Erica Johnson, P.E., HNTB

Drivers may not notice every orange barrel, temporary pavement marking, barrier, detour sign or barricade throughout the North Split Reconstruction project, but Erica Johnson, Senior Project Manager for HNTB, keeps a tight focus on these details every day. This work is critical to maintain a timeline and ensure safety in one of Indiana’s largest and most complex infrastructure projects. 

Johnson, a civil engineer, has been designing, leading, and delivering transportation projects from California to New York for 22 years.  As a leader on the North Split project for HNTB, Johnson has come home. “I am a native Hoosier,” Johnson said. “It’s been a great pleasure to be back in Indiana to work on the North Split project to help ensure the safety of the traveling public.”   

Finding a place and passion in a traditionally male-dominated field came with a lot of support along the way. “For as long as I can remember, I enjoyed math and science, and I was very lucky to have wonderful role models,” Johnson said. “My dad is an architect and my uncle a contractor, granting me the opportunity to see both the design and build processes alongside mentors who answered all my ‘why’ questions. They, along with my teachers, further supported me in school and helped me know what was possible within this field.” 

Those possibilities allowed Johnson to tether her engineering path with her desire to help people.  

“Civil engineering is all about helping people, and if you have a passion for design or building public infrastructure like bridges, roads, and waterways,  then you should consider it as a career,” Johnson elaborated. “As the world’s population continues to grow, there will continue to be extensive opportunities for civil engineers to plan, design, and build lasting infrastructure and quality of life amenities that provide strong foundations for generations of communities.”