Highway Maintenance Special Operations

Responsibilities

Highways' Special Operations group is responsible for providing specialized support and equipment to maintain Harford County public roads throughout the county.

Drainage crew

The Highways Drainage Crew is staffed by 12 employees who are responsible for protecting roads from the effects of water. This includes county easements along roadsides as well as between and behind private yards where drains are maintained.

Assignments

Most assignments for the Drainage Crew are for pipe, culvert and drain repairs. Pipes installed during housing construction can separate or cave in, needing replacement.

The Drainage Crew also maintains drainage for county sediment ponds. Pipes installed range from 5-feet wide aluminum to 15-inch concrete pipes.

Make a report

To report a pipe cave-in, or any other Harford County easement pipe, drain or culvert problem, please contact the Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3532. After 3 p.m. weekdays or on weekends, report road emergencies (stop sign down, tree in road, missing manhole cover) to the Sheriff’s Office at 410-838-6600.
An illustration of a drainage pipe

Sealing and ditch maintenance

Responsibilities

The Highways Sealing Crew is staffed by 13 employees who are responsible for both roadway ditch line maintenance and application of liquid asphalt and stone (tar and chip) to the road surface.
The sealing crew hard at work.

Ditch line maintenance

For ditch line maintenance, the Sealing Crew removes excess topsoil and foliage along the road shoulders as required to improve drainage.

Frost heave and vegetation growing along the ditch line require the road surface to be graded periodically to an elevation that will allow stormwater flow from the road edge to the side ditch.

Road sealing

The Sealing Crew also applies an anti-skid surface to designated slick areas of the road.

Road sealing operations are dependent on weather, requiring a consistent temperature throughout the day and evening for the stones to adhere properly with the liquid asphalt. Harford County posts signs a week or more in advance to notify residents along the road, requesting that vehicles not be parked during sealing operations. After the road is swept, it is important that the road remains clear of all grass clippings and debris until the sealing is completed.

Additional information can be read in our "Shoulder Pulling Brochure." To obtain a copy, contact Harford County Highways Administration Office at 410-638-3533.

To check if your road is scheduled for sealing or shoulder pulling, contact the Harford County Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3533.

Crack sealing program

This program is designed to seal pavement joints or cracks on a small scale to prevent moisture absorption into the roadbed, thus extending road surface life.

The Sealing Crew crack seals approximately 10 road miles annually.
Maintenance crews seal cracks in the street.

Grounds maintenance

The Highways Grounds Maintenance consists of a crew chief who coordinates and supervises the work of four contractual tree trimming crews, tree removal, roadside mowing and stump grinding.

Please direct your requests for the above services through the Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3533 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

After 3 p.m. weekdays or on weekends or holidays, report trees down blocking the roadway to the Sheriff’s Office at 410-838-6600.

Bridge Crew

Eight employees staff our Bridge Crew to maintain 238 bridges throughout Harford County.

Responsibilities

They are responsible for all bridge repairs and maintenance, including:
  • Decking replacements
  • Installing bridge guardrails
  • Resurfacing bridge walls with concrete
  • Scouring graffiti from bridge walls
The bridge crew maintains a local bridge.
The Bridge Crew also rebuilds bridge walls and builds the necessary forms. They coordinate their work through the engineers in the Department of Public Works Bridge Program.

The Bridge Crew is tasked with maintaining various culverts and watershed drains. Salt dome repairs are also assigned to the Bridge personnel.

Requests

To request bridge repairs or graffiti removal contact the Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3533. After 3 p.m. weekdays or on weekends, report road emergencies (stop sign down, tree in road, missing manhole cover) to the Sheriff’s Office at 410-838-6600.

Road marking/line striping

Responsibilities

The Highways Road Marking Crew is responsible for painting all yellow and white lines on Harford County public roads.

They also apply various legends (arrows, handicapped logos), stop bars and school crossing hatch marks.

They work in coordination with the Department of Public Works Traffic Engineering staff for special road markings and with the district offices for painting newly resurfaced roadways.
The Road Marking crew hard at work.

Staff

The Road Marking Crew consists of eight employees who operate from the Highways administrative office. They appreciate citizen cooperation and patience during line striping operations. Please obey the no-passing signs and flagger directions to ensure the water-based paint has dried prior to crossing the newly painted lines.

Requests

Please contact the Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3533 to request repainting of yellow or white lines on Harford County public roads. All requests for new road marking should be directed to Transportation Engineering.

Signs

Responsibilities

The Highways Sign Shop consists of seven employees who are responsible for installing and maintaining all Harford County traffic signs, delineators, and street signs.

They fabricate street signs and many informational (blue and white) and guide (green and white) and miscellaneous specialty signs at the shop in the administrative office building. Other signs are prepared by private vendors for Highways Sign Crew installation.
signs

Replacement requests

To request replacement of missing or damaged signs on Harford County public roads contact the Highways Administrative Office at 410-638-3533 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

After 3 p.m. weekdays or on weekends or holidays, report down or missing stop signs to the Sheriff’s Office at 410-838-6600. All requests for new signing should be directed to Transportation Engineering.