MDOT and local officials celebrate transportation investments

The Presque Isle County Development Commission and Board of Commissioners teamed up with the Michigan Department of Transportation to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Rogers City last Friday, celebrating the completion of four multi-modal transportation projects in the area. The projects totaling more than $7 million include: Major improvements to the Presque Isle County Airport at Rogers City; Resurfacing eight miles of US-23 from M-65 to Forest Avenue and replacement of the bridge deck over the Trout River; Three-mile extension of the Huron Sunrise (non-motorized) Trail from Rogers City to Hoeft State Park; and Replacement of the transit bus for public transportation services.

State Transportation Director Gloria J. Jeff was in Rogers City for the event and received a pumpkin with ?Thanks MDOT? carved in it. “These projects demonstrate what effective partnerships and multi-modal transportation improvements can do to enhance a community’s economic vitality and quality of life. ?This is an exciting day,? Jeff said, ?a day we can say we made a difference.?

MDOT OFFICIALS, along with county and Rogers City dignitaries, started the morning with warm conditions, but threatening skies, at the newly-rehabilitated Presque Isle County Airport to cut the ribbon on the runway. The ribbon was yellow ?caution? construction tape. County Development Commission director Mary Ann Heidemann said area residents had grown accustomed to the construction barriers over the course of more than six months of works, so she thought it would be appropriate. Jeff, along with airport manager Mike Jermeay, Rogers City mayor Beach Hall, representatives of the engineering firm URS Corporation and Bacco Construction of Iron Mountain, MDOT project manager Betsy Steudle, as well as other county officials, stretched the tape across the runway apron.

Hall, at the catered lunch at the Rogers City Senior Center, later talked about the ?immense value? of the revamped airport with the extended runway which can now accommodate larger aircraft. ?I think it?ll have a far greater impact than people realize,? Hall said.

Steudle said future improvements to the airport include more fencing, a larger parking lot, an automated weather system, and a terminal.

THE NEXT RIBBON cutting was for the Council on Aging bus. Among those to participate was PICCA director Barb Nagi. The group boarded the PICCA bus and a Rogers City Area Schools bus and traveled north on US-23 to cut a ribbon over the Trout River bridge. It?s where the US-23 project started in late March. Rogers City Police blocked the road for a few minutes so officials could pose for photos and dedicate the bridge and road.

The final leg of the ribbon-cutting tour ended on the Huron Sunrise Trail off Forest Avenue. Two ribbons were simultaneously cut. One was for the trail extension to Hoeft State Park. The other was for the safety trail in Presque Isle Township. Jeff, along with Scott Thayer of MDOT?s Alpena Transportation Service Center, cut the yellow tape while sitting in a covered, four-wheel bike. Rogers City Council member Deb Greene, an avid user of the trails in Rogers City, has seen firsthand how many people use the trail.

GREENE WAS pl

eased to report that when she noticed a problem with the trail along the beach area north of town, she put in a call to MDOT and they ?ran right out there? to fix it. ?City residents will catch on,? she said of the new trail. There are plans to extend the trail further to the north and southward to Harbor View near Michigan Limestone Operations. The celebration shifted to the senior center for celebration remarks. All five county commissioners were asked to make comments. ?It does my heart good seeing everyone pulling together,? county chair Allan Bruder said of the board. ?It?ll all help the county in the future.?

Gary Wozniak, District 4 commissioner, commended the taxpayers and encouraged county residents to ?see what they got for their money.? “On behalf of the community, I’d like to thank MDOT for investing in our county,” said Heidemann. “Transportation and economic development go hand in hand. These improvements solidify our county’s future growth potential.”