Civil engineers help in the design, planning, and construction of many of the structures and services we use every day. From highways and airports to basic everyday utilities, few public services are untouched by the discipline of civil engineering.
How does civil engineering impact your everyday life? In short, the work that civil engineers do is fundamental to life as we live it each day. Here are five specific ways that civil engineering impacts our daily lives.
Transportation Infrastructure
Civil engineers are responsible for the design and implementation of roads, bridges, highways, rail lines, runways, and more. The U.S. relies particularly heavily on its extensive road system; there are nearly 50,000 miles of interstate highways in this country alone. From the very inception of these public works projects, civil engineers work hand-in-hand with architects, geotechnical engineers, construction companies, structural engineers, and other important professionals that collectively ensure every aspect of the transportation project (i.e. capacity, lifespan, maintenance, and environment) is thought through carefully.
Utility Supply
One of the most critical civil engineering disciplines is utility work. From underground pipelines to bridge-supported gas lines, the utilities millions of people count on every day are designed, constructed, and maintained with the help of civil engineers. Engineers, trained in a variety of specialties like soil, water, and/or utility pipelines, are responsible for ensuring that these utilities will work properly, function safely, and withstand external factors like weather and time. They also must plan for things like population growth, land development, and future technological innovation.
Building Development
Most of the buildings we inhabit every day first involve site civil design. The field of construction engineering is one of the most business-geared in the industry, often including work with development firms, municipalities, and private investors on public-facing buildings. From skyscrapers to post offices, nearly every structure other than private residences involves the help of structural engineers to get off the ground.
Urban Management
Municipal or urban engineering is the civil engineering sub-discipline that involves designing and maintaining non-transportation public structures like sidewalks, sewer systems, public parks, and even retaining walls. These kinds of engineers typically work in tandem with those trained in other disciplines like geotechnical, transportation, and/or environmental engineering. They don’t just design the services we all take for granted in an urban environment, they optimize them for factors like weather, capacity, containment, and more.
Soil Study
Geotechnical engineers are brought in to advise on a surprising number of general civil engineering projects. They help identify the specific advantages and challenges of any given plot of land based on the soil itself. Factors like erosion and soil mechanics can drastically change the best use of a parcel of property and even make some land unsuitable for certain kinds of projects. Geotechnical engineers ensure the continued safety of the public and the natural environment in the immediate area, and they can also save developers money in the long run.
Shield Engineering provides professional engineering services nationwide. Our civil engineering services are geotechnical, structural, and environmental engineering expertise, among other areas. From buildings to bridges, there’s no project too complicated for Shield.
Contact us today to talk to an expert in civil engineering.
