John Lindsay, managing director of St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC), accepts the IMPRESS Award for Operations on behalf of SJCRC.
The County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan honored the St. Joseph County Road Commission (SJCRC) with a statewide IMPRESS Award at CRA’s 2020 Highway Conference. IMPRESS Awards recognize county road agencies that demonstrate innovation with special projects in communications, operations and collaboration.
SJCRC received an IMPRESS Award in Operations for its “Combination Tar Distributor/Plow Truck.” Budget constraints made it not feasible for SJCRC to purchase two tar distributors that were used only three months a year. SJCRC researched building two dual-purpose tar distributor/plow trucks that could then be used year-round. Collaborating with Etynre, Truck and Trailer Specialty Equipment and JX Peterbilt, SJCRC built the two distributor/trucks, meeting two objectives with one piece of equipment.
“Creativity and efficiency are important characteristics of any road agency, and the St. Joseph County Road Commission has proven itself a role model in these areas,” said Denise Donohue, CRA director. “Through collaboration and innovation, the agency has transformed its operations to run smoothly and efficiently.”
An independent panel of communications and operations experts from several of Michigan’s 83 county road agencies judged the projects. Award recipients were honored for projects that solved time restraints, labor costs, communication barriers and fostered collaboration.