Trinity County transportation director warns aging fleet, limited funds threaten road response and repairs

Panos Kokos, Trinity County director of transportation, told the Board of Supervisors that his department maintains 692 miles of county roads, operates transit and five general‑aviation airports and is facing mounting disaster repair needs, aging equipment and staffing shortages that limit routine maintenance and emergency response.

Kokos told the board the 692 miles include about 166 federal‑eligible centerline miles and about 526 local‑only miles; of the county network he said roughly 462 miles are paved and 230 are unpaved. He said the department also oversees 101 bridges, more than 5,000 culverts and transit routes that provide free rides for college students to Shasta College.

Why it matters: Kokos said the combination of limited discretionary funding, long FEMA and federal‑aid reimbursement processes, and new emissions rules for older diesel vehicles threatens the county’s ability to keep roads passable and to respond quickly to storms, landslides and wildfire‑related failures.

Kokos described routine operations, disaster work and funding rules. He said many county roads are thinly surfaced chip‑seal or gravel sections built on marginal subgrade; heavy trucks produce far more wear than cars. The department, he said, faces recurring emergency work: between 2016 and 2025 the department identified roughly 225 locations needing repair, which Kokos estimated could cost $150 million if fixed today. He said FEMA has deemed about $41 million of those locations ineligible for federal assistance.

Kokos outlined funding…