Knox County Engineer’s Office does much more than fix roads — it keeps the county moving

They work year-round, including holidays, to make sure that Knox County residents get where they’re going safely. The Knox County Engineering Department plays a vital role in the daily lives of residents in every part of the county. From maintaining hundreds of miles of roads to overseeing complex construction projects, the staff helps to ensure public safety and mobility by maintaining and improving infrastructure across the county.

Cameron Keaton has held the elected post of Knox County Engineer since 2016. With degrees in civil engineering from the University of Toledo and Youngstown State University, Keaton brings both technical expertise and a deep commitment to public service. Under his leadership, the department has modernized operations, secured millions in grant funding, and tackled infrastructure projects across the county.

“What we are primarily responsible for, is the maintenance of county roadways, and county bridges,” said Keaton. “We also maintain bridges on township roads as well. Maintenance to the roadway is everything people most associate with that, which is paving and patching of roadways. We also trim trees, maintain the drainage structures, and culvert pipes. We do snow removal in the winter. There's also guardrails, signage, and all the stuff that's associated with the roadways.”

The Knox County Engineering Department has three main divisions: the County Engineer’s Office, the Highway Department, and the Tax Map Department. Together, these units are responsible for the maintenance and improvement of 400 miles of county roads and over 326 bridges on both county and township roads

The Highway Department handles seasonal tasks such as ditch clearing, mowing, tree trimming, asphalt patching, and bridge repairs in warmer months. In winter, the focus shifts to snow removal and emergency pothole repairs, ensuring roads remain safe and passable during Ohio’s harshest weather.

Meanwhile, the Tax Map Department manages deed transfers and maintains the county’s property maps, both in traditional and digital formats. These maps are essential for property transactions, zoning, and public planning.

The Engineering Department’s revenue comes primarily from gasoline taxes, vehicle registration fees, and permissive license taxes. In 2024, the department operated on a budget of approximately $7.6 million, with major expenses including salaries, materials, equipment, and contracted services

To bridge the gap between available funds and infrastructure needs, the department aggressively pursues state and federal grants. Since 2016, it has secured over $18 million in competitive grants, allowing for the completion of critical projects that would otherwise be financially out of reach.

“We chase grant dollars to fund some of the bigger projects,” said Keaton. “It's difficult to replace a bridge these days for less than half a million dollars. Bigger projects like that require us to go out and hire consultants and contractors to do the actual replacements. We usually hire consultants to do our bridge designs. We do our own roadway designs, but for bridges we hire consultants. Then, we have to bid those and we'll work with contractors and inspection firms to get those bridges done. The most recent one we did was Pleasant Valley Road, which we did this past year.”

Future projects include the Howard-Danville Bridge. 

“That's the one on the north side of Howard on Howard-Danville Road,” said Keaton. “That closure will affect residential and school bus traffic that goes around that way. Anytime you do a project and shut down a roadway, you're going to impact people. but when it's all done, the new bridge is going to last 50 to 75 years.”

One of the department’s most significant recent undertakings is the Danville-Amity Road Safety Improvement Project, a $2.9 million initiative funded entirely by the Ohio Department of Transportation Safety Funds and the Ohio Public Works Commission. The project includes roadway widening, resurfacing, ditch improvements, culvert work, and guardrail installation. Construction began in early 2024.

Another major effort is the Kokosing Gap Trail paving project, a collaboration with the Knox County Park District. The 14-mile trail, popular with young and old alike, is undergoing its first major resurfacing in two decades. The project is supported by a $1.1 million Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant from ODOT, with engineering support provided by the county.

Keaton works with the 22 townships in Knox County from an engineering standpoint. 

“While I don’t work for the townships, I am the engineering consultant for the townships,” said Keaton. “So, if they have a project going on, if they want to apply for grant dollars, the townships usually come to us, and then we will work with them on a project. We help them put an estimate together and get through that process.”

Along with that, the County Engineering Department will also replace culvert pipe on township roadways, if it's 48 inches in diameter or larger. 

“That's usually bigger than what they can handle themselves,” said Keaton. “Our crews will go in and do the replacement on those larger pipes.”

The department also issues permits for driveway access, utility work, and special hauling, ensuring that all road-related activities meet safety and engineering standards. These permits help regulate traffic flow, protect infrastructure, and maintain public safety.

“The biggest thing, ultimately, is the funding for roads and bridges,” said Keaton. “People talk about how they need money for infrastructure. They even talk about it at the federal level. There's just not a lot happening from that standpoint. The last big bump we got was around 2019 or 2020 when they had a small increase in the state gas tax. That bumped our revenue stream up about $2 million annually, from about $5 million to about $7 million. Unfortunately, inflation took off at the same time so any of that increased revenue we were receiving got eaten up by the double-digit inflation. So, we really never got to take advantage of that. We always have our backs up against the wall when it comes to funding.”

The money for the engineering department’s budget comes primarily from gas tax and license plate fees. “The gas tax is across the entire state of Ohio,” said Keaton. “All that money goes into the state and then the state divides it by 88, so all the counties get a fair share of the gas tax. When it comes to license plate fees, those are specific to Knox County only. So the $3.5 million we get from the gas tax and the $3.5 million we get from the license plate fees goes into our $7 million dollar budget.”

That's not a lot of money when you consider what it takes to keep the bridges and roads maintained, free of snow, and properly marked, among other things.

A good, well-maintained system of roadways are a vital part of keeping this county going.

“If I got a road that is closed or a bridge that is posted and you can't get a fire truck across that road, to get to a fire, that's a problem,” said Keaton. “When you think about it, anything that you do, the first step is that you get on a public roadway. If you're selling something, shipping something, or a company is buying something, or you're going to work, you’re on a road or you're going over a bridge. So many people take these roads and bridges and culverts for granted. They don't see behind the scenes of the revenues that we are working with. We would love to do more work on roads and bridges, but we only have a certain amount of money and it's a fixed amount.” 

One of the current projects Keaton is involved in is updating the subdivision regulations for Knox County. With the population of Knox County expected to increase, so will the need for living space.

“Subdivision regulations set the standards for new development and those type of things,” said Keaton. “Subdivision regulations are primarily run through regional planning. Our regional planning office is responsible for maintaining those regulations in Knox County. However, I have a big part in it because I'm the one that has to enforce those regulations. We're going through a big update with that right now because our subdivision regulations have not been updated since about 2015. With the new growth that's coming into Knox County, we need to get a better set of standards underneath our belt, so we can better control the development. The development is going to come one way or the other. We have a saying, ‘Either you control the development or the development controls you.’ So, we're trying to get ahead of the curve a little bit before we get too big of a push into Knox County. We want to have a good set of control standards that people have to build by. Those are our roads, our water lines, our sewer lines, and those types of things. We want to make sure everything is getting installed properly.”

Most people, in the hustle and bustle of their daily lives, have little time to think about what the County Engineering Department does.

“It's like when you're in the country and you have a well for your water.” said Keaton. “When that well runs dry, all of a sudden you don't have water. That changes your life. It's the same thing with roads and bridges. If I have to take a bridge down or close it off, that impacts everybody. It changes the route of travel and how they get from point A to point B. School buses, fire, EMS, and everyone else are impacted by that. I just don't think the people put enough emphasis on the maintenance of roads and bridges that we have out there. Of course, I'm a little biased because I’m the county engineer. It’s for the benefit of the public. We're just trying to keep the public of Knox County, moving through Knox County, safely, and without any interruptions.”