It takes a lot of work to maintain the 915 miles of roadway that run throughout Kitsap County. 'Getting You There' is a storymap that takes you behind the road system in Kitsap County. The story has three parts. We encourage you to read all three.
Our History highlights how Public Works has been 'Getting You There' since 1857. You'll learn about the early road system and how it was adapted through the years.
What We Do looks at how we help maintain and improve roads for better mobility and safer travels.
Our Future takes an inside look at the costs to maintain the road system, where the money comes from, and how to ensure adequate funding to sustain our level of service.
How the County Road System is Funded
The County Road Fund's primary sources of revenue are motor vehicle tax (i.e. gas tax), the road levy portion of property tax, and impact fees. Kitsap County Public Works has also been very successful in leveraging funding from outside sources such as grants and partnerships. The Road Fund pays for capital investments and projects, as well as the annual maintenance and operations program. In addition to supporting road maintenance and operations, the road levy supports traffic law enforcement, the County's stormwater utility assessment, and Department of Community Development plan reviews.
Capital Investments
Kitsap County Public Works creates a Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) to coordinate the county's plan for road and transportation improvements. The TIP is the long-range framework for improvements.
Each year, the County also adopts an annual construction program. This annual construction program represents the overal funding plan for road, bridge and non-motorized construction programs for the year. It is typically the first year of the six-year Transportation Improvement Program.
The annual road construction program's expenditures for 2026 will be $36 million. This will be paid for with revenues from federal funds ($15.2 million), state or developer fees ($10.124 million), local funds ($7.1 million) and impact fees ($1.417 million).
Maintenance and Operations
Kitsap County Public Works' primary focus is operating and maintaining the existing road system to provide safe roads and preserve existing assets. We must also maintain the ability to respond to snow and ice events, wind and rainstorm damange, and other challenges to our road system. The annual road maintenance and operations budget is $40.8 million and is funded primarily by the road levy tax.
