WHAT DOES A HIGHWAY ENGINEER DO?

Published: Oct 28, 2025 - The Highway Engineer independently manages complex design development, specification preparation, and technical reporting while ensuring accuracy, compliance, and alignment with project standards. This role involves planning, coordinating, and executing multiple phases of highway engineering projects, monitoring progress against schedules and budgets to ensure timely, high-quality deliverables. The Engineer also provides technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers, conducting thorough reviews to maintain professional and organizational standards.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Highway Engineer

1. Highway Engineer Responsibilities

  • Project Management: Oversee the design and successful delivery of highway works across the designated area.
  • Technical Compliance: Ensure that all designs meet technical, safety, and regulatory requirements.
  • Project Coordination: Coordinate project activities to maintain quality, schedule, and budget control.
  • Bid Preparation: Assist in the preparation of bids and applications for external funding opportunities.
  • Proposal Development: Support the development of project proposals that align with funding criteria and organizational objectives.
  • Contract Negotiation: Negotiate and prepare legal agreements to formalize project responsibilities and commitments.
  • Legal Collaboration: Collaborate with legal teams and stakeholders to ensure agreements comply with relevant legislation.
  • Professional Advisory: Provide professional advice to developers and applicants regarding highway design and access standards.
  • Proposal Assessment: Assess the suitability and acceptability of development proposals from a highways perspective.
  • Sustainable Solutions: Promote solutions that balance safety, functionality, and sustainability in all highway-related projects.

2. Highway Engineer Job Summary

  • Project Delivery: Assist in the delivery of a range of highway engineering projects for both public and private sector clients.
  • Technical Support: Assist junior staff to ensure the technical accuracy of their project work.
  • Project Assistance: Assist Project Managers in meeting deadlines and maintaining budget compliance.
  • Client Communication: Respond to client and customer inquiries, take messages, and ensure their needs are met.
  • Project Management: Manage projects in accordance with client requirements to consistently exceed expectations.
  • Quality Compliance: Ensure all project files are up to date and comply with the Quality Management System (QMS).
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely with team members and other Project Center staff to ensure effective project delivery.
  • Documentation Support: Assist Senior and Principal Engineers with report writing and project documentation preparation.

3. Highway Engineer Accountabilities

  • Project Oversight: Manage and oversee the design and execution of various highway projects from inception to completion.
  • Scope Definition: Define clear project scopes to establish objectives, deliverables, and performance expectations.
  • Schedule Management: Develop and manage project schedules to ensure the timely delivery of all milestones.
  • Budget Control: Monitor and control budgets to maintain financial accountability and efficiency.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to design complex, safe, and efficient transportation infrastructure systems.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure that all designs comply with engineering standards and safety regulations.
  • Team Leadership: Lead and actively participate in project team meetings to coordinate tasks and resolve issues.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Facilitate effective communication among stakeholders to maintain alignment and progress.
  • Proposal Preparation: Assist in preparing detailed proposals that accurately reflect project goals and methodologies.
  • Technical Development: Contribute to the development of technical specifications and design documentation.
  • Report Writing: Prepare comprehensive reports that summarize project activities, progress, and outcomes.

4. Highway Engineer Functions

  • Technical Design: Provide technical input for the conceptual, preliminary, and detailed design of highway works.
  • Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the wider project team and other civil engineering disciplines.
  • Design Delivery: Deliver significant elements of detailed design and manage outputs from technicians and junior staff to achieve optimal project solutions.
  • Client Liaison: Liaise with clients and contractors, and supervise works on site.
  • Technical Guidance: Provide technical guidance and support to colleagues within a collaborative team environment.
  • Design Documentation: Produce design calculations, drawings, and technical reports for internal and external project teams, including clients.
  • Geometric Design: Undertake highway geometric design in accordance with applicable design standards such as DMRB and MCHW.
  • BIM Implementation: Deliver designs within Building Information Modeling (BIM) processes.
  • Contract Preparation: Prepare contract documents for tender processes.
  • Budget Management: Prepare budgets and perform monitoring and reporting to ensure deliverables are completed within agreed timescales and budgets.
  • Coordination Meetings: Attend design coordination meetings with external project teams, including clients.
  • Survey Preparation: Prepare survey drawings and specifications for survey work and review the resulting outputs.
  • Client Satisfaction: Ensure that solutions meet client needs and expectations.

5. Highway Engineer Overview

  • Engineering Design: Independently complete complex engineering design development, specification preparation, and compilation of technical reports using standard engineering principles and techniques.
  • Technical Documentation: Develop design computations, technical reports, specifications, and contract documents in accordance with established technical group standards.
  • Resource Management: Identify, develop, and gather technical resources required to complete project assignments efficiently.
  • Quality Assurance: Select appropriate procedures to self-check work for completeness and accuracy in technical reports and calculations.
  • Error Correction: Recognize technical discrepancies in analytical results and make necessary corrections following established procedures.
  • Project Coordination: Plan, schedule, conduct, and coordinate detailed phases of projects independently while collaborating with other engineering disciplines and project management staff.
  • Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitor project progress and performance to ensure efficiency, detect potential issues, and minimize design malfunctions.
  • Progress Tracking: Track engineering design development against the project work plan to maintain alignment with milestones and deliverables.
  • Work Planning: Develop discipline-specific work plans that align with overall project timelines and objectives.
  • Budget Compliance: Complete projects within established budgetary and scheduling constraints.
  • Team Mentorship: Provide guidance, mentorship, and technical support to junior-level engineering staff.
  • Technical Review: Conduct technical reviews of work completed by junior engineers to ensure quality, accuracy, and compliance with professional standards.