LANSING, MI — Jerry Byrne, Manager of the Kent County Road Commission (KCRC), has been elected 2025-2026 President of the County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan. Byrne served as CRA Vice President for 2024-2025.
Byrne has worked for KCRC for over 40 years, 20 of those as head of KCRC’s maintenance division and local road construction. He was named Managing Director in October 2023. A graduate of Aquinas College, Byrne has fostered relationships with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Kent County Emergency Response, townships, and neighboring jurisdictions. He has played a role in resource planning and coordination during emergency response and collaborative road maintenance initiatives. “I look forward to serving members of the CRA as the new board President,” Byrne said. “Together we can improve the outlook for county roads in Michigan, and I’m excited to be a part of that and serve my peers in the other 82 county road agencies.” The 83 members of the County Road Association of Michigan represent the unified voice for a safe and efficient county transportation infrastructure system in Michigan, including appropriate stewardship of the public’s right of way in rural and urban Michigan. Collectively, Michigan’s county road agencies manage 75 percent of all roads in the state, including 90,500 miles of roads and 5,900 bridges. County road agencies also maintain the state’s highway system in 63 counties. Michigan has the nation’s fourth-largest local road system.