Engineering Department Annual Reports

Series

Identifier: 1802-G2

Scope and Contents note

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Engineering Department annual reports date from 1899 to 1995. The 1909 report of Refuse Destructor No. 1 is also included in this series. This report includes information on composition of refuse, number of tons of refuse burned, temperature, and other statistics. The reports contain detailed information on paving, sewers, bridges, construction, arterial design, and many other types of work. For example, reports in the 1930s contain information on works Progress Administration projects and the 1940 reports contains photographs of the seawall construction along Harbor Avenue Southwest. Separate financial and statistical reports, primarily in the 1950s through the 1970s, follow the annual report. Traffic division reports exist for 1940 to 1975. These reports cover traffic surveys, traffic planning, design, signals, signs and markings, various graphs of traffic accidents, and other information. Sewer Utility reports exist for 1956 to 1958 and Recycling and Waste Reduction reports date from 1983 to 1985.

Dates

Creation: 1893-1995

Creator

Seattle (Wash.). Engineering Dept. (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access note

Records are open to the public.

Historical Note

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The Engineering Department (SED) maintained the City's streets and bridges, designed and oversaw construction of public works projects, provided traffic and transportation planning, and operated the sewer and solid waste utility. The position of City Surveyor was created in 1873 to survey the City, establish boundaries and street grades, and administer condemnation processes. This position was renamed City Engineer in 1890. In 1931 the Engineering Department absorbed part of the Department of Public Utilities and in 1936 it assumed the responsibilities of the Department of Streets and Sewers and the Traffic Department. In 1997, the water, solid waste, drainage, and wastewater utilities from the Engineering and Water departments were merged with the Engineering Services Division of SED and the Customer Service Call Center and Construction Engineering Sections of City Light to form Seattle Public Utilities. The traffic and transportation functions of the Engineering Department were consolidated in the Seattle Transportation Department.

Full Extent

3.6 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Location of Records

SMA

General Note

A Comptroller or Clerk File (CF) can consist of correspondence, reports, petitions, contracts, agreements, etc. from elected officials, City departments, other government agencies, or the general public, which have been placed on file with the Office of the City Clerk (OCC). They are primarily permanent records, but also include routine material which was periodically purged. Certain archival records identified in the CF have been removed, arranged into records series, and incorporated into the collection of the Seattle Municipal Archives, a program of the OCC.