Saline County Road and Bridge Marks 3,000 Days Without Lost-Time Accident
Saline County Road and Bridge Administrator Darren Fishel reported during the November 10, 2026 commission meeting that the department had reached 3,000 working days without a lost-time accident.
Fishel described the milestone as a rare safety achievement, noting it represents roughly 11 to 12 consecutive years of full-time operations without an injury severe enough to make an employee miss a shift. Commissioners offered congratulations to Road and Bridge employees.
In his September-October update, Fishel reviewed a range of department activities. He reported the county helped with tire collection at Salina's citywide cleanup, which collected 3,555 tires, with 34 percent of loads coming from Saline County and 16 volunteers contributing about 88 hours. He said the department would like to consider moving the tire collection event to its own facility going forward.
Fishel said the department replaced 13 culverts countywide, bladed 1,419 miles of road, and repaired or replaced 137 signs, much of it related to windstorm damage. He also noted the county completed its countywide striping this fall, stating that a KDOT study found Saline County is one of five counties that stripes every paved road and is likely the only county in Kansas that re-stripes paved roads every year.
He also reported the county closed out a FEMA flood reimbursement and should receive about $75,000, and that the department is administering two more FEMA projects, for the April hailstorm and the June windstorm. Fishel said the department's budget is doing well despite high fuel prices.
