County Commission | The Magazine December 2018 | Page 27

FROM THE COVER
Get to Know: County Road and
Bridge Departments in Alabama
I
n Alabama, the road system is one of county government’s
biggest responsibilities. Most county commissions delegate
the day-to-day operations and administration to a specific
department under the leadership of the county engineer. This
arm of the county commission is most commonly known as
the Road and Bridge Department or the Highway Department.
Qualifications
for County
Engineer
More Than
Roads and
Bridges
Department
duties also
include:
• Registered professional engineer
in Alabama
• Minimum 3 years of experience in
the maintenance and construction
of roads and bridges
• Mowing grass and cutting brush
along roadways
• Managing access to the county
right-of-way for driveways
and utilities
• Maintaining traffic control signs
• Cleaning ditches
• Administering subdivision
regulations (where enacted)
• Removing disaster debris from
the right-of-way
Inadequate funding has made it impossible for counties to
properly repair and replace bridges. Weight-restricted bridges
can force long detours for school buses, emergency responders
and routine traffic essential to forestry and agriculture.
17 counties use the district system,
Unit System
or District
System?
Three basic
structures for
road system
management:
in which each county commissioner
supervises roads and bridges in his or
her district. Each district has its own
road crew and equipment.
47 counties use the unit system
with operations organized for the
county as a whole.
3 counties use a modified unit
system, a hybrid of the unit and
district methods.
COUNTY COMMISSION | 27