With the original steel guardrail panels galvanized back in 1955, the rails on the MI/M-102 Bridge and Rail Project were due for corrosion repair. Fortunately, because of the protection provided by the galvanized coating on the railing panels, highway traffic damaged only 15-20 percent of the more than 300 tons of steel that would need replacement in the repair. After attending an educational Galvanize It! seminar, Sue Datta of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) learned how many states have been taking old guardrail, stripping, re-galvanizing, and returning it to service - so MDOT decided to re-galvanize the existing steel guardrail panels.

MDOT felt recycling the existing steel was an excellent opportunity to contribute to the "Keep It Green" initiative being supported by the department. The state saved more than half of the budget earmarked for this project because they only had to replace 20 percent of the old material. The money saved on this project allowed MDOT to start the next project - one originally slated to begin in 2009.

The cost savings merely added to the original benefits of galvanizing this project - after 50 years of Michigan weather, traffic mishaps, road grime, and salts, the galvanized steel remained corrosion free. In addition to contributing to the "Keep It Green" effort, the new railings for this project will provided Maintenance-free Corrosion Protection well into the future.