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MARQUETTE -- The City of Marquette, Tuesday, was presented with the first ever "Outstanding Achievement Award" for its asset management of city roadways.

"When you have a road system - a local or state road system - and you've got public dollars that have been dedicated towards that, basically it boils down to applying the right fix at the right place at the right time," says Roger Safford of the Michigan Department of Transportation.

That same road construction that causes headaches for motorists is earning the City of Marquette recognition.

The Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council gave Marquette the award for its foresight in repairing its roads and its underground utilities at the same time.

"It doesn't make a lot of sense to make an improvement on roads when your underground utilities are in bad shape.  Believe it or not, they're one of the only communities in the entire state - that we know of at least - that is combining that.  And that's something we're trying to get more communities to think about when they're making these capital investments," says Carmine Palombo of the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council. 

Marquette Mayor John Kivela says that the city appreciates the honor:

"I think anyone driving around over the last few months noticed how many roads we had torn up in Marquette.  And although it's kind of an inconvenience, it shows that we're being proactive in getting things done.  So I think it recognizes the hard work that we've put into it as a Commission and as a staff."