This is US-40 between Columbia and Boonville, MO. The whole road is orange. Whenever I am driving and come across an orange road, I am so curious as to what causes it. I wish all roads were this color, they look so nice with the landscape!

Could be a hot take but…

Been in land development for 10+ years and I can’t stand doing erosion control plans. Every state/city/county is so picky about exactly what they want to see. Plus dealing with endless checklists, forms, applications and unreasonably convoluted permitting processes for this very specific thing.

On top of all that, it makes the engineer guess how the contractor wants to manage their site. The construction site changes infinitely every single day, but we have 2-3 phases showing these discrete points in time attempting to capture this perpetually changing beast. Its borderline means and methods.

In my opinion, erosion control should be 100% the responsibility of the contractor to design and implement. It’s hard enough to get them to follow anything that gets put on engineering plans. Also, jurisdictions could really help themselves out and streamline some of these processes.

I'm working from home and the road outside is having new tarmac laid. Whilst taking the road up their pneumatic drill on the JCB has just knocked one of these (frame & lid) out of place. They've pushed it back into place and apoear to be going to tarmac around it Is this ok? Should it be set in place? Will we be getting a sink hole soon? Should I contact the council? Thanks. For the rules warning - this is not DIY support

The American rail network is a relic compared to those of the rest of the world. I've visited different countries and got to use their rail transportation (whether it be underground metros or high speed rail), and boy does it feel like stepping into the future.

I read an article about how Japan recently conducted a speed test of the L0 series Maglev Train, and after looking at the specs I noticed that its design, record, and operational speeds are 550 km/h, 600 km/h, and 500 km/h respectively (that's 342, 373, and 311 mph respectively for the yanks). China has managed to develop an extensive high speed rail network in less than 20 years, and the landmass of mainland China is around the same as that of the US.

But then you come to the US and you see these sad, sardine can looking Amtrak diesel trains that are beholden to the Class I freight companies since the latter own pretty much every major rail corridor in the US, and it's been like that for forever, leading to a horribly inefficient rail network primarily due to traffic priority being given to the freight trains. Sure, there are some sporadic high speed rail lines in progress, most notably the California High Speed Rail, but how long has it been between kickoff to start of construction to now, and only a portion of the line is operational.

The parasites known as NIMBYs, airline and automobile lobbyists, and numerous government officials are to blame; they see such modernization projects as costs rather than investments, disturbances to their gated communities and their house values rather than a practical, more efficient method of transportation. Also, freight companies make bank out of Amtrak leasing their corridors to use so they don't want to give it up.

America needs a total overhaul of it's rail infrastructure.

To my manager that gives me more work than anyone should handle, who never says thank you, who never acknowledges how hard I work, the constant late nights, the 60 hour work weeks, and who takes credit for any successes that I have.

It's going to be so satisfying to quit. Let the countdown begin.

I'm a WRE in California, working for the state, and recently was bumped from Range C to Range D after PE licensure. However, my salary increase was only one half of the max difference, i.e. about $500/mo gross instead of about $1000/mo. For other CA public employees, what's your experience going from C to D? Did you get the full increase or close to it? A $500/mo bump is ~5% increase in my case. Granted, I'm working off of the one-off backpay (prorated to my PE date), which may not represent the full increase? TIA!

This is the third time I’ve been on a project where an external deadline for submission has been pushed back for different reasons (coordination with government, waiting on other disciplines, etc.) and I haven’t been notified about it by my manager. I’m the only person working on the drawings, calcs, and submission paperwork for these projects. Is this common in consulting? It feels dishonest by my superiors, and it keeps stress levels unnecessarily high for those working on the project.

I feel like the US is headed into a recession, so I proactively applied and got an offer from a public works department. They assured me the job is extremely secure and necessary to the city, which gives me comfort since I just got my first mortgage. I currently do water resources for a small company with a fresh PE making 92xxx/yr and am encountering fluctuations in my office’s pace, which spurred this interest in leaving.

The new job seems interesting, but has some quirks I want a reality check on.

1. 10 days PTO, non-negotiable - kinda sucks, but I guess I can’t complain. 10 holidays + a floating holiday

2. 76xxx/yr - I knew the pay would be low, but not that low

3. No PE bonus or raise. This job doesn’t require a PE, so PE’s and non-PE’s make the same. No incentive for all the hard work studying is disappointing. They will pay for my PDH though.

4. No remote work - weird

5. No pension - mandatory deferred compensation though.

All in all, the job seemed cool, and wouldn’t mind having some stability; but really seems like a tougher decision than I initially would have thought. I figured the public sector would be a bit more relaxed and accommodating to account for the low pay.

Hey everyone,
I’m a civil engineering undergrad currently doing an internship on the General Contractor (GC) side in project management/coordination, dealing with field logistics, subs, and site-level problem-solving.

Before I graduate, my plan is to do my next term on the consulting/engineering firm side (e.g., WSP, Arup, Mott MacDonald) in PM, project controls, or contract admin to get a full 360-degree view of how projects are run from design to delivery.

For those who have worked both sides:
1. Pace & Environment: What was the biggest culture shock transitioning from the fast-paced, reactive site trailer to the consulting office?
2. Value of Field Experience: How much did your GC/site background actually help when handling multidisciplinary design coordination, scope management, and client deliverables?
3. Day-to-Day Work: What does a junior PM/coordinator actually spend their time on day-to-day in a consulting firm compared to trade coordination and field tracking on the GC side?
4. Long-Term Preference: Which side did you find more rewarding long-term, and why?
Would appreciate any insights or advice from anyone who has taken this path. Thanks!

I have a job offer lined up with a flexible start date, but want to maximize the value I get out of my current job until then. Either way, it is very likely that my supervisor will get upset when I give my two week notice especially with the time of year I plan to do it during. I'm wondering if he might just fire me the same day instead, thus I would be losing out on two weeks worth of pay. Has this happened to you or anyone you know?

I don’t want to get into specifics, but I have to say I had an interview recently while I had an offer on the table:

https://www.reddit.com/r/civilengineering/s/edZxsZ03Hd

(That offer is no longer on the table. OOF)

That interview I took “just in case” is now my primary offer. I think it is for a better job too. I only have to be a project manager for a few projects. The rest will be actual computation, studies, and plan review. This is a better place to be anyways.

I just hope I don’t get the offer axed again. My suspicion is that an “off the record” call happened with a former City employee. (I’m talking City Manager’s Office level.) I have a few people that don’t like my laid back and measured reactions to emergencies. Or my light push back to more policy/paperwork. It rustles their jimmies.

Passed PE exam, I will hit the experience requirement (3 years full time experience plus masters) in December and plan to apply for the license then. Also looking to job hop asap and have been applying the last couple months.

Is it better to just go for positions requiring a PE after the license is issued, or continue applying for EIT positions before that happens and then get the subsequent raise/promotion for being licensed if I were to start that job before the license is processed? Or does it not really matter?

I’ve been in Private consulting for about 3 years. I really do like the work that I do, but the management is terrible and I have no support. I’ve been considering working for USACE doing similar work but I’m sure the pace would be slower and scared about it negatively impacting my resume and skillset down the road. Pay would be higher with USACE.

Anyone else have experience with USACE, or made a similar transition?

So I recently changed my major from environmental engineering to civil engineering, however I still want to have a focus on environment and sustainability. As of right now my minor is in political theory but now I'm thinking a minor in environmental policy or something might be more beneficial. Should I also swap my minor or would taking a few environmental electives be enough?

Are there any civil engineering companies (large or small) that heavily invest in their employees such as professional development (pay for technical event registration, event conferences, etc), event tickets (sports tickets) or personal development (nutritionist or gym trainers that come to your office).

Asking as I have a family member that works at a large finance company that gets to go to sporting events and has other similar benefits that are listed above as well as paying for any certifications they need for work (CFA for example). He works for Fidelity if you must know.

Is this more of a business/finance thing or are there engineering firms that also have these sorts of perks?

Hi everyone,

For those working in civil engineering or transport planning in Ireland, what is the typical median salary for a Senior Consultant in Transport Planning?

I have around 4.5 years of experience and would appreciate some insights into the current market rates, particularly in Dublin and Cork.

What would be a reasonable salary range for this level of experience?

Does the salary differ significantly between consultancies?

Are there any particular factors that influence pay at this level?

Any insights from people working in the Irish industry would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

An engineer buddy of mine has “forgotten his calculus” and is making near 200k. Busting my a** to memorize all these formulas has me wondering if it’s worth the effort.

What math do you actually use in your practice?
What niche/discipline do you work in?
Are you an EIT or PE?

Other than math, what skills would you recommend to anyone getting into civil? e.g. CAD, etc

Hi all,

I am in the early stages of developing (vibe coding) something I have been thinking about for a minute: a videogame where you CAD. It's called CADcade and I've got a whole vision for it and everything. Right now it's just some beginner lessons, a sandbox mode, and an arcade mode with 36 drafting challenges of different difficulties.

It runs in your computer browser, and one of the goals is to help students and beginners learn the basics of navigating CAD products and spatial thinking for free online. This is kind of a demo of it that I would like to get feedback on (not selling or monetizing anything).
I just wanted to share it here and see what you guys think. How does it feel? Ai slop? Not enough commands? Dumb concept? Every reply helps.

cadcade.net

Thank you

Hi everyone!
I'm 28 years old, currently living in Saskatchewan, and I'm planning to take Civil Engineering Technology at Sask Polytech in Fall 2027.

Lately, I've been second-guessing myself and wondering if I'm too old to start school again. I know 28 isn't necessarily old, but I sometimes feel like I'm behind in life and should already have my career figured out.

My biggest concern is math and physics. To be honest, I'm not particularly good at either subject, and I've forgotten a lot of what I learned in high school. I'm worried that I'll struggle with the coursework or won't be able to keep up with the other students.

any advice you can share.. Thank you! 🙂

Can anyone guide regarding the practising questions apart from ITE refresher course and exam?

Initial to start practising while grabing the concepts, will use ITE practise exam near exam date..

Please guide..

I'm a civil engineer currently working in Florida as a Roadway Drainage Designer. I'm considering moving to Canada for immigration reasons, but I've noticed that job postings there often use different titles for similar roles.

I'd like to hear from people familiar with the Canadian civil engineering job market. What job titles should I look for that would be equivalent to my current position? Also, which cities or provinces would you recommend for finding jobs in roadway drainage, highway design, or transportation infrastructure?

I'm open to relocating anywhere in Canada and would appreciate any insights from people working in the field.

Graduated four months ago. Working for small land dev firm. Maybe once a day my manager will check in and ask how what I’m working on is going. Maybe once a week we’ll sit down and actually take an in depth look. I’ll give him updates at the end of the day and email him a PDF or whatever of the latest version of what I’m working on but he rarely takes a look at it.

Just wondering what other folks dynamic with their manager looks like or looked like as a new EIT? My managers extremely busy and I just hate working with him.

Edit: I should’ve emphasized the “maybe” in the OP. These check ins are not consistent. Can go days at a time without any kind of communication. We were pushing for a submittal last week so I was staying late then towards the back half of the week didn’t hear anything. I ask questions but sometimes I hesitate because my manager is not always the most approachable. I know that’s no excuse but yeah.