Engineering

The engineering staff is responsible for various functions of the countywide road system, including safety, construction, bridges and annual maintenance requirements.

A construction project starts with an identified need, grant/funding applications, design, and contract award. Most projects are designed in house with the exception of the larger projects where an engineering consultant is hired to perform the design phase.

The county is continually searching for safety improvements on the road system. Locations are identified for guardrail installation, shoulder widening and other minor improvements to improve safety. Generally the Kittitas County road crew completes minor safety improvements, and the guardrail installation is contracted out.

The engineering staff prepares the annual chip seal program and striping program. The chip seal program is established yearly, with most roads on a seven-year rotation. The striping is completed after the chip seal activities have been completed, generally the end of August.

The engineering staff also researches county right of ways, administers proposed road right of way vacation requests, and currently collects GPS data for roadside inventory to incorporate in the county GIS mapping system.