Alla Kotenko

I have been a part of the team that works on the roadway and bridge reconstruction in Elmhurst, IL, since December 2021. There are two new bridges that we have been building and inspecting simultaneously. One is a two-span continuous PPC I-beam structure with multi-column piers and integral abutments, while the second structure is a skewed four-span continuous bridge that consists of steel plate girder composites and stub abutments. As an engineer on this project, I study every foot of the substructure and superstructure before inspecting it. I must understand bridge construction in-depth to recognize potential deviations from the design. My detail-oriented brain loves it.

I have grown as an engineer and as a woman in general. I love to be professionally challenged. Engineering gives me a purpose, fulfills me as a person, and makes me feel useful. I joined a WTS Advancing Women, Advancing Transportation team whose mission is to strengthen the transportation industry by investing in a brilliant resource of ideas and hard work.

After my morning meetings, I usually spend 2-3 hours reading the special provisions, contractors’ submittals, or standard road and bridge specifications. These documents give me a significant understanding of how our final product must look, how much material and what kind we will use, the contractor’s means and methods, safety measures, and more. As a field construction engineer, I am required to keep track of the used materials during construction. I perform mathematical calculations regularly to create inspectors’ daily reports (IDRs).

To me, being a construction inspector means being a part of an excellent team of specialists who are professionally assisting each other daily. I am truly grateful for our assistant RE, Mike, who seems to have answers to all my questions regarding road and bridge construction. He is one of two people at the office who regularly check in with me and assist me whenever needed.

I am looking forward to completing a one-year-long bridge construction project as a part of the Tri-State Tollway reconstruction. I eagerly anticipate seeing the final product of our professional effort. I am currently working towards completing the IDOT Erosion Control Training and the IDOT Documentation of Contract Quantities course as well.