Be aware of fake MDOT texts demanding toll or traffic ticket payments. MDOT does not operate any toll roads. Contact the Michigan Attorney General for information on how to identify scams and file a complaint.
Allan M. Williams
1892-1979
Allan M. Williams introduced the first publicly accessible roadside picnic table on state government right-of-way in 1929. The success of this rustic furnishing for outdoor eating was immediate; within a few years these aids to hungry travelers were installed by the State Highway Department all along the transportation network of our two peninsulas. During his 40-year career as a highway engineer, Williams also helped draft Michigan's first official road map for motorists, collaborated in developing the diamond-shaped sign that still designates the numbers of state trunkline routes, and pioneered the use of the angled, concave, straight-blade, front-mounted snowplow. In 1926, Williams cut the opening ribbon for the last paved stretch of improved US-16. In 1977, he was asked to perform the same task for the final section of the successor parallel road, I-96.
Michigan Transportation Hall of Honor, 2006
