The operations division (also known as the Highway Department) employs crews consisting of operating engineers, skilled laborers, drivers and mechanics.  The Highway Department maintains county highways by repairing and resurfacing pavements and berms, mowing roadsides, removing debris, installing traffic signs,  and constructing culverts and small bridges.  In winter months, the snow fighters plow and salt roads to keep traffic moving safely.

Bridge Crew:

The bridge crew maintains an inventory of over 360 county bridges by washing, clearing debris and patching bridge decks and railing when needed.  The crew typically builds several new short-span bridges each year including box culverts and large pipe culverts replacing old, deteriorated bridges.

Between 1998 and 2008, the Bridge Department replaced 52 structures with new box or pipe culverts.  In-house (force-account) construction is cost efficient due to low overhead costs and work efficiency realized by building similar structures repeatedly.  Materials are purchased through competitively bid contracts by suppliers.

The Bridge Department also performs regular maintenance on existing bridges including pothole and deck repairs, railing repairs, cleaning drains and repairing concrete.  Maintaining the $116 million county bridge inventory is vitally important to the safety and welfare of Delaware County citizens.

Drainage Crew:

The county drainage crew maintains the ditches and waterways under and along county roads.  Delaware County has an inventory of over 1000 culverts and the Drainage Crew crew replaces and repairs dozens each year to stay ahead of normal life cycle deterioration.  The crew also cleans roadside ditches to keep them draining freely.

Maintenance Crew:

The Maintenance Department is responsible for repairs and up-keep of 200 county vehicles and pieces of equipment, in addition to the County Engineer's Office, the Highway Department garage and county salt sheds,

Auto technicians are responsible for the work done on the county equipment and vehicles.  Technicians need to have a thorough understanding of hydraulic systems and electrical wiring, as well as general automotive and mechanical knowledge.  Some of the major work done by the auto technicians are engine rebuilds, rear-end rebuild and set-ups and transmission rebuilds.  Technicians also perform regular preventive maintenance on vehicles and equipment to extend the service life of the county’s fleet of vehicles and equipment.  Technicians weld and fabricate equipment to assist other Highway Department crews in their daily duties. Technicians work not only inside the shop but also out on the road to make repairs under any weather conditions, including winter storms.

The building maintenance technician handles the maintenance and repair of the County Engineer’s Office and salt sheds.  This person works on heating and cooling systems, electrical wiring, carpentry, plumbing and roofing.  This department also oversees the two county operated salt sheds in Delaware County; the main salt shed in Delaware on US 42 North and the salt shed at the Genoa Township maintenance building.  The US 42 shed can hold 6,000 tons of salt while the Genoa salt shed holds about 500 tons.

Specialty Crew:

The specialty crew maintains and erects highway signs, clears roadway obstructions and debris and mows county roads in the summer.  The crew also performs tree clearing and other road work as needed.

Surface Crew:

The surface crew maintains the pavement on over 330 miles of county highways.  Each summer, crews perform seal coating to select roads based on a yearly inspection of pavement condition.  The crew maintains and restores berms and repairs pavement when needed.

Winter Operations:

One of the most important responsibilities of the Highway Department is to keep the roads clear in the winter by plowing and salting 330+ miles of icy roads.  All Highway Department crews are on-call 24/7 during winter months and are ready to work when needed to ensure that roads remain open and safe for travel.