Kenneth Sullivan
Kenneth Sullivan began his career as a bridge inspector evaluating in-services bridges and developing repairs and maintenance for concrete, steel, and timber structures. As he gained hands on experience on what works and doesn’t work through the life of a structure, Kenneth moved into more design roles, ranging from urgent scour repairs, to major retrofits. Kenneth currently works as a bridge and structures engineer for HNTB on projects throughout the region. Since joining HNTB, Kenneth has worked on Fish Passage, Link light rail extension, among others.
One thing about the civil engineering profession he wished he knew in college...
“While in college, most of my undergraduate classes were quite siloed, I didn’t see how all the different disciplines interacted to create a project. My favorite part of being a bridge engineer is that all of the civil disciplines come together right at the bridge. This is especially apparent in fish passage projects: creek hydraulics drive most of the structure type decisions, the subsurface geotechnical properties determine the foundation capacities, and the seismic loads, the civil grading defines how wall and structures will tie in to the existing conditions, transportation requirements define the construction staging so traffic can be maintained, surface drainage must be accounted for and treated. The bridge is where all of these decisions come together for a successful project.“
On what he's most excited about the direction of the field...
“I am excited about the renewed interest in infrastructure investment. While these multiyear programs are great to replace aging infrastructure that was built 60+ years ago, I hope engineers, agency owners, and elected officials recognize the importance of maintaining new and existing infrastructure. We need to be moving towards the future we want to build, not recreate the demands of the present with regards to the environment, public transportation and human experience. Initiatives such as the ASCE Infrastructure Report Card and Cities of the Future help to highlight where we are and think about where we want to go. As my career develops, I hope I can play some small part in building a better world.”