile Road
    • Freeport Avenue from 84th Street and 108th Street



    Local road improvement projects are funded through cost sharing efforts between KCRC and the townships. A portion of the funding increase also will allow KCRC to match $1.4 million of new township investment for approximately 15 miles of additional local road improvements.

    As articulated in KCRC’s Long Range Plan, the road commission is dedicated to restoring 90 percent of primary roads to good or fair condition by 2025, and a sound financial strategy is integral to achieving this objective. As many local governments throughout the state grapple with the burden of unfunded pension and retiree healthcare liabilities, KCRC prepares to become fully funded in 2018. In 1985, KCRC transitioned to a defined contribution plan and modified retiree health insurance incentives in the early 2000s. The foresight to make these changes, coupled with the organization’s ongoing financial strategy, positions KCRC as virtually debt-free.

    “Because of our financial position, we can transfer a higher percentage of any funding increase received directly to improvements on our road and bridge network,” said Warren. “We are working hard to reverse the deteriorating trend in the condition of our network and have implemented a long-range, strategic plan to accomplish this objective.”