What is the Road Commission?
In Michigan, all roads fall under one of three jurisdictions. About
8 percent are state highways (which includes interstates). Cities
and villages control 17 percent of roads. The remaining 75 percent
fall under the jurisdiction of countywide governmental agencies
known as road commissions (with the exception of Wayne County, where
the county's Department of Public Services functions as the road
commission).
 Road
commissions were created by the Michigan Legislature in 1909 to
provide uniformity in road construction and maintenance across the
state.
Road commissions also provide local control of roads and a local
base of road knowledge as well as efficient and economic road services
for townships that, individually, cannot achieve the economies of
scale available to a countywide agency.
County road commissions save money, standardize road work, and
efficiently provide safe and convenient roads.
Road commissions have no taxing authority and get most of their
funds from fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees. Fuel taxes,
as user fees, are considered the most equitable way of paying for
roads.
Road commissions are also separate from county general government,
and are governed by three-member boards. The members of the RCOC
Board of Road Commissioners are appointed by the Oakland County
Board of Commissioners and serve for six-year terms.
RCOC: Unique among road commissions
RCOC has a larger road system than any other county road agency
in Michigan. Only the Michigan Department of Transportation has
a larger road system.
RCOC Maintains:
- 2,700 miles of county roads
- More than 230 miles of state highways in Oakland County
- Approximately 80 bridges
- More than 1,200 traffic signals
- Approximately 120,000 traffic signs
RCOC provides summer and winter maintenance on its roads and is
under contract by the state to maintain state highways in the county.
Because many people do not know road commissions are separate from
county general government, in Oakland County, the name was changed
to the Road Commission for Oakland County to make the distinction
clearer and to emphasize our customer-service focus.
Safety First
As a matter of policy, major road improvements are provided based
on a safety ranking system. At RCOC, "Safety First" is more than
just a motto.
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