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Metro Transit | Road Services | KC Int'l Airport | Fleet Services
 

King County Roads: On Duty 24/7

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Narrator Says:

It’s a service that’s here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The King County Road Services Division manages one of the largest public road systems in the state, with more than two billion vehicle miles traveled each year on county roads.

It’s responsible for nearly 2,000 miles of roadway and 185 bridges in a 2,134-square mile area.

Road crews respond around the clock in all kinds of weather to keep roads safe and passable. So if you spot a problem on a county roadway, help is just a phone call or an e-mail away.

Star Lake Crew Chief Mike Lewis Says:

Anything that deals with the road or the road right of way, this time of year the leaves are a big problem, plugging the drainage systems, but we get calls for just about anything from flooding issues to animals stuck in catch basins, it just depends really what time of year it is.

Summer time we do a lot of asphalt repair we do a lot of prep for our overlay project through King County, anything that has to do with maintenance on the road and road right of way, summer time a lot of what we do is mowing.

Narrator Says:

The timeframe for completion of citizen requests depends on where it lands on the list of priorities.

Safety concerns such as a missing catch basin lid or big potholes are dealt with first, while problems such as overgrown grass or clearing smaller roadway debris come later.

Jon Breiling knows first-hand how helpful the service can be.

He lives about four miles from work, and rides his bike every day.

Last year’s powerful windstorms left massive amounts of debris in the road, rendering his commute more difficult than normal.

Citizen Jon Breiling Says:

One instance I had, where we had the windstorm pretty bad, and there were a lot of branches down, I just let them know it was pretty bad.

And I was actually having to go out into traffic to get around some of the bigger sticks and everything. So they were pretty quick on that in getting out probably within three to four days in getting it swept up, so it was much-appreciated.

Narrator Says:

The Roads Division averages about 5,000 requests every year.

After requests are processed, and categorized according to urgency, they’re sent to division supervisors, and after the work’s completed, the supervisor typically will inform the citizen who requested the work that it’s been done.

But while the request is pending, citizens can call and inquire about the status of their request, since they’re all recorded in a database upon arrival.

Assistant maintenance operations manager Leo Griffin says if you’re not sure about whether to request the work or not, don’t be shy.

Assistant Maintenance Operations Manager Leo Griffin Says:

I think sometimes people don’t call because they’re concerned that they’re going to get an automated voice system where you press one, and they can’t really explain to an operator what the information is or what the hazard is.

So that someone’s not going to know the area they’re talking about, and we have people there 24 hours a day, that know the county and know the kind of complaints.

And we’re usually very happy to get these complaints, because it means a road is sanded or a pothole’s fixed, and it makes for a better roadway system for everyone.

Narrator Says:

If you need something done on an unincorporated King County road, you have three options.

Call 206-296-8100, e-mail the Road Services Division at roadsmaint@kingcouty.gov, or you can send a fax to 206-296-8198.

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Updated:  November 27, 2007

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