Engineering

The next time you trek to Las Vegas and notice work crews are widening another section of US 93, you might pause for a moment to think of the work of Kara Lavertue.

Lavertue’s role at ADOT includes working on high-profile improvements like widening that busy highway between Sin City and Phoenix, but her job doesn’t involve grading the roadbed or running asphalt paving machines. That’s because Lavertue is one of many engineers at ADOT whose work is more behind the scenes, in this case overseeing construction projects.

At first glance, Computer-Aided Design and Drafting ‒ or CADD ‒ looks like a really cool video game: cool colors, neat graphics, and the ability to change just about anything at the push of a keyboard button. However, CADD is not a game for the engineers in ADOT’s Roadway Design Division. CADD is where all ADOT roads and structures, such as roundabouts, begin to take shape.

“If changes are needed, or alternatives need checking,” Roadway Design Manager Doug Smith said, “we can look at that as projects develop.”

Feb. 20-26 is National Engineers Week and we're grateful for the work they do, building and maintaining the state highway system.

Gregory Byres named incoming State Engineer

ADOT veteran succeeds retiring Dallas Hammit

PHOENIX - Gregory Byres, P.E., has been named the incoming Deputy Director for Transportation and State Engineer for the Arizona Department of Transportation. He will succeed Dallas Hammit, who is retiring after 22 years with ADOT. 

The first-of-its-kind dust detection and warning system installed by the Arizona Department of Transportation has been named one of the “Infrastructure Gamechangers” by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

For Women's History Month we talked with several women at ADOT about how they entered into a career in transportation.

As National Engineers Week wraps up, we just want to say thank you to myriad of engineers working in transportation.

PHOENIX – When many school children started staying home when the pandemic hit last year, the Arizona Department of Transportation launched a new outreach campaign called “ADOT Kids,” which seeks to educate children on transportation through videos, games and activities geared for them.

It's Engineers Week and ADOT Director John Halikowski is saying a big thank you for all that engineers do for the agency.

Riprap and hydro-seeded mulch may not sound that interesting, but they are doing the important work of keeping drivers safe on State Route 87.

When ADOT constructs a new road or bridge, you can thank somebody like Patrice Brun for being one of the first engineers to turn over the soil or move the rock.

But Brun isn’t putting down asphalt or building bridge piers. As a geotechnical engineer, his job is to understand the makeup of the earth beneath a future project. With that knowledge, other engineers can then determine the best type of pavement for that location, what efforts are needed to stabilize a slope or how to ensure a bridge will stand up to the forces of Mother Nature.

Depending on the job, ADOT’s team of engineers has different responsibilities and experiences. Delivering the state’s massive highway infrastructure system involves a variety of roles for engineers.

During National Engineers Week, we bring you the story of one ADOT engineer who knows her job is much more than math and measurements.

While the most visible aspect of engineering at ADOT is building, maintaining and operating state highways, there’s a lot of prep work that goes into projects. One area of ADOT that does a lot of preparation work to help keep important highway projects moving on schedule is the Utility and Railroad Engineering section.

It has been said that engineers solve problems you didn’t know you had in ways you don’t understand.

More than 60 years ago, Frances Walker became the first female engineer with the Arizona Highway Department. Here is what highway engineering looked like back then.