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Roading Engineer

Roading engineers design, plan and supervise the building and repair of structures such as roads, motorways, car parks, pavements, tunnels, freight terminals and traffic islands. Roading engineers may also research driver behaviour and road safety.

Tasks & duties

Roading engineers may do some or all of the following:

consult members of the public, clients, professionals and government officials
examine sites on which work is to be carried out
measure and evaluate traffic flow, traffic growth, the reliability of road links, passing lanes and the number of people using road surfaces such as pavements
write reports and make recommendations on road development
prepare geometric designs and construction specifications
prepare cost estimates and evaluate the cost efficiency of projects
arrange for contractors to do the work
supervise the work in progress
ensure building and safety standards are met
deal with emergencies such as slips and floods
study road-user behaviour
keep up to date with roading techniques and technologies
participate in crash reduction studies, safety audits and make recommendations about road safety

Skills & knowledge

Roading engineers need to have:

knowledge of civil engineering
knowledge of relevant legislation such as the Resource Management Act, the New Zealand Building Code, local by-laws and town planning regulations
skill in analysing and interpreting information such as client requirements, plans and designs
problem-solving skills
planning and organisational skills
good communication skills
writing skills for producing reports
Computer skills in areas such as computer modelling, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and CAD (Computer Aided Design) software is also useful.

Entry requirements

To become a roading engineer you need a Bachelor of Engineering. A Diploma in Engineering or equivalent diploma may also be acceptable.

Secondary education

To enter tertiary training, Bursary or NCEA equivalent English, maths with calculus, physics and chemistry is preferred.

Training on the job

Skills are gained on the job. Roading engineers may attend courses, seminars, workshops and conferences to keep their skills up to date.

Roading engineers may apply to the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ) to become a chartered professional engineer (CPEng) after:

completing relevant qualifications
gaining appropriate work experience (usually four to five years)
completing a practical competency assessment

To maintain registration, chartered engineers need to demonstrate their ability to practice and display evidence of undertaking professional development at least every five years.

Registration

Roading engineers should be registered with the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand (IPENZ).

Useful Experience

Experience working in road construction, draughting or engineering contracting is useful for roading engineers. Experience working as a civil engineering technician or a planner is also useful as an alternative route to being a roading engineer.