Delaware Department of Transportation – SR 141 Centre Road – New Castle County, DE
Role: Project Engineer
Technology: Bentley Inroads
Award: ACEC Delaware Engineering Excellence Conceptor Award
Summary
The Centre Road (SR 141) project involved the reconstruction and widening of one mile of arterial roadway to address safety, capacity, and multimodal deficiencies. This was my first large-scale project at JMT, and it became a defining moment in my career—not because it was easy, but because of the challenges I overcame.
When I took over the project from our main office, I discovered that the roadway had been modeled using the wrong software, creating major issues with cross sections and earthwork calculations. Despite limited support from the original design engineer, I assumed full responsibility for correcting these errors and delivering accurate results.
My Contributions
- Problem-Solving Under Pressure: Rebuilt all cross-section files and recalculated earthwork quantities to meet DelDOT requirements.
- Innovation in Quantity Management: Developed a custom Excel program to automate earthwork outputs and improve quantity reporting—a tool I later enhanced for future projects like Elkton Road.
- Critical Design Correction: Identified a vertical curve design error that would have required a design exception. To avoid delays, I engineered a large retaining wall and performed the structural design myself—saving the project timeline and preventing costly redesign.
- Alternative Design Development: Managed end-area method earthwork calculations for total build-out and phased construction, improving material planning.
- Quality & Compliance: Ensured all deliverables met DelDOT standards despite initial setbacks.
Impact
- Laid the foundation for my future leadership in digital workflows and modeling best practices
- Delivered a high-profile roadway improvement project that earned the ACEC Delaware Engineering Excellence Conceptor Award.
- Demonstrated resilience, technical expertise, and innovation early in my career.
