At FP2 Sorenson Award presentation Jan. 13 are Jay Vander Weele, Vernon Koch, Tom Wegner and Jon Kuhlow, board supervisors, Sheboygan County; Bryan Olson, transportation director, Sheboygan County; Dan Swiertz, P.E., H.G. Meigs/AMI; Ken Schakelman, Asphalt Materials Inc.; Dave Henderson, Asphalt Materials Inc. and president, FP2; and Jackie Feldman, vice chair, Sheboygan County Transportation Committee
Sheboygan County, Wis., is the recipient of the 2024 FP2 Inc. James B. Sorenson Award for Excellence in Pavement Preservation for its proactive approach to emerging trends in preservation. The Sorenson Award recognizes superior pavement preservation practice, usually to a city, township, county or state agency.
With a population of more than 117,000, Sheboygan County is comprised of 28 municipalities and is located on the shore of Lake Michigan. The county manages more than 2,100 centerline miles.
The award was presented to Sheboygan County at the January 2025 Winter Highway Conference, conducted by the Wisconsin County Highway Association (WCHA), A highlight was a tribute to Sheboygan County by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.); view via the provided QR code below.
“On behalf of Sheboygan County, we’re humbled and honored to accept this award for pavement preservation,” said Bryan Olson, transportation director, Sheboygan County Transportation Department Highway Division. “I’d like to take a moment and thank our county board for supporting our department’s submission statement of creating safe and reliable transportation today and tomorrow.
“In 2017, with the support of the local businesses, our county board implemented having some sales tax proceeds used for transportation,” Olson added. “This was a key factor in helping our department continue our mission. In a time when budgets were tightening and material costs were on rise, through the sales tax, we were able to expand our paving program to include more pavement preservation programs.”
“At FP2, we lead the advancement of pavement preservation and recycling,” said FP2 president Dave Henderson. “Our objective is to support ‘Preserving Pavements via the Right Treatment, on the Right Pavement at the Right Time’. One way we accomplish our mission is by recognizing public agencies and municipalities which practice superior pavement preservation and recycling via our James B. Sorenson Award.
Sheboygan County’s pavement preservation strategy is based on education and research, including a live traffic test track (Sheboygan County Operational Pavement Preservation Evaluation, or SCOPE), and participation in preservation efforts through the National Road Research Alliance (NRRA).
The county focuses on “pre-preservation” treatments like void-reducing asphalt membranes (VRAM) and penetrating asphalt emulsions to extend maintenance timelines. Additionally, the county addressed funding shortfalls by enacting a transportation tax nearly 10 years ago, leading to significant increases in pavement preservation activities.
To view the U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) tribute to Sheboygan County, click here.