Engineers Week: Training guided this engineer to a career designing roadways

Erica Eggen knew when entering college that engineering was the right career path for her, thanks in part to encouragement from two grandfathers who were themselves engineers.

But with so many kinds of engineering to choose from – she had been drawn to electrical and later bridge engineering – it wasn’t until she’d entered ADOT’s Engineer in Training (EIT) program that she discovered which kind of engineering she really wanted to pursue. 

For Eggen, that was roadway design engineering.

Yet that was only after sampling just about every other speciality at ADOT and learning the best choice for her was one that involved working with all those other types of engineers. 

“With the EIT program, I learned about the different jobs that people have at ADOT,” Eggen said. “I feel like the EIT program does a really good job seeing what people do and where people fit in. As college students, that’s a really big question: Where do I fit in?”

After 17 years as an engineer at ADOT, Eggen is now a team leader overseeing two engineers and three designers. Her many projects have included overseeing a shoulder widening project on State Route 260 in the Heber area.

And as of today, she’s working on two of the largest, most high-profile projects in Arizona: The I-10 Gila River bridge replacement project between Phoenix and Casa Grande, and the I-40/US 93 system-to-system interchange project in Kingman.

For these projects, roadway design engineers consult with experts across ADOT. That means specialists in bridge engineering, drainage, environmental, geotechnical, pavement design, utilities, right-of-way, landscape architecture and more. 

“There’s about 10 different teams that we work with on a regular basis, and that’s on almost every project,” Eggen said. “That’s one thing the EIT program teaches you.” 

Eggen now enjoys getting to work with people enrolled in ADOT’s EIT program as their rotation through various departments include roadway design. The newest generation of ADOT engineers not only get to meet other engineers they’ll work with on future projects, but they also get a taste of each kind of engineering before deciding which is best for them. 

“If you have a chance to do the EIT program, it’s something you’ll be glad you did for the rest of your career because it’s rare that you’ll have a chance to try different types of engineering,” Eggen said.