History:

In 1913, pursuant to the act of the 35th General Assembly, actual road work was mandatorily placed under the personal direction of the County Engineer. In 1929 the Bergman Secondary Road Act placed all township roads under the jurisdiction of the County Board of Supervisors and they were all called “secondary roads”. Since then County Engineers have recommended and worked closely with the Board of Supervisors to create a network of over 89,000 miles of Secondary Roads and 20,000 bridges in the State of Iowa. Today all Iowa County Engineers are required by law to be licensed professional engineers registered in the State of Iowa.

Responsibilities of the County Engineer:

• Designing, Planning and Maintaining of Secondary Roads, Bridges, and Culverts
• Preparing the Five Year Secondary Road Construction Program and Annual Report
• Administering Personnel
• Ordering Materials and Equipment
• Coordinating Project Funding, Lettings, and Contracts
• Union, Labor, and Insurance Negotiations
• Estimating, Engineering, and Accounting
• Hydrology and Environmental Studies
• Surveying and Platting of Landforms
• Rating Weight Limits on Bridges and Sign Management
• Inspection of Asphalt, Concrete, and Structures
• Maintaining Road Records and Inventories
• Purchasing Land for Road Projects
• Overseeing all Utility Placement in Right of Ways
• Overseeing Subdivision Platting in Rural Areas
• Driveway Entrance and Dust Control Permitting
• Maintaining and Construction of Maintenance Shop Buildings
• Coordination with Suppliers and Contractors
• Maintaining Drainage Patterns
• Brush and Weed Control
• Snow and Ice Control
• Directing Public Hearings
• Overseeing of Ordinances, Resolutions, and Policies
• Overseeing Roadside Management Practices
• Recognizing Property Owner Road Needs
• Recommending Various Secondary Road Improvements to the Board of Supervisors