What does a civil transportation engineer do?
Civil transportation engineers plan, design, operate, and maintain efficient and safe transportation systems. These engineers develop the plans for the transportation systems or the systems' parts. They are working on transportation projects for streets, roadway lighting, bridges, drainage, and highways. It is their responsibility to ensure the compliance of transportation plans with the engineering standards and federal and state construction policies. They work with utility companies, government agencies, and contractors.
Civil transportation engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real civil transportation engineer resumes:
- Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
- Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
- Perform geotechnical instrumentation monitoring and data collection
Civil transportation engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Civil Transportation Engineers are proficient in Civil 3D, Transportation Projects, and Inroads. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Math skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Civil Transportation Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Civil 3D, 15%
Water main alignment design in Civil 3D Sidewalk improvement/prioritization study Exhibit preparation and concept cost estimates in Civil 3D.
- Transportation Projects, 11%
Performed environmental documentation and permitting for numerous transportation projects.
- Inroads, 8%
Assisted with the management of Bentley software packages; MicroStation, InRoads, and ProjectWise.
- Roadway Design, 8%
Performed traffic operations analysis and geometric roadway design including horizontal and vertical curve design as well as traffic impact study.
- Design Reviews, 7%
Design reviews, risk assessments from a technical standpoint.
- Design Calculations, 5%
Developed and Checked design calculation of an Erosion and Sedimentation Control Plan.
Most civil transportation engineers use their skills in "civil 3d," "transportation projects," and "inroads" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential civil transportation engineer responsibilities here:
Math skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling civil transportation engineer duties is math skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." According to a civil transportation engineer resume, here's how civil transportation engineers can utilize math skills in their job responsibilities: "performed complex mathematical calculations that required knowledge of civil engineering"
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for civil transportation engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how civil transportation engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a civil transportation engineer: "coordinated and organized training for staff; prepared organizational charts and composed meeting minutes. ".
Problem-solving skills. A big part of what civil transportation engineers do relies on "problem-solving skills." You can see how essential it is to civil transportation engineer responsibilities because "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical civil transportation engineer tasks: "project management of various airport projects (security access, fire alarm computer solutions for departmental needs. "
The three companies that hire the most civil transportation engineers are:
- Wsp USA Buildings Inc.11 civil transportation engineers jobs
- AECOM9 civil transportation engineers jobs
- Halff Associates9 civil transportation engineers jobs
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Compare different civil transportation engineers
Civil transportation engineer vs. Representative projects
A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a civil transportation engineer are more likely to require skills like "pe," "civil 3d," "transportation projects," and "inroads." On the other hand, a job as a representative projects requires skills like "infrastructure," "osha," "autocad," and "construction observation." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Representative projects tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $64,096. In contrast, civil transportation engineers make the biggest average salary, $88,250, in the government industry.The education levels that representative projects earn slightly differ from civil transportation engineers. In particular, representative projects are 6.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a civil transportation engineer. Additionally, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Civil transportation engineer vs. Structural designer
A structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing. They also shadow the team's best practices and recommend ways to maximize productivity and efficiency to deliver high-quality outputs within the required deadlines. A structural engineering intern must be highly technical and analytical, especially on designing deliverables that meet quality standards.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, civil transportation engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "pe," "transportation projects," "inroads," and "roadway design." Meanwhile, a structural designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "revit," "structural design," "bim," and "navisworks." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Structural designers earn a lower average salary than civil transportation engineers. But structural designers earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $69,802. Additionally, civil transportation engineers earn the highest salaries in the government with average pay of $88,250 annually.structural designers earn lower levels of education than civil transportation engineers in general. They're 10.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for civil transportation engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Civil transportation engineer vs. Structural engineering internship
Field engineers are engineering professionals who work on-site in a different setting to direct workers and report to the management about the status of different projects. These engineers are required to resolve malfunctions or other crises such as construction or machinery problems while overseeing repairs and technical improvements. They must conduct research and studies on-site and installing new systems and technology to ensure smooth operations of machinery. Field engineers must also communicate with clients to discuss and determine the needs and explain complex issues of projects.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from civil transportation engineer resumes include skills like "pe," "civil 3d," "transportation projects," and "inroads," whereas a structural engineering internship is more likely to list skills in "structural analysis," "revit," "powerpoint," and "structural design. "
Structural engineering interns make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $56,459. On the other hand, civil transportation engineers are paid the highest salary in the government industry, with average annual pay of $88,250.When it comes to education, structural engineering interns tend to earn similar degree levels compared to civil transportation engineers. In fact, they're 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Civil transportation engineer vs. Project field engineer
Even though a few skill sets overlap between civil transportation engineers and project field engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a civil transportation engineer might have more use for skills like "pe," "civil 3d," "transportation projects," and "inroads." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of project field engineers require skills like "project management," "osha," "field supervision," and "construction contracts. "
The energy industry tends to pay the highest salaries for project field engineers, with average annual pay of $73,847. Comparatively, the highest civil transportation engineer annual salary comes from the government industry.project field engineers reach lower levels of education compared to civil transportation engineers, in general. The difference is that they're 8.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of civil transportation engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
