Fickes, who will retire in December, hosted the event for the 14th time. This final summit turned into many other elected officials praising the work Fickes had helped oversee in northeast Tarrant County in his time as a commissioner and, prior to that, the mayor of Southlake.
Victor Vandergriff, Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition executive director, announced the board would give out its first Leadership in Mobility award to Fickes. Starting in 2025, he said the award will be renamed the Gary Fickes Leadership Award.
"Your fingerprints are everywhere, and we know you will continue to give and give," said Michael Morris, director of transportation for the North Central Texas Council of Governments, of Fickes.
The details
The yearly event touched on transportation issues and progress in the area. Fickes was a guest speaker on a panel for growth in northeast Tarrant County.
He talked about big transportation developments such as the DFW Connector and TEXRail during his tenure.
"I'm just a little cog in a bigger wheel," Fickes said. "You go back 25 or 30 years or more, it was obvious that Hwy. 114 was going to be a major thoroughfare, or it was obvious to us that ... live there. We were constantly driving bumper-to-bumper."
Fickes praised the work of many towns coming together to expand SH 114.
Since 2007, his precinct in Tarrant County had added 1,120 miles of roadway and all of the vehicles on the roadway meant 20 million miles driven last year—up 46% from 2007.
Fickes pointed out Tarrant County had grown, and his district had grown 41% since 2007, compared to 31% for the county overall.
What else?
Tarrant County Judge Tim O'Hare said Tarrant County is the 13th most populated county in the United States, and the county has more people than 15 states in the country.
"Transportation serves as the lifeblood of any thriving community facilitating economic growth and enhancing our quality of life," he said. "And we have fantastic transportation systems and roads and highways in Tarrant County. So much of the credit goes to Commissioner Fickes. He has been a transportation guru. He's been a tremendous asset to our county, a great friend and mentor."
O'Hare said as the county continues to attract new businesses and industries, the county will have to keep up with transportation solutions. He said Fickes' retirement will leave a hole to fill, but the commissioners will forge ahead to prioritize transportation projects.
"Transportation is the backbone of our economy," O'Hare said. "Prosperity, growth and job creation are intertwined with well-planned transportation systems. Transportation directly influences our quality of life. We want Tarrant County residents and business owners and employees to spend less time in traffic and more time with their loved ones."
