The County Engineer is appointed by the Board of Supervisors. It is the duty of the Engineer to work in strict cooperation with the Board of Supervisors in planning and supervision of the construction and maintenance of all secondary roads. All labor payrolls and claims for materials, equipment and supplies are certified by the Engineer before presentation and final approval. There are a total of 41 employees under the supervision of the Engineer within the Engineer’s Office and the Road Department.
The Engineer’s Office has 7 staff members in addition to the County Engineer. All surveys, plans and estimates for road, bridge and culvert construction work are prepared or coordinated in this office. Inspection of all construction projects, as well as material testing are also the responsibility of this office.
The Engineer’s Offices issues all permits pertaining to the Winneshiek County Roads, such as entrance, oversize/overweight, utility, dust control, etc. The Engineer’s Office also issues addresses under the County 911 system, creates and installs the signs and maintains the maps.
The Winneshiek County Road Department maintains the secondary roads as well as bridges, culverts and signs. Winneshiek County has 1056 miles of road consisting of concrete, asphalt, gravel or dirt. Of these, there are 804 miles of gravel.
The County has one Maintenance Superintendent who oversees all of the maintenance districts. The County is divided into 12 blading maintenance districts with a total of 33 road employees and one roadside manager. We have 7 shops which are located in Ossian, Castalia, Fort Atkinson, Ridgeway, Kendallville, Locust, and Freeport. In addition, the County employs 3 mechanics who perform the majority of the equipment repairs at the Main Shop in Freeport.