Howard Michael, based in Sacramento, brings more than 35 years of engineering, transportation, and multi-disciplinary project leadership that continue to shape communities and infrastructure across California. As Director of ArchTam’s Northern California Highways Group and Senior Manager of Business Development, he has managed major Caltrans on-call contracts, multi-disciplinary highway and bridge programs, and large-scale infrastructure pursuits, blending deep technical expertise with a commitment to safety, sustainability, and meaningful community impact.

What inspired you to join the industry?
From a young age, I was fascinated by construction. Watching buildings, roads and bridges take shape left a lasting impression. That early interest grew into a love for drawing and drafting, which eventually led me into architecture studies. My first boss, owner of a small structural engineering company encouraged me to transition from my AA degree in Architecture to pursue a degree in civil engineering, where my skills and passion aligned perfectly.

I began my career in drafting and structural design while obtaining my AA degree, which later expanded with a national engineering firm into treatment plants, pump stations, and pipelines, and later transitioned into bridge and highway design. That path allowed me to blend structural expertise with transportation leadership. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to contribute to some of California’s most complex projects, including interchanges, bridges, tunnels, and highways that require project problem identification and definition, risk identification and management, and performance-based designs that involve balancing safety, environmental sensitivity, and addressing stakeholder concerns.

What projects stand out most in your career?
I have worked on a wide range of projects, both large and small. Among those that stand out:

• A water treatment plant in Redding, where I played a key role in structural design of treatment facilities, operations building, pump station and a 7-mile-long water transmission main.
• The San Diego Creek Bridge on State Route 73 in Newport Beach, CA, over the San Diego Creek, one of the largest bridges that I designed.
• The Douglas/I-80 Interchange in Roseville, CA, a complex project that included freeway mainline widening, ramp realignments, an Interstate bridge overcrossing,  a new Interstate on-ramp  with cut-and-cover tunnel involving fire life safety elements, pump station, and operations building that was concealed in a widened fill prism — closely mirroring challenges now faced on Last Chance Grade.
• Current efforts on the Sites Reservoir Project, leading the design of 31 miles of roads and a major causeway across the reservoir.
• A Complete Streets project in Angels Camp, which is beautifying SR-49 through the “town of Angels” while enhancing safety for the active transportation community through the addition of bike lanes, sidewalks, landscape strips, and low impact design with incorporated drainage systems for natural treatment of stormwater runoff.

Whether tackling mega projects or small community improvements, I take pride in engineering solutions that leave a lasting positive, sustainable impact for the benefiting communities.

How do you approach problem solving and innovation?
I take a performance-based approach to analysis and decision-making. For me, every successful project starts with clearly defining the issue we’re trying to solve — only when we understand the real problem can we identify solutions that are the right size and the right fit. I enjoy the process as much as the outcome: bringing stakeholders together, facilitating discussion, and encouraging collaboration so we can develop optimized solutions as a team.

I’ve always believed engineering is about more than technical problem‑solving. It’s an opportunity to enhance communities, preserve heritage and promote sustainability. Whether I’m helping integrate educational elements or interpretive centers into projects, or designing greener, safer facilities, I see infrastructure as a legacy — something that can serve and strengthen communities for generations.

What advice would you give to young professionals?
My advice is simple: follow your passions. When you pursue work that excites and fulfills you, it rarely feels like work. Passion fuels perseverance, even through long or difficult projects, and leads to a more meaningful career and life experience.

What do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of work, my greatest joy is my family. Providing for them, living with integrity and leaving a legacy of service are at the core of who I am. I treasure the time spent together, finding meaning in the moments that reflect the values I have worked hard to pass on.

Faith is also a guiding force in both my leadership approach and personal philosophy. I often remind my family and colleagues of a principle I live by: “Behind every task we do, there’s something far more important than the task itself.” For me, that greater purpose is rooted in service — supporting others, uplifting communities and helping people reach their full potential.

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Bradley Touchstone is an architect with more than 35 years of experience specializing in complex bridge design. His work is visible on major signature bridges across North America and around the world, including the Gordie Howe International Bridge that spans the border between the U.S. and Canada, and the Kosciuszko Bridge in New York City. Bradley holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Mississippi State University and studied at the Technical University of Barcelona. Passionate about designing unforgettable bridges, he uses his architectural background to inform his bridge design, believing that bridges should not only be functional but impactful.

What inspired you to join the industry?

I’ve loved architecture since I was young. I even took drafting in high school. I grew up in a family of builders in Laurel, Mississippi. Early on, I saw how architects shape communities and knew I wanted to create places that matter.

That said, I didn’t set out to design bridges. After graduating, I launched my own architecture practice. Not long after, I received a call from Gene Figg — an icon in the world of bridge design. He was looking for someone with a fresh, creative perspective and believed my architectural background could bring that to the table. What began as a collaboration evolved into a series of signature bridge projects, starting in Toledo and Tampa, and eventually expanding across the country. That experience pulled me into the world of bridge design.

When Gene passed in 2001, I reestablished my practice with a new focus: bridges. I partnered with ArchTam on major projects across the U.S. and internationally before joining the firm in 2019 as National Practice Lead for complex bridge architecture. I’m now in a position that blends my design and architectural background, and desire to shape spaces that connect and benefit communities.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

I’ve worked on many major bridges, but two smaller bridges stand out. The first is the 2^nd Street Bridge in Austin, Texas, that we completed in 2013. This is a canted arch bridge, about 160 feet long and that is also known as the “Butterfly Bridge” for its outward-leaning steel ribs. It carries two lanes of traffic and a pedestrian sidewalk over Shoal Creek.

2^nd Street is the centerpiece of the City of Austin’s Seaholm District project, which revitalized an industrial part of Austin on the edge of downtown. The bridge links the district’s east and west sections and is now also a destination, integrated with an adjacent plaza that includes sitting areas and coffee shops.

I was responsible for community involvement, bridge type selection — along with the structural team — and preliminary and final design for all architectural and lighting components. As with all our bridge projects, I worked closely with our bridge engineers to deliver a bridge that met the city and community’s vision for durability and beauty. We evaluated girder, cable-stayed, and arch bridge options before selecting the canted arch bridge type as it is a dynamic and sculptural form that creates an interesting profile from the widest range of vantage points. Every detail had the user in mind. For example, we built a gap between the sidewalk slab and the bridge’s traffic deck to allow light to pass to travelers from the Shoal Creek below. With its trapezoidal shaped steel ribs, galvanized wire rope hangers and non-fracture critical structural system, we delivered a bridge that is not only striking but resilient and easy to maintain.

Another favorite is the recently completed Christian to Crescent Bridge along the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Like 2^nd Street, this bridge is a destination. It gives pedestrians and cyclists opportunities to create memories in an urban environment. The bridge is part of a 4-mile constructed stretch of an 8-mile planned Philadelphia section of a 128-mile Schuylkill River Trail of which half is currently complete.

I was the lead architect for this 650-foot-long cable-stayed bridge. This design presented technical challenges in part because the bridge is set in an active industrial area. I initially focused my design on its alignment. The reverse curve that I introduced was born from practicality, it allowed us to avoid those problematic areas. It also gave us the advantage of shifting the perspective. Providing a curved view added a sense of journey for people using the bridge.

Curving the alignment also led to the selection of a cable-stayed bridge. We opted for this structure in part because it provided a more prominent vertical profile for the bridge. Its lattice cable pattern and soaring pylons also allowed us to create a striking landmark along the river, one of the missions of the developers, the City of Philadelphia and the Schuylkill River Development Corporation.

These two projects, though smaller than many I’ve worked on, are special. The 2^nd Street Bridge helped bring an underused area of the city back to life. The Christian to Crescent Bridge provides a new type of greenspace and an entirely off-road means of moving through the city. Each is a testament to how bridge and landscape architecture can make lasting community improvements.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

The Hastings Bridge project in Hastings, Minnesota, showed me the lasting impact that our work can have. I was the architect and visual quality manager for the 545-foot-long bridge that carries Highway 61 over the Mississippi River into this small town. We completed it for the Minnesota Department of Transportation as a replacement for two previous iterations built in the same location. It’s the longest freestanding tied arch bridge in North America, and with a 100-year lifespan, it was built to last.

While the bridge is vital to the area’s transportation network, what struck me was that the community was less concerned about the crossing than its potential impact on the area around it. This bridge touches down on Hastings’ Main Street. Earlier bridge abutments had left behind neglected spaces. Residents were concerned that we would repeat this history. Instead, we listened. We created a plaza underneath the bridge on Main Street that became a town gathering point.

We also added an artist to our project team named Craig David. He designed two murals that became springboards for art along the town’s riverfront and public places. The community so loved the murals that we modified the abutment design so they could be detached if the bridge was torn down. When you spark that kind of community involvement, it becomes a magical experience.

Share a piece of career advice.

Confidence is important, but so is collaboration. Be open to input from your team members. You might have a clear vision for how to approach a project, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be improved with other perspectives. Listening to your colleagues often leads to better, more creative outcomes.

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Dipal Vimawala is a structural engineer with more than 32 years of experience designing highway, moveable and railroad bridges. Passionate about nurturing leaders, empowering his team members and connecting communities, Dipal earned his bachelor’s degree in civil (structural) engineering in India and a master’s degree in structural engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before making Chicago his home base. Whether restoring historic bridges or designing new ones for modern mobility, Dipal is driven by the impact of transformative infrastructure, creating opportunities that shape cities and improve lives.

What inspired you to join the industry?

I’ve always believed in the power of civil engineering — the way it links communities through the infrastructure that connects them. Building bridges is a clear and tangible way to do just that, literally and figuratively. I have friends who are doctors, and they often remind me that they save lives. My joke in response? “Well, doctors need bridges to reach their patients across highways, waterways and railroads.” It’s a lighthearted way of expressing something I feel deeply — connectivity matters, and I’ve been passionate about it from the very start of my career.

I was fortunate to recognize that interest early on and turn it into a career, using my education and technical skills to help create infrastructure that makes a real impact. The idea that I could contribute to projects that improve communities was one of the major inspirations for joining this profession.

Beyond that, I’ve always enjoyed tackling complex challenges. How do you design and build a bridge in a dense urban environment? How do you deliver critical infrastructure without disrupting traffic? Finding solutions to these kinds of engineering puzzles has been just as rewarding as seeing the finished structures come to life — and knowing they help people every day.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

One of the most rewarding projects of my career is the reconstruction of the historic Wells Street Bascule Bridge in downtown Chicago. I dedicated about 10 years to this project. I served as the project manager and lead structural engineer from planning to final design phase to completion of the construction.

Originally opened in 1922, this double-deck, moveable bridge is a vital part of downtown Chicago’s infrastructure, carrying thousands of commuters every day. The lower deck accommodates highway, bike and pedestrian traffic while the upper deck supports Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) Brown and Purple Line trains. Modernizing the bridge while preserving its historic character and minimizing service disruptions was a challenge but also a remarkable experience.

A key factor in the project’s success was our ability to collaborate with the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the CTA to minimize closures. Instead of shutting down the bridge for months, we proposed two carefully planned nine-day closures. I was told we’d never get agreement on this approach, but I thought — why not ask? This solution served the community well. These short-term complete shutdowns allowed us to complete major structural replacements efficiently, while making the project cost effective overall. We used float in-and-out techniques to replace a major portion of the bridge structure.

Thanks to careful planning, strong teamwork, and precise execution, the project was completed on time with little impact on daily travel. In the end it was deeply satisfying to be a part of a project that kept the city moving. CDOT appreciated our work on the Wells Bridge project — which resulted in several industry awards — but the real success for ArchTam was being selected for two similar major moveable rehabilitation projects; Lake Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, which are currently under design.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Two projects that stand out are the 41^st and 43^rd Street Pedestrian Bridges in Chicago’s Southside Kenwood neighborhood. Designed to provide safe, accessible connections for pedestrians and cyclists, the bridges span Lake Shore Drive and the Metra Electric/CN railroad tracks. Before their construction, reaching the waterfront often required a long drive — now, residents can easily walk or bike straight to the lake, making the shoreline more inviting and accessible.

Beyond its practical use, the City of Chicago desired signature bridges that create an inviting atmosphere with aesthetically pleasant iconic structures resulting in a unique and memorable experience for users.  We wanted the bridges to stand out as a beautiful addition to the landscape. We designed sweeping S-curves and inclined arches to mirror the nearby park walkways, creating a smooth, dynamic connection for pedestrians and cyclists.

I mainly worked on the planning phase with the City of Chicago and architects to shape the final product from a conceptual sketch. Much credit goes to Mike Eichten, the project manager and Jixing He, the lead structural engineer. As part of our team, I also helped create a temporary bridge in between the proposed arch bridge and the Metra Electric Railroad overhead catenary power lines. This created a safe working environment for workers and allowed construction to continue while several hundred trains a day were running below. The project was part of a larger effort to improve public spaces along the lakefront, making the area more inviting and better connected to the surrounding community. Seeing the project come to life and witnessing the impact on people within the neighborhood — how it encourages outdoor activity and strengthens the community — has made this a truly meaningful experience.

Share a piece of career advice.

I am a big believer in empowering young engineers and creating future leaders; always look for opportunities — it’s one of the best ways to grow your career. We all need challenges to keep our minds active, learning and growing. Seek out complex and challenging projects — having a hunger for technical expertise will push you forward.  Take on challenges, embrace more responsibilities, and don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. The more you engage, the more you’ll learn from experienced colleagues that will be invaluable to your growth. Stay curious, stay proactive, and your career will continue to advance. Make sure to enjoy yourself and have fun while you are at it.

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Michael Girman has 37 years of experience managing major transportation projects through all aspects of the development process. During his 18 years with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Engineering District 6-0, he oversaw some of the most significant and complex projects executed in southeastern Pennsylvania. As a senior program manager, he handled the day-to-day decision-making on a wide range of design and coordination issues while maintaining the schedule for more than 25 active projects with a construction value over $2.5 billion. His PennDOT experience included new alignment, widening and reconstruction projects in heavily populated urban and suburban environments.  

Michael’s work involved extensive coordination with agencies such as the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, Delaware River Port Authority and the city of Philadelphia. He is familiar with state and federal permitting procedures and agencies, and has comprehensive experience coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Highway Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous state Departments including the Department of Environmental Protection. He has considerable railroad coordination experience with both mass transit agencies (such as Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and Amtrak) and freight railroads, including CSX and Norfolk Southern. All these relationships and experiences translated nicely to the private sector when he left PennDOT to join ArchTam. During his 19 years at ArchTam, Michael has helped advance transformational projects across transportation market sectors. 

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry. 

When I was a kid — just 5 or 6 years old — I started talking about building bridges. I loved suspension bridges and truss bridges. Throughout school, I always scored high on science and math tests, and this helped me trust my instincts and my interests. When it came time to apply to colleges, I knew I wanted to study engineering. I graduated college in the 1980s, when the job market was tight for civil engineers. My dad was a state employee working for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and he encouraged me to take a civil service test. Ultimately, I was hired by PennDOT Engineering District 6-0 in the Philadelphia area, and this helped me build a career that aligns with my passion for bridges and roads. As a regional business line leader, I help advance all types of major transportation projects that get people where they need to go. This never gets old. 

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why? 

The I-95 corridor reconstruction program covers a little more than 50 miles of Interstate in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and it has spanned much of my career, first at PennDOT and then ArchTam. I’ve been involved with everything from early project planning, breaking out sections and prioritizing needs, to asset management, hiring consultants and designing the various sections to reconstruct the Interstate.  

The Girard Avenue Interchange (GIR) in Philadelphia is one of those sections. At PennDOT, we selected ArchTam legacy company URS to design the GIR section. As a result, I was able to stay involved with GIR during my tenure at ArchTam. When questions arise on the I-95 corridor program in the Commonwealth, I’m grateful to offer any insight I can to PennDOT to help them move the program forward after all these years.  

I feel truly fortunate to be part of such a great program. It’s massive and diverse — stretching from cornfields in Bucks County to the city of Philadelphia and beyond. The interests and perspectives of the different stakeholders and communities vary greatly. The GIR section of I-95 goes right through the Fishtown and Olde Richmond sections of the City of Philadelphia, so we’ve been able to help right some of the wrongs dating back to the 1950’s and 1960’s when the Interstate was built, particularly those related to the displacement and disruption caused by the original construction. Our archaeological investigations discovered six intact Native American occupations that have been dated to 3563 B.C. We’ve saved and reused building architectural elements from a nineteenth century shipyard. We’re reconnecting communities and bringing back access to the Delaware River waterfront that had been cut off for all these years. Our project team proactively addressed issues like equitable access to green space, multi-modal connections, transit access and green stormwater management. Thinking progressively about these issues helped the project anticipate changing regulations and respond to issues earlier than federally required. 

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. 

The West Dover Connector project in Delaware has helped the community across different modes of traffic and travel. Very rarely in the northeastern U.S. do you get to help build a new roadway on a new alignment, but the Delaware Department of Transportation had a vision for relieving congestion and improving mobility south of Dover that we were able to help them realize.  

The connector — a pedestrian and bike-friendly three-mile roadway — incorporated multi-use paths, bike lanes, and new structures over railroads and streams. It connects communities with independent bike paths, the park system, a historic farmstead, and a local Boy Scout camp. In the initial stages of the project, ArchTam led numerous community working group meetings and public information centers as part of our transportation planning alternatives analysis and prepared a NEPA Environmental Assessment. Then we provided preliminary and final engineering services, so our work truly spanned the life of the project. It was a well-thought-out project that required us to balance a lot of competing interests, but in the end, it was extremely well received by the community as a tremendous positive for everyone involved. 

Share a piece of career advice. 

My boss at PennDOT gave me the best advice for my career: Train your replacement, because if you don’t then you’ll sit there in that same spot for the rest of your career. Another piece of advice I’ll share is stay true to yourself and your own vision. That sense of purpose will keep you going.  

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This time, we connected with Kelly Young, lead bridge engineer based in South Carolina, to learn how she progressed in the technical excellence career path.

Hi Kelly. What do you do for ArchTam? 

As the lead bridge engineer for South Carolina, I’m currently working on exciting innovations in bridge design, including high fidelity 3D bridge models. I have been with ArchTam for 13 years and I live in Greenville, South Carolina, with my husband, two children and our dog.

Tell us about your journey and how you got here. 

I began my career as a bridge inspector for ArchTam in Atlanta after graduating from Georgia Institute of Technology. I spent one year doing bridge inspections, gaining hands-on experience, learning about bridge elements and the different types of failures and deterioration.

My first major milestone was completing my first full bridge design. This project was a key initial step in moving from inspector to engineer. I was the youngest engineer in the group, tasked with designing and planning production for the bridge. The project had a tight deadline, so I had to learn quickly and work efficiently. We submitted the final design and plans on time, and I saw my first bridge design being built just a few months later. That was my first big step to becoming a bridge engineer.

I also found a great mentor in Chris Johnson, my manager in Atlanta. He guided me through my career not only technically, but also with balancing work and home life.

With a growing interest in design, I took on the role of engineer. That’s when my foot stepped on the gas — my technical career took off and has not slowed down since. I focused on bridge repair, working on everything from minor joint replacement and spall repairs to deck replacements, strengthening methods for structural components and developing numerous hydraulic bridge-jacking designs.

Working on a variety of project types greatly expanded my technical knowledge in the bridge design field. I also had the opportunity to manage smaller tasks and test my knowledge by teaching junior staff.

Then, my husband and I relocated to South Carolina, and after 10 years of being in a bridge engineering support role, I became the lead bridge engineer in South Carolina. My role shifted from a singular focus on production to leading tasks and signing and sealing plans. This experience created an opportunity to innovate the bridge design process and push our current capabilities forward.

What was a career defining moment for you?

My career defining moment is currently in the making. I’m working with a team to create a high fidelity 3D bridge model per specific client standards. Once complete, this model will be fully adaptable to any project location based on the most used bridge elements, drastically reducing the time it takes for the layout, detailing and potential rework of the bridge.

Computational design and parametric modelling have the potential to spark a major shift in transportation services. We have the chance to raise the current standard and pave the way for a new era of bridge design.

What’s something you wish someone told you years ago?

Don’t be afraid to ask. Not just about needing help with a problem you can’t solve or where to find resources, but with bigger things as well. If you want to try something new within the scope of ArchTam, ask. You don’t have to do just one type of work. ArchTam offers a whole world of opportunity.

If not this path, what would have been your career plan B?

I would be a softball coach. I still get the opportunity to take my daughter to Georgia Tech softball games and watch my former teammate coach, but if I wasn’t an engineer, I’d be out there too.  Go Jackets!

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Jennifer Kellar leads our Strategic Communications Services group, which functions like a public relations agency within the infrastructure consulting firm. Strategic Communications Services partners with clients to create opportunities for equitable, outcome-driven engagement. Jennifer and her team advance projects and support communities through strategic communications.

Tell us about what inspired you to join the industry.

With a background in journalism and public relations, I have a passion for sharing meaningful stories and a knack for distilling complicated information to help audiences understand and accept what is going on around them. At ArchTam, we have the opportunity to support complex, transformative projects, so the communications efforts are challenging, impactful, and rewarding. We get to collaborate directly with communities and that is the best kind of public relations.

What is your favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why?

It’s really special to be able to say you were part of an iconic infrastructure project. The Arlington Memorial Bridge, a monument to the sacrifices and valor of our nation’s military and an important part of the Capital Region’s infrastructure, is one of those projects. At 90 years old, the National Park Service (NPS) and the Federal Highway Administration – Eastern Federal Lands worked with partners Kiewit and ArchTam to rehabilitate the bridge to stand strong for another century. One of the largest infrastructure projects in NPS history, the rehabilitation of Arlington Memorial Bridge reinvigorated the capital’s ceremonial entrance while respecting its character, history, and national significance.

As part of the design-build project team, Strategic Communications Services led public information and outreach for the project. We developed and implemented a robust strategic communications plan that addressed the various audiences interested in the bridge and impacted by the project including all bridge users — tourists, commuters, pedestrians, cyclists, and boaters.

In close collaboration with NPS, we communicated with the goal of minimizing inconvenience for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists on Arlington Memorial Bridge through frequent, clear, concise dissemination of content about construction progress, closures, lane shifts, and more via email blasts and social media.

Our team developed a microsite within the NPS website to serve as an information hub. We developed written content, a video simulation of each phase of the project, graphic representations of roadway and river impacts, a project fact sheet, and an electronic media kit to support the National Park Service’s media relations efforts.

We communicated about safe pedestrian routes to the bridge, Arlington National Cemetery, the Mount Vernon Trail, and the National Mall throughout the project. We also actively engaged with the boater community, letting river users know to look out for construction traffic, especially south of the bridge where workers moved materials from a staging area to the construction site on an ongoing basis.

Prior to the start of construction, public meetings were held to let bridge users know where to find information and regular updates. At the end of the project, in lieu of a ribbon-cutting event during the pandemic, we developed the “More than a bridge” capstone video to celebrate completion of this important milestone.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community.

Supporting the New York City Department of Small Business Services, our team promoted the availability of resilience assessments and grants to hundreds of small businesses in all five boroughs of New York City. The assessments and grants were offered through the City’s Business Preparedness and Resiliency Program aimed at helping small businesses prepare for emergencies and enhancing the resilience of their operations, assets, and physical space in the event of a disaster or business interruption.

Through this program, small business owners impacted by Superstorm Sandy were eligible for an on-site risk assessment. Following the visit, our resilience experts prepared customized reports, offering recommendations for each business to improve their resilience. Businesses participating in the assessment qualified for a grant of up to $3,000, which could be used to purchase items or equipment to support them in their resilience efforts.

Strategic Communications Services led a comprehensive outreach campaign that included partnerships with community-based organizations, multilingual door-to-door outreach, media relations, and advertising to raise awareness of the program and encourage participation. As a result, the hundreds of small business owners who participated in this valuable program are now substantially more resilient against future flooding events, other potential disasters, and business interruptions.

Share a piece of career advice.

Listening is a vital component of effective communication. Listen and learn from the people around you — your projects will be more successful, and you will grow as a person.

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Dr. Robin Sham leads the ArchTam Long Span Bridge Group and is based in Hong Kong. With a career that spans over three decades and several continents, he has worked on many of the world’s record-breaking cable-stayed and suspension bridge projects.

For his notable contributions to the civil engineering profession, he has been appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, recognized by the UK’s Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) as an engineering superhero and Gold Medalist, and named by the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania as one of the greatest bridge engineers of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.

Elements of his genius can be seen in his design of a 31-metre Guinness World Record-breaking suspension bridge made entirely of LEGO® bricks. The structure was the centerpiece of an ICE exhibition celebrating civil engineers who have created some of the world’s greatest bridges.

What inspired you to join the industry? Ever since my childhood, I have been fascinated by bridges. A yearning to create artifacts that are physical and tangible inspired me to become a civil engineer. I perceived bridges as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and resolving conflicts, and as structures for connecting people and places. I was determined to realize the physical and emotional power of bridges to connect people and drive the growth and development of countries. My desire to create new types of bridges, spanning larger distances more efficiently than ever before led me to embark on a mission of fact finding and path finding to make myself a bridge engineer. The experience in my early pursuits was enriched when I delved into the research of artificial intelligence in bridge design. That gave me a glimpse of the creative thought processes in a designer’s mind, which was to shape my ensuing career.

Tell us a story of how your work positively impacted the community. The civil engineering industry is constantly evolving and we now have access to technology that enables us to build structures in topographies and environments that were once unthinkable – places where waterways were ‘too wide to be crossed’, winds ‘too strong for construction’, soil-types ‘impossible to build on,’ and severe earthquakes would deter construction.

The achievements of the ArchTam Long Span Bridge Group are deep in history. We pioneered the creation of third generation suspension bridges to attain aerodynamic stability in typhoon winds at speeds in the realm of 100m/s (Tsing Lung Bridge); we spearheaded the sciences of construction engineering with the first attempt in history to construct cable-stayed bridges with main spans exceeding 1km (Sutong and Stonecutters Bridges) at a time when such a human endeavor was technologically uncharted; and we created seismic-resilient and scour-tolerant designs for disaster prevention and economic expansion (Second Penang and Padma Bridges). At present, our team is working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in North America, which will become a strategic border crossing between the US and Canada; and on the 22km-long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, the longest sea link in India, which will bring economic expansion and relieve traffic congestion for the region.

What is the favorite ArchTam project that you’ve worked on and why? I am privileged to have worked on practically all of our long span bridge projects, which are some of the world’s longest and most magnificent. Our team relentlessly reimagines its designs and reinvents its strategies. My current favorite is a combination of two landmark projects forming a family of monumental bridges – the Cross Bay Link and the Southern Bridge, currently under construction in Hong Kong and expected to be completed in 2022.

The Cross Bay Link is a 1.8km-long sea link carrying a highway, a footpath, a cycle track, flower pots/planters and viewing platforms. When the cycle track comes off the sea link, it forms a 5km-long loop across the landscape and finally returning to the Bridge. The center piece of the Cross Bay Link is the Eternity Arch, a 400m-long orthotropic steel arch bridge. When viewed from the shores, the arch bridge is designed to appear as the mathematical symbol of infinity. It is all part of our design to deliver a sea link for multimodal transport and multipurpose leisure activities.

Our design for its pedestrian counterpart, the Southern Bridge, presents a single arch rib spanning diagonally above a 110m-main span curved deck girder. As the pedestrians walk through the curved bridge, they will be treated to gorgeous shifting views of the structure and the neighboring bridge. The project will regenerate a former refuse disposal ground and promote leisure activities and water sports. The erection of the Southern Bridge is expected in late 2021 – early 2022.

What career advice would you like to share? The key is teamwork — as personified in the Liverpool Football Club anthem, “You’ll never walk alone”.

A career in civil engineering offers the challenge of “directing the great resources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man,” as said by Thomas Tredgold. There is also, I find, a triumphant sense of accomplishment in delivering a project. What other career can offer this?

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I began working with ArchTam in 1999 as a structural engineer with the bridge design group in Tampa, Florida. My area of expertise is in design of complex bridges, such as segmental, cable-stayed, arch or non-conventional bridges. I also work on conventional bridges, such as girder and concrete.

An inspiration for me is working on large projects ― projects that will be recognized by our industry. I enjoy working on interesting, international projects with other teams across our company and appreciate the opportunity to learn more about different cultures.

Uniting communities for a better world

I am proud to have worked on two U.S.-based projects. One is the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge – also known as the Q-Bridge — because it is a “signature” bridge in New Haven, Connecticut. The second is the Big-I Interchange in Albuquerque, New Mexico, because it was my first project when I began working at ArchTam.

My line of work is important because bridges are connectors. You can’t have transportation without bridges and this work helps with the development of a country. Without bridges we can’t move goods or travel effectively.

When my kids were young, I would go to their schools to participate in “What does your parent do?” or “Career Day” events and my presentations were always about engineering. I would explain that engineering is about everything we see and use. Helping to design roadways and bridges that unite us, help deliver goods and aid travel around a country is part of how I help to deliver a better world.

It’s amazing to see the bridges I designed being built and then used. I was able to show my kids the 17^th Street Bridge in Atlanta, Georgia — a bridge I designed. It’s a proud feeling.

Currently, I am working on the global modeling of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between the cities of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Canada. This bridge, which is part of a US$5.7 billion project for a much-needed new international crossing, will be the longest cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and one of the longest in the world, with a total bridge length of 5,125 feet (1,562 meters) and a main span of 2,800 feet (853 meters). The new bridge with a roadway width of 100 feet (30.5 meters) will carry in eight lanes of international commercial traffic between the U.S. and Canada. Working on this project is what an engineer dreams about. I am so proud to be part of the fantastic design team working on this signature bridge and looking forward to the day, once it is built and in use, when I can go visit it and be able to say that I was part of a great team that designed this bridge.

Next frontier in bridge design

I appreciate how bridge design is evolving through project technologies like newer and faster computers and sophisticated structural analysis and design software. The newest trend in engineering design is BIM (Building Information Modeling), where an intelligent 3D model is used for all stages of the planning, design, drafting, construction and maintenance. We are not yet using this new technology in bridge design, but I have seen a couple of preludes and I am excited to take a further look at this.

Basics first, tools second

Personally, I have always said I am proud of the education that I received during my undergraduate years at the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru, in Lima, Peru. My education was cemented (no pun intended) when I obtained my master’s degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida. I believe that the courses that we take in our initial years of engineering, be it math, physics, statistics, dynamics, materials, mechanics, etc., are important as every advanced engineering principle is based on the subject matter learned therein. Learning them, and most importantly, understanding the basic concepts is what has helped me deal with complicated design issues in my career. Another important piece of advice is to learn how to efficiently use engineering computer programs, and from there, to learn how to effectively “model” in structural engineering software for the bridge structures that we imagine.

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