Highway engineering and traffic analysis are important to the daily lives of American citizens. Aside from providing access to natural resources, highways also serve as crucial arteries for the retail and industrial sectors of the economy. With the advent of big data and cloud computing, traffic analysis and traffic management can be implemented on a much larger scale. Having the right information at the right time is critical to ensuring that our transportation infrastructure is efficient, cost effective, and meets our ever growing demands.

The latest highway construction and maintenance statistics show that the U.S. spends roughly 200 billion dollars annually to build, maintain, and repair its roadways. While the average household spends about 15% of its annual income on transportation, this is only part of the equation. To achieve efficient and cost effective movement between urban centers, a comprehensive understanding of the entire transportation network is a must.

Using the right data and critical thinking, a highway engineer can develop and maintain an efficient and sustainable transportation infrastructure. Transportation and highway engineers have the skills and knowledge necessary to help alleviate the stress of everyday living for our citizens. In addition, they can develop efficient and cost effective solutions to the myriad of roadside problems that afflict American motorists. By improving the way our roads are built and maintained, they can help to improve the overall health and productivity of our country.

The future of highway and transportation engineering is bright. Technology will continue to make the job more exciting, allowing for efficient execution of complex designs and plans. Currently, the industry is experiencing a significant boost in employment. As such, the need for more qualified individuals continues to increase.