Highway Department

The Ramsey County Highway Department is charged with the responsibility to construct, maintain, and operate the county road system as designated and selected by the Board of County Commissioners.
Ramsey County five-sided badge with the number 1 centered

Responsibilities

The Ramsey County Highway Department currently maintains:

  • 106 miles of blacktop roads
  • 74 miles of gravel on the federal aid system
  • 38 miles of gravel shared with other agencies
  • 49 bridges that are large enough to qualify for federal funding

The Highway Department contracts with the Townships in Ramsey County to maintain an additional 850 miles of graveled Township roads. The Townships also hire Ramsey County to do snow removal.

Markers & Signs

All county roads are marked with blue route markers at major intersections. If the road does not have a blue route marker, it is owned and maintained by a Township.

Bridges that are not signed for ton ratings can carry legal loads. Bridges that are signed with a "ton rating" sign can only carry a maximum capacity of what the sign says.

Road Plan

Ramsey County has a road plan that lists the current year projects and all future maintenance and improvement projects. The road plan can be found here: Ramsey County Highway 5 Year Plan (PDF)

The road plan is updated annually and projects are added as they come up and funds become available. 

This Road Projects Map (PDF)  shows the projects scheduled for 2023. 

Review the road design standards (PDF).

Permits

At his discretion, the Ramsey County Highway Department Superintendent may issue the following types of permits:   

  • Single Trip Movement for Non-Reducible Oversize/Overweight Vehicle Load
  • Right of Way Utility
  • Haul Road
  • House Moving
  • Approaches
Please click on this link to our Permits Page for more information and forms.


Motor Graders Available

Ramsey County has 5 outlying shops that house motor graders. They are located in: 

  • Penn - 701-393-5361
  • Webster - 701-395-4350
  • Starkweather - 701-292-5351
  • Edmore - 701-644-2487
  • Crary - 701-398-5361

Positions

The County Highway Superintendent is employed at the discretion of the Board of County Commissioners with the powers and duties as per North Dakota Century Code Chapter 11-31 (PDF).