Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find information that might help you understand how to find things or learn about information you might need to know about your city or town.

Transportation - Engineering

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  • The prioritization and scheduling of paving gravel roads is under the direction of the County Road Engineer. Based on selected criteria (not limited to: daily traffic counts, surrounding development and zoning, safety concerns, and available funding; among others) gravel roads are included in the Gravel Priority Array, which is taken into consideration when developing the County's 6-Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The TIP assists the County in planning and prioritizing County road projects within a financially constrained budget.

    Transportation - Engineering

  • Depending on the issue in question, you may be directed to a specific division staff person to answer your road project question. Technical, engineering, or managerial staff will respond to your inquiry as quickly as possible. Please contact us at 509-574-2300.
    Transportation - Engineering

  • Yakima County's Annual Road Construction Plan and 6-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) are the County's best tools in prioritizing and scheduling road projects. However, factors can delay planned projects as scheduled in these documents.

    Delays in completing required permitting processes, acquiring right of way, contractor availability, securing adequate funding, and addressing last minute engineering issues can all delay the start of a project. Yakima County strives to keep affected road project stakeholders involved in project status updates.
    Transportation - Engineering

  • Yakima County maintains an annually updated roster for professional consultant services of architects, biologists, engineers, land surveyors, and other to assist in developing County projects. Consultant candidates can contact Yakima County Public Services at 509-574-2300 for listing requirements and
    Transportation - Engineering

  • Questions regarding consultant agreements can be directed to 509-574-2300. Depending on the agreement issue, a contractor will be directed to the appropriate staff or division.
    Transportation - Engineering

  • While it is Yakima County's policy not to specifically recommend private businesses, there are companies who may offer private dust abatement services. Please check the Yellow Pages or contact local contractors for potential firms.
    Transportation - Engineering

  • Road Improvement Districts (RIDs) are a voluntarily-imposed (voted) taxing authority on selected properties to generate revenue for a specific transportation project. In coordination with the County Road Engineer, an RID is placed on a special ballot for affected property owners to approve an assessment on their property taxes dedicated to funding the road project. Inquiries on creating an RID can be directed to the County Road Engineer at 509-574-2300.

    Transportation - Engineering

  • Yakima County maintains nearly 570 miles of gravel roads throughout the County.   In recent years there have been limited or no available funding sources for gravel roads in most situations, which has significantly limited Yakima County's ability to pave gravel roads.  As a result of this, Yakima County must prioritize which roads get paved based on available funding, and has at most been paving a gravel road every other year.  To minimize airborne dust on gravel roadways, the Road Maintenance Department also performs a one-time yearly dust abatement treatment on most gravel roads.


    To find out when your gravel road may be dust abated or paved, contact our Road Maintenance Department at 509-574-2300.

    Transportation - Engineering