Dickinson County Road Commission

08/26/2026

Just a friendly reminder as school is back in session today and school buses are on the roads. Please be aware of your surroundings when a bus is stopped.

08/17/2026

We are currently hiring up to 2 seasonal night patrol positions.

06/29/2026

What is on the Road is Also in it.

Dickinson County Embraces Scrap Tire Rubber to Improve Roads

If you have been traveling the roads in Dickinson County in recent weeks, you may have noticed lots of road construction. The Dickinson County Road Commission (DCRC) is pleased to report that nearly all of County Roads paved so far this summer have used rubber modified asphalt.

“This year, all our locally bid projects have used asphalt modified with scrap tire rubber. Possibly some of the rubber in the roads may have come from the very vehicles which have driven on them.” said Road Commission Engineer Lance Malburg. “The rubber increases the pavement’s resilience and durability. It increases the asphalt’s ability to flex under load and recover without cracking. It also increases its ability to absorb other forces which would cause cracking, like cold weather shrinkage forces which causes transverse cracking.”

Ground tire rubber modified asphalt is considered experimental by most road agencies, including MDOT, and therefore they do not use it. However, DCRC has embraced it, and is a leader using this new technology. DCRC has partnered with Michigan Technological University (MTU) and EGLE on various research projects using ground tire modified asphalt since 2018 and has a good grasp on this improved asphalt. Prior to this year, DCRC constructed 10.5 miles of county roads using 231,798 pounds of ground tire rubber modified asphalt, saving 30,428 tires from landfills.

This year, DCRC has laid an additional 4.5 miles, with more on the horizon. “Using ground tire modified asphalt not only makes better, longer lasting roads, it also is good for the environment. In the projects we have paved so far this year, we have used 135,486 pounds of rubber. That is the equivalent of 16,935 tires. Add that to the rubber used in previous years, we have used 47,363 tires to improve our roads. That is over 47 thousand tires that did not go to the dump, but were recycled, and turned into longer lasting asphalt roads.” Engineer Malburg reported.

“And the residents like it. It makes a quieter road.” added Jim Harris, Managing Director of the Road Commission

Harris further stated, “We are fortunate to have a local contractor like Bacco Construction willing to try innovative technologies like Rubber modified asphalt. Also, Professor You and his team at MTU who has been a great resource in rubberized asphalt. With out them on board, we would not have been able to do any of this innovative paving”

So, the next time you drive on a road in Dickinson County, just think your tires which are riding on the road today may be in the road the next time it gets paved.

(Pictured: Bacco Construction Paving Crew)

06/08/2026

Hydraulic Falls Road Closure

05/07/2026

Road Closure Notice:

Hydraulic Falls Rd from Beritung Cutoff to South VanBuren will be closed to all traffic today, Thursday, May 7 from approximately 6:30 am - 3:30 pm. The road will be opened for the weekend but closed again on Monday, May 11.

04/30/2026

04/29/2026

04/20/2026

The Dickinson County Road Commission is currently hiring for 2 positions:

County Highway Engineer and Payroll Clerk/Office Assistant.

Applications and job descriptions can be found here https://dickinsoncrc.com/employment-opportunities/ or picked up in person at 1107 S. Milwaukee Ave. Iron Mountain, MI 49801.

04/15/2026

Road Closure Notice:

Effective immediately, the Dickinson County Road Commission has closed the bridge on County Road 577 in Vulcan due to water over the road. Please use County Road 573 as an alternate route.