ADOT recognizes national Engineers Week

PHOENIX – President Herbert Hoover once said that the high privilege of an engineer is watching an idea grow into a reality that elevates the standard of living. During this week’s observance of the annual Engineers Week, the Arizona Department of Transportation is recognizing the importance of engineers and the quality of life they help provide in the Grand Canyon State every day.

ADOT’s engineers work to improve the quality of life in Arizona through improvements to the state’s transportation infrastructure. Civil engineers design, build and maintain highways and bridges. Electrical and computer engineers implement systems to allow ADOT to monitor traffic conditions, and keep drivers up to date with overhead message boards and the Traveler Information System. Engineers of all types play critical roles in building and maintaining the state highway system, while managing traffic throughout the state.

“The vocation of an engineer is crucial to our society,” said ADOT Director John Halikowski. “At ADOT, our engineers are committed to deliver a transportation system that benefits all Arizonans. As our engineers continuously look for ways to improve our transportation system, we should all recognize their hard work and dedication to improving Arizona.”

ADOT also plays a role in the development of future generations of engineers. The agency’s Engineer-in-Training program provides opportunities for recent engineering graduates and students interested in engineering to learn valuable skills and, in many cases, advance to positions at ADOT.

“I chose to study engineering because I was always interested in math, and engineering is a way to apply it to real life,” said Elizabeth Weil, an engineer-in-training with ADOT. “I want to look back and say I was a part of a project like the [I-10] Deck Park Tunnel or the [I-17] Stack Transition.”

The first Engineers Week was celebrated in 1951 when it was initiated by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

Learn more about this year’s Engineers Week at DiscoverE.org.