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Are We There Yet? One Hundred Years of Kent County Road Construction
by Tom Byle
Every kid has asked and every parent has heard the question from the backseat of the car. It was a frequent question in the days before the freeways and handheld video games.
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Join Tom Byle, a 40-year employee of the Kent County Road Commission as he tells the history of roads and street in Kent County. The story is amply illustrated with photos from the 1920s and ‘30s, which was the first golden age of road building in Michigan. The photos are taken from the Road Commission Annual reports of that era. Come see and hear the evolution of the Indian trails to the highways of today as well the equipment used to build and maintain the roads.
About the Author Tom Byle
Tom is a graduate of Michigan Technological University with a degree in Civil Engineering. He is a licensed engineer in the State of Michigan. In addition to his interest in the history of roads and construction, he is also interested in old construction equipment and owns several old crawlers and graders and an antique tractor-trailer to haul them.
“Are We There Yet? One Hundred Years of Kent County Road Construction”, January 10, 2013, 7:00 p.m.Gerald R. Ford Presidential MuseumPresented by Tom Byle, Kent County Road Commission.