Highway Maintenance Specialist I #1477 - Highway - Public Works Division

About the Role

Under close supervision, performs a variety of duties related to the maintenance of County highways and bridges such as road striping, sign installation, cutting trees, maintenance of right-of-way, fencing, traffic control, and repair of road beds.

Responsibilities

• Performs general labor/road maintenance and repair work, including but not limited to:
  • Sign installation and repair
  • Cutting trees and vegetation
  • Installation and repair of guardrails
  • Traffic control to ensure work zone safety
  • Maintenance of right-of-way and fencing
  • May oversee inmates assisting with road maintenance
• Operates a variety of heavy vehicles and equipment (e.g., front-end loaders, tractors, rollers) for loading, hauling, and unloading materials and supplies safely and efficiently.
• Performs vehicle and equipment checks and preventive maintenance.
• May assist in snow removal and ice control, including emergency weather conditions outside normal work hours.
• Works around moving equipment and may be exposed to various weather conditions and hazards.
• Performs specific tasks such as:
  • Install or Repair Guardrails: Lifting and carrying components (posts up to 50 lbs, rails up to 200 lbs), using tools like sledge hammers, pry bars, and wrenches.
  • Cutting and Removing Trees: Using chainsaws (25 lbs), axes (10 lbs), and sledgehammers (15 lbs); handling logs and branches weighing 5–100 lbs, often for extended periods (up to 12 hours) during inclement weather.
  • Erecting and Repairing Fences: Lifting and carrying fence posts (5–75 lbs), wire rolls (25–200 lbs), pole drivers (25–75 lbs), and other tools; manipulating components by lifting, pushing, and pulling.
  • Cleaning Drain Tile: Working in confined spaces, lifting concrete box lids (100–300 lbs with crew assistance), using high-pressure hoses, and digging around drainage structures.
  • Salt and Sand Distribution: Shoveling and spreading salt/sand in areas inaccessible to trucks.
  • Cleaning Leaves: Using pitchforks, rakes, and brooms to clear ditches and drainage structures.
  • Flagging and Traffic Control: Placing signs (10 lbs), stands (20 lbs), and using flags/paddles (1–3 lbs); requires constant mental alertness and prolonged standing.
  • Weedeating: Operating weedeaters (12 lbs), blowers (10 lbs), and brooms (3 lbs).
  • Cutting/Grinding Concrete and Asphalt: Lifting and operating walk-behind saws (100 lbs), grinders (125 lbs), and handheld saws (25 lbs), often requiring crew assistance for transport.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Valid driver’s license.
• Must complete Hamilton County Defensive Driving course and/or Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) prior to operating County-owned vehicles.
• Position is deemed essential/situational during inclement weather; must report to or remain at work regardless of administrative closings.
• Identified as "safety sensitive" under Department of Transportation regulations; subject to drug and alcohol testing (pre-employment, random, post-accident, reasonable cause, return-to-duty, and follow-up).

Skills and Knowledge

• Knowledge:
  • Guidelines for sign installation, right-of-way maintenance, and road equipment operation.
  • Hamilton County policies, procedures, and geography.
  • Federal, State, and County codes/regulations related to highway maintenance, workplace, and traffic safety.
• Skills:
  • Reading, interpreting, and applying rules, regulations, and policies.
  • Operating hand tools and equipment (e.g., shovels, rakes, weed-eaters, mowers, tractors).
  • Basic laborer functions (digging, raking, lifting, carrying).
  • Effective oral and written communication.
  • Maintaining cooperative working relationships with the public, staff, contractors, and other departments.

Physical Requirements

• Sustained physical effort involving considerable walking, standing, and limited sitting/driving.
• Frequent standing, talking, and hearing; occasional climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, and crawling.
• Frequently lifts/moves up to 10 lbs; occasionally lifts/moves up to 100 lbs (with assistance for heavier loads).
• Vision requirements: close, distance, color, peripheral, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
• Regularly works in outside weather conditions (hot, cold, wet, dry, dusty, muddy, windy, humid).
• Frequently works near moving equipment/mechanical parts; exposed to vibrations, jostling, and bouncing.
• May work in high/precarious places, exposed to fumes, airborne particles, toxic/caustic chemicals.
• Noise level in work environment is usually loud.

Additional Information

• Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
• Overtime hours are not guaranteed and subject to change.
• Position requires in-person work with regular and punctual attendance.
• May require work on holidays, weekends, or irregular hours, including extended shifts with short notice.