Featured items

There are no featured items on this page

Roading Engineer - Personal requirements

Mataaro Huarahi

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.

"Roading engineers need to understand the three E's of roading engineering: Education –a slow down sign; Enforcement – a traffic ticket; and Engineering – when we straighten a highway to make it safer."

Marcos Santana - Roading Engineer

Personal Qualities

Roading engineers need to be:

self-disciplined and practical
flexible and adaptable
safety-conscious
good decision-makers
able to work well under pressure and unsupervised
able to get on with a wide variety of people.

Perseverance is also important as roading engineers often work on long-term projects.

"Learning patience is important. There is a lot of consultation and talking with people. But you just need to realise that big projects do take a bit of time."

Marcos Santana - Roading Engineer