Engineering
Administration
Whatcom County Public
Works Engineering Administration provides technical and administrative
oversight of all county transportation infrastructure and
assets and their utilization. They also conduct or administer research
and provide information and technical support to other department
sections, other county departments, and the public concerning roads,
bridges, drainage, surveys, monuments, subdivisions, and rights-of-way.
Engineering Administration's top priority is service to the
public and fulfilling public requests for information regarding
road and right-of-way related issues.
Engineering covers Whatcom
County's 2,180 square mile area by administering the management
of 974 county road miles and 151 county bridges. Engineering
also responds to requests from several of the small towns and cities
within the Whatcom County area.
Engineering Administration
provides technical support to other Public Works sections and county
departments, such as the Prosecuting Attorney and the Sheriff offices.
The Administration section of Engineering also processes Road
Vacations. Whatcom County Council approves or denies vacations
and abandonments. This process allows landowners the opportunity
to remove unused portions of county road right-of-way from the
county's infrastructure and return it to private property.
Road Closures provide the opportunity to repair county roads by
either the county road crew or a private contractor. By closing
a roadway, the construction process can proceed smoothly, with
the least amount of interruption, and provide the most safety
to the public. Road Restrictions are in place to provide this
same protection to the public by forbidding overweight vehicles
passage on roadways that are under stress from the weather. Heavy
truck traffic can damage roadways.
Engineering Administration prepares, updates, and submits the Six-Year
Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to the Washington
Department of Transportation. This program provides the public
with an overview of where the county is going with their road
program, what the long-range road improvement plan is, and how
spending of their tax dollars occurs.
Administration's records and maps provide information
about survey monumentation,  right-of-way
widths, road packets and deeds, short plats, long plats, binding
site plans, and records of survey.
Engineering Administration also acts as
the public reception and information area for all other sections
of Engineering, including the Design/Construction, Development,
and Traffic sections.
|
