Street Names: Where Policy and History Meet

March 5, 2018 by Lynn Nordby
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

Wherever you travel the names of the local streets can help you find your way, confuse you, or very often tell you a bit about the unique history of the community. Having a logical, local policy on street naming (or renaming) can provide help future generations understand and retain the original meaning.

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Understanding Municipal Rights-of-Way: From Centerline to Edge (Part 3)

December 7, 2017 by Oskar Rey
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

In Part 3 of Legal Consultant Oskar Rey's series on municipal rights-of-way, he looks at utilities, franchises, small cell facilities, and right-of-way use permits. 

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Understanding Municipal Rights-of-Way: From Centerline to Edge (Part 2)

November 7, 2017 by Oskar Rey
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

In the second of three posts on understanding municipal rights-of-way, Legal Consultant Oskar Rey discusses sidewalks, street trees, and the areas near the outer edge of the right-of-way. 

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Understanding Municipal Rights-of-Way: From Centerline to Edge (Part 1)

September 27, 2017 by Oskar Rey
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

MRSC gets a lot of inquiries about street rights-of-way. Over the years, we have touched on specific aspects of rights-of-way on our website and in blog articles. In this two part series, MRSC Legal Consultant Oskar Rey will cover the fundamentals of rights-of-way and the duties of local government and abutting owners.

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Summer Fun: Tips on Holding Summer Community Celebrations

June 19, 2017 by Flannary Collins
Category: Administration and Management , Streets and Sidewalks

Summer officially commences on Tuesday, June 20, and a lot of Washington cities and counties take advantage of the lovely Washington summers by holding a community celebration. In this post, Flannary Collins covers how to incorporate food and drink into your festivities as well as considerations related to parades. 

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Smarter, Safer Roads by Design

November 8, 2016 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

A while ago, I asked a group of city and county PWDs/Engineers these questions: “What neat and innovative things are your public works consultants and contractors doing on your road projects and what is on your wish list?”  Aside from this tongue-in-cheek response: “I’m anxious for pre-striped, asphalt roads that come in big rolls, like sod,” no one r...

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Municipalities Now Responsible for Addressing View-Obstructing Roadside Vegetation

February 4, 2016 by Bob Meinig
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

In a short, unanimous opinion issued last week, the Washington Supreme Court concluded that a municipality – a city or county – can be held liable for hazardous conditions on its roads created by naturally occurring roadside vegetation.

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Filling Gaps in your City’s Streetscape

April 23, 2015 by John W. Carpita, PE
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

Your city likely has locations where undeveloped lots are platted, or just exist, without the full range of improvements that are required in today's subdivisions – and now you have folks who want to build on these lots. A likely scenario is that the street serving those lots was once a rural two-lane road without sidewalks, curb and gutter, or storm drains, or that city ordinances at...

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Sidewalk Trip and Fall . . . Who is at Fault? Who Pays?

May 1, 2013
Category: Streets and Sidewalks

Many damage claims are brought against municipalities as a result of someone slipping, tripping, or falling on a sidewalk. If a jurisdiction fails to keep its sidewalks in a reasonable state of repair, free of...

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