What does a highway engineer do and what does their career path look like?
Any major road or highway construction involves a variety of transport professionals, including highway engineers, highway designers, water resources engineers, transport planners, environmental planners, and many more experienced personnel.
The role of a highway engineer in construction projects is focused on the concept and feasibility of the design, meaning the duties and responsibilities are diverse and there is a great opportunity to develop a broad skillset. A highway engineer job is suited to anyone who is passionate about working in the building and construction industry and wants to develop their analytical thinking and design skills.
Read on for the day-to-day duties of a highway engineer and what the typical career path looks like.
How to become a highway engineer
A highway engineer job is a road to a rewarding career working on multi-disciplinary engineering projects. There are two traditional routes to become a highway engineer: one is to apply for an apprenticeship at an engineering company and the second is to gain a B.S. or M.S. in Engineering and then have the chance to enrol on a Graduate Programme. Both career paths are a great opportunity to work alongside talented professionals, develop expertise and gain exposure to an exciting range of projects.
A highway engineer’s CV will show evidence of skills in technical writing, computing and communication and often experience using computer software such as AutoCAD and OpenRoads. Over time, as these skills are honed, there’s the option to progress to a senior highway engineer where responsibilities include overseeing the personnel working on the project and preparing job budgets and schedules.
A highway engineer’s duties and responsibilities
The role of a highway engineer is to oversee the costing, estimating, planning and implementation of a project. This makes highway engineering a diverse and rewarding career, with day-to-day duties ranging from undertaking site surveys to preparing design specifications, organising deliverable packages and much more.
A highway engineer job will involve liaising with other transport professionals around the globe with some of the largest projects taking place across the United States, Europe, Canada and India. Read about how AtkinsRéalis involved their India team in the history-altering A14 road project in the UK.
How technology is changing the role
It’s an exciting new era for the UK’s highways sector. Digital tools and data are being used to make better design choices and drive efficiencies through developing digital asset management techniques. As a result, the industry is delivering intelligent infrastructure solutions that enable better investment, operation and maintenance decisions.
The importance of highway engineering
When planning and constructing a highway or road, many factors need to be taken into consideration, such as the impact on the local road network, a potential surge in traffic and new access routes. For the project to be seamless, it requires strong cooperation and communication between the personnel working on the project.
During the design process, the town planner will offer advice on the land use principles, the architects will provide their expertise for the design concepts and the highway engineers will use this information to guide their engineering drawings and assessment of cost effectiveness.
A highway engineering job is a great career in which to develop a knowledge of highways, the associated infrastructure and an understanding of how different engineering and non-engineering disciplines collaborate to deliver projects in a safety critical environment. It’s an opportunity to work in an industry that is becoming increasingly diverse.
Bring your highway engineering career to AtkinsRéalis
At AtkinsRéalis, we have a diverse mix of employees from new apprentices and graduates to long-serving employees with years of invaluable knowledge. If you choose a roads engineering job with us you’ll be collaborating with some of the industry’s top talent who will help you develop both a broad and extensive level of knowledge. View our current transport jobs or to get a better idea of what it's like to work in the industry, read about Kelly's digital future in highways and roads.
Learn more about our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Interested? Find out more about life at AtkinsRéalis
Sign up to receive the latest content tailored to your interests
Our articles

Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
02/04/2025
Summary
Hi, I'm Ahmad, the regional leader of AtkinsRéalis' Power New Build team here in the Northwest of England. Why did I join AtkinsRéalis? I wanted to be part of a world-class engineering services p

Preview
EuropeContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/31/2025
Summary
Sophie, a Building Surveyor at AtkinsRéalis, tells all about life in Bristol You’ve probably already seen the photos of hot air balloons drifting over Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Clifton Suspensi

Preview
AustraliaContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/31/2025
Summary
The rail sector is at the heart of Australia’s infrastructure revolution, spanning more than 36,064km of track and powering economic growth, innovation, and connectivity. Once reliant on imported as

Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/31/2025
Summary
Do you want to fuel your career with purpose and watch your impact grow? Would you like to make an impact and join the global net zero revolution? Do you have what it takes to lead the nuclear r

by
Shailaja Mantha

Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/29/2025
Summary
The future of electrical engineering is bright, and its influence on industries like automotive, energy, and wearable technology is growing exponentially. At AtkinsRéalis, electrical engineers are a

Preview
AsiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/29/2025
Summary
Mechanical engineering is recognized as one of the most diverse and impactful fields, constantly shaping innovations across industries. At AtkinsRéalis, professionals like Sean, a BIM (Building

Preview
AsiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/28/2025
Summary
What does it take to transform an industry? Hard work, innovative technology, and a culture that fosters creativity. This is how AtkinsRéalis, a global leader in project management, engineering

Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/28/2025
Summary
If you are thinking of global career move to KSA, head on to read Sarah’s story on how she relocated to KSA for her work. Hi I’m Sarah, and I joined the AtkinsRéalis Graduate Program to work in T

Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/24/2025
Summary
Infrastructure in the Middle East is developing at a rapid rate. With projected growth of 2.9% by 2030, opportunities in the region aren’t slowing down any time soon. Central to this transformati

Preview
Middle EastContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/24/2025
Summary
At AtkinsRéalis, we’ve had a big part to play in shaping the skyline and infrastructure of the UAE. Having contributed for over 50 years, we’ve been proud supporters of the rapid growth and ambitio

Preview
GeneralContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/24/2025
Summary
Hello, I'm Amalia, a senior billing specialist at AtkinsRéalis in Romania. On my first day at the organization, I had mixed feelings— I felt a little fear but also confidence that I would be fine

Preview
IndiaContent type
BlogsPublish date
01/23/2025
Summary
Our journey began in Bangalore, India, as six professionals representing various disciplines from the Global Technology Centre (GTC) embarked on a month-long secondment to lead the Project off

by
Akash Kumar
Related jobs
We are sorry but we currently have no jobs in this area.
Continue browsing to look at our other available opportunities
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We’re devoted to growing the diversity of our people, promoting an inclusive culture, providing everyone with an equal voice because simply put, it’s the right thing to do. Click to learn more.
Find out more