Salvatore “Sal” Costanzo

I participated in QBBT for three years during my undergraduate career at Queen’s University. I initially started as a project manager and later became the director of design before graduating as the team’s president. QBBT is a design team within the university’s Civil Engineering Department and has more than 80 members. We design and construct multiple model bridges and compete against other universities across North America in an annual competition to test their maximum capacity.

Some of the biggest challenges I see impacting Canada, and City of Toronto infrastructure specifically, involve the growth of urbanization. We’re also seeing the effects of climate change on infrastructure, including vulnerable areas such as coastal regions that are subject to intensifying storms, increased flood levels, and large temperature variations.

To address these challenges, we should plan to adapt and improve our infrastructure in a sustainable manner that uses innovative materials, policies, and construction techniques, such as implementing low-carbon concrete and bridge scour protection that follows climate guidelines outlined by the National Research Council of Canada. Incentivizing the use of public transit or rideshare options with subsidies and managed lanes also may help address increased structure loading and gridlock issues. Additionally, creating green spaces can help mitigate the effects of global warming.

I believe the most important skill that I developed during my time at Queen’s University was how to communicate technical ideas as part of a team. Many undergraduate labs and projects are completed in groups of multiple students, and these tasks helped me develop key communication skills that are directly transferrable to the consulting engineering industry.

Whether it was discussing project deliverables with fellow students or presenting a slideshow to a professor, I learned how to communicate my ideas to others effectively. At GFT, I’ve used this skill when discussing projects with coworkers and clients to ensure my ideas are understood.

I actually completed two engineering internships at GFT during the 2022 and 2023 summer seasons. During that time, I was exposed to a variety of infrastructure projects, including multiple inspection, drafting, design, and administration projects in Ontario, that allowed me to develop a base of engineering knowledge. Throughout these initiatives, I worked alongside engineers who willingly shared their expertise. My experience was extremely helpful in developing consulting engineering and problem-solving skills. I’m excited to continue my career path at GFT as an assistant bridge designer.

In addition to the two summer internships, I also worked for the firm part-time during the last two years of my college studies, balancing my academic responsibilities with professional development. Upon graduating, I transitioned to a full-time employee in May 2024.

I love working at GFT because I’m constantly challenged with new projects. One of my favorite aspects of the job is the variety of tasks I tackle regularly. In a given week, I could be traveling to a job site to complete an inspection, in the office working on a design problem, or at home completing quantity calculations. The support staff in the Toronto Roadway group is always available to assist me, which helps create an encouraging, collaborative environment focused on learning and professional growth.

As an assistant bridge designer, some of my responsibilities include structural inspection, cost estimating, technical report writing, detailed design calculations, and computer-aided design drafting. In the summer months, when most roadway construction is performed, I travel to job sites to ensure that project construction work is consistent with contract drawings and provincial specifications. Drafting structural design reports that highlight a proposed bridge rehabilitation project and preparing respective construction drawings on AutoCAD are also some common tasks I perform.

All interns participate in GFT’s “Buddy Program.” This program is led by the Future Generations at GFT (FuGen) employee resource group (ERG), which pairs each intern with a mentor for the duration of their internship. FuGen is just one of GFT’s several ERGs whose goal is to facilitate the inclusion of diverse perspectives across all experience levels. I found this program beneficial because it allowed me to gain insight and advice from early career professionals.

Most of my favorite hobbies revolve around sports. I enjoy hiking and playing soccer, squash, golf, and spikeball. During the weekend, I also like to watch soccer and golf. Outside of sports, I love to watch movies with friends, travel, and read.

I’ve wanted to be an engineer my whole life! I remember wanting to design and build things when I was a kid, and I’m excited to start achieving those dreams!

I enjoy unwinding by reading a book outside, going for a walk, and playing sports in my backyard or some card games with friends and family.