Transportation Engineers
Architecture and Engineering
Prepares designs, specifications, and cost estimates for highways, streets, bridges, airports, commuter rail, drainage, and roadway lighting. Existing roads get studied and altered when traffic flow or safety is poor; accident data, pedestrian volumes, and similar reports feed those recommendations. Plans and calculations are checked against engineering standards, then discussed with contractors, utilities, and government agencies, and sometimes presented at public hearings. Final drawings include stress calculations and other construction details. It suits people who like careful plan-checking, practical math, and working through how vehicles and pedestrians actually use a road.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$100'840
Median Wage Market Position
$100'840
What you might do
- Design highways, streets, and transit systems
- Plan changes to existing roads and structures
- Check plans, calculations, and cost estimates
- Investigate traffic problems and recommend fixes
- Meet contractors and agencies about project plans
- Present maps and findings at public meetings
Skills that matter
- Drafting highway, airport, and street layouts
- Checking traffic plans against engineering standards
- Written reports on traffic and safety
- Public-hearing presentations of maps and data
- Planning changes that improve traffic flow
- Talks with utilities, contractors, and agencies
AI & the future of this role
Traffic simulation and design software could take on more planning analysis, while site constraints, stakeholder negotiation, and safety sign-off remain harder to automate. Heavy screen-based design work leaves this role only moderately protected.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details