King County Road Services - About the Road Services Division

The Road Services Division designs, builds, operates and maintains roads, bridges and pathways in unincorporated areas of King County. The division strives to make the county's transportation system safe and efficient for all uses and modes of travel.

Safe and sound roadways

The Road Services Division is responsible for 1,795 miles of paved roadway, 270 bridges, 54 miles of unpaved roads and many pathways in unincorporated areas of King County.

Besides providing safe roadways, King County Road Services strives for cost-efficient, high-quality service and environmentally responsible project design, maintenance and operation. All county roads get 24-hour emergency assistance, as do roads in some cities under contract with King County for selected services.

Using sophisticated data analysis, division staff members identify high-accident locations. They then design and install corrective safety improvements, such as traffic signals, signs and guardrails. King County Road Services maintains 127 traffic signals and over 47,000 traffic signs. Staff also works with neighborhoods on traffic safety concerns.

Extensive safety improvements have paid off. Total traffic accidents on unincorporated King County roads decreased steadily since 1992.

Road Services is also committed to keeping King County roads litter-free. About 31,443 Adopt-a-Road volunteers, working in 243 groups, have logged 60,292 hours and cleaned up 468 miles of road.

How is Road Services governed?

Road Services is one of five divisions in the King County Department Transportation. The other divisions are the King County International Airport, Fleet Administration, the Marine Division and Metro Transit. The department director reports to the King County Executive, who is the elected executive officer of county government.

The Metropolitan King County Council, the legislative branch of county government, adopts laws, sets policies and holds final approval over the budget.