Bypassers have not been kind to it, but maybe history will be kinder.
The city of Sterling Heights is giving its oft-lamented Golden Corridor symbol a chance to outshine its critics with a new name.
The City of Sterling Heights is holding an official contest to name the Golden Corridor icon located on M-59.
The deadline for submissions to the Golden Corridor Icon Naming Contest is 5 p.m. on Friday, March 22. It's open to the public and includes more than $1,000 in donated gift cards to businesses along M-59.
You can enter three ideas -- along with your name, age and address. City officials will choose the three favorites; then make a Facebook poll for a public vote.
Around town, it's known mostly by unflattering names, most notably the golden butthole. That nickname even has its own Twitter account. Other jokes reference Lord of the Rings, Sonic the Hedgehog, Stargate and more themes too crass to mention here.
The last update from the city said plenty of idea submissions have come in, at more than 3,000 -- and 95 percent of them are considered "serious." The name and winner are expected to be announced next Friday.
Why the ring? The city's official explanation says it's to "stand out and be different in a relatively undefined suburban landscape. Sterling Heights leadership knows, through data, that retail is an industry of flash, style, and excitement. Sterling Heights wanted the Golden Ring to represent that same flash style and excitement."
The ring was part of a branding package that included welcome signage. The cost was $85,000 for each of the signs, and $180,000 for the golden ring as part of a $1.8 million landscape improvement project. The golden ring was designed by Randall K Metz, President and Design Principal at Grissim Metz Andriese Associates.
According to the Detroit News, the bottom half of the ring is 5 and-a-half-feet wide and weighs about 12,000 pounds; The narrower top half weighs 8,000. It was trucked to Sterling Heights on four 30-foot fifth-wheel trailers, and assembled in two days.