How To Become A Bridge Design Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a bridge design engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Bridge design engineers work for civil engineering and specialize in preparing the construction of bridges. They design structures and plan the maintenance work necessary to keep bridges long-lasting and functional. They coordinate construction workers and oversee manufacturing processes to ensure the environmental impact of the construction is kept at a minimum.

You will work for a government agency or a civil engineering firm. It will be your job to perform structural analysis and create structure designs. You will also be responsible for preparing contracts and documents, along with work plans, budget estimates, and project specifications. You will meet with clients regularly to discuss expectations and the progress of the work.

You will need a degree in civil engineering to take on this role. You will probably need to have experience on the job as well, and being licensed as a professional engineer will also be necessary. This position comes with a lot of responsibility and challenging but also inspiring work. Professionals in this role make $61,000 on average per year.

ScoreBridge Design EngineerUS Average

Salary

5.5

Avg. Salary $70,594

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.30%

Asian 17.85%

Black or African American 3.55%

Hispanic or Latino 10.46%

Unknown 4.57%

White 63.28%

Gender

female 16.67%

male 83.33%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a bridge design engineer

Explore bridge design engineer education requirements

Most common bridge design engineer degrees

Bachelor's

75.9 %

Master's

13.4 %

Associate

5.4 %

Start to develop specific bridge design engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Civil Engineering	11.14%
CAD	10.97%
Structural Design	8.96%
Cost Estimates	8.85%
Retaining Walls	8.42%

Complete relevant bridge design engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New bridge design engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a bridge design engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real bridge design engineer resumes.

Research bridge design engineer duties and responsibilities

Manage the development of the next generation products base on existing refrigerants and CO2 system including prototyping and initial manufacturing run.
Prepare complex structural drawings for clients with MicroStation and AutoCAD.
Assist in coordinating work with other disciplines such as roadway, geotechnical and hydraulics.
Used AutoCAD as the primary software tool from draft prototypes to final design in majority projects.

Prepare your bridge design engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your bridge design engineer resume.

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