The Kern County Roads Department
An Operating Department of the Resource Management Agency
Our Mission: Plan, design, construct and maintain the safest, most cost-effective public roadways for the movement of people and goods.
To accomplish this task we are committed to:
- Recognizing the traveling public as our customer and focusing on service to them;
- Being innovative in finding better ways to accomplish our tasks, while not forgetting the lessons of our past;
- Identifying the tasks which we perform most cost-effectively and finding better methods for accomplishing those we don’t;
- And encouraging our employees’ education, initiative, and commitment to excellence.
OUR FUNCTION: Your county Roads Department designs, constructs, and maintains the county road facilities within Kern County; we also issue transportation and encroachment permits for county roadways; respond to road-related complaints from the public; and administer the county’s rural public transit system.
OUR HISTORY: The Road Fund was established April 2, 1866. The Collier-Burns Act, adopted by the State Legislature on January 1, 1948, provides for the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges based on the areas of greatest need within the county. This act also provides for the appointment of a County Road Commissioner by the Board of Supervisors.
On March 26, 1979, the Board of Supervisors directed the merger of the Road Fund with the Public Works Department. On July 1, 1992, upon Board order, the Public Works Department was dismantled. Its staff and responsibilities were placed under the auspices of the Resource Management Agency. The current director, Craig M. Pope, was appointed Road Commissioner by the Board of Supervisors on October 11, 1994.
OUR ORGANIZATION: The Road Commissioner’s office is located on the 4th Floor of the Public Services Building at 2700 M Street (Golden State and M Street) in Bakersfield. Our phone number is 661-862-8850, our fax number is 661-862-8851, or you can e-mail us at roads@co.kern.ca.us.
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