FAQs • Road Commission for Oakland County • CivicEngage

Why not just require road agencies to be more efficient? How about privatizing some of the services they provide?: Michigan's road agencies in general, and county road commissions in particular, are already some of the most privatized public operations. Consider the Road Commission for Oakland County:
- Since 2007, RCOC has reduced its staff by about 35 percent due to the road-funding crisis.
- Today, RCOC has fewer employees than at any time since at least 1962, when the county had half the population it has today and one fifth the traffic.
However, we are doing more work than ever today -- we are doing it through contracted services.
We have contracted out not only the major construction work, such as paving, widening, and resurfacing, but many maintenance activities as well. In other words, road agencies are already among the most efficient public agencies in the state.

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General

1. How does the Oakland County Federal Aid Task Force Funding Committee rate projects?: The Committee uses a very objective point system to evaluate the projects submitted. It reviews each project in two categories, engineering considerations and planning considerations. Within each category, there are individual criteria against which each project is rated on a numeric scale. The highest number of points is given for a project's potential for accident reduction. The result of this system is that all projects submitted, whether they are from the Road Commission or a city or village, compete against each other for the federal funds. Only those that demonstrate that they are truly worthwhile are selected for funding. This system has been deemed so fair and objective that the Federal Highway Administration has recommended it for use nationwide.

2. Why isn't litter pickup at the top of the Road Commission's priority list? Whose responsibility is it?: Every spring when the snow melts, we are again reminded of what lies along most of our roads, especially our rural gravel roads: litter. Read more on the Litter Pickup page.

3. Which Roads are plowed first? Why does it take so long for our subdivisions to be plowed?: If you cannot be everywhere at once, you've got to set priorities. That is what the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) does. Learn more on the Snow Plowing page.

4. Why not just require road agencies to be more efficient? How about privatizing some of the services they provide?: Michigan's road agencies in general, and county road commissions in particular, are already some of the most privatized public operations. Consider the Road Commission for Oakland County:
- Since 2007, RCOC has reduced its staff by about 35 percent due to the road-funding crisis.
- Today, RCOC has fewer employees than at any time since at least 1962, when the county had half the population it has today and one fifth the traffic.
However, we are doing more work than ever today -- we are doing it through contracted services.
We have contracted out not only the major construction work, such as paving, widening, and resurfacing, but many maintenance activities as well. In other words, road agencies are already among the most efficient public agencies in the state.

5. Does the Road Commission plan for future projects?: The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) often hears comments to the effect that the reason we have all these road congestion problems is because of "poor planning." Usually those comments are made by people who are not familiar with the kind or amount of planning that actually occurs. Road agencies have been working with communities for decades to identify future road needs. Learn more about our Project Planning page.

6. What is the Road Commission doing to help protect our environment?: Our society is becoming increasingly sensitive about our environment and rightfully so. We are concerned about what corporations and even public agencies are doing that might damage the environment and make this a less pleasant place to live, especially for our children. Read about how we are working towards
Environment Page

7. Does Oakland County have special road problems?: There are at least four factors that make Oakland County's road problems unique. These factors are:
1. Oakland County is located in a state that simply does not invest in roads.
2. Oakland County is a donor county. Oakland County doesn't get back all the funds that it generates and sends to Lansing; it subsidizes the more rural counties in Michigan.
3. Construction costs are higher in Oakland County than in other areas of the state. This is due to soil problems (such as wetlands) and high land values. Because land costs are higher, it is more expensive to acquire rights-of-way for roads in Oakland County.
4. Oakland County's roads have some of the highest traffic volumes in the state. Growth and economic development continue in Oakland County, bringing more and more traffic. Unfortunately, that development does not directly generate additional funding to improve the roads so that they can handle the increased traffic.

8. What steps are involved in starting and completing a road project?: We all tend to get impatient when things don't get done as fast as we think they should. If any level of government is involved, we tend to blame bureaucracy and bureaucratic red tape. Learn about all the steps in a road project.

9. What can we do about the traffic congestion problem in Oakland County?: Our roads are becoming more congested because the volumes of traffic using the roads often exceed the capacity of those roads. Why not just get the traffic moving much faster so that you get that many more vehicles through an area in an hour? Learn more on the Traffic Congestion page.

10. What are the different levels of road jurisdiction?: As in all counties in Michigan, all roads in Oakland County fall into one of three categories of road jurisdiction: 1. State highways (MDOT) 2. County roads (RCOC) 3. City or village streets. Learn more on the Road Jurisdiction page.

11. How often does the Road Commission sweep roads?: Primary (heavier traveled) roads are swept three times a year. Township subdivision roads are swept once a year.