Weymouth Relief Road

Junaid Al Farook

I found out about Dorset Highways (DH) through a newspaper where I read about the Weymouth Relief Road and London 2012 Olympic Games which caught my attention to work with DH.  I was always interested in highways and bridge structures and, on further research on the website, I found out that the placement package offered by DH would provide a great opportunity to work in this field.

I attended high school in India where I studied A levels in maths, physics and chemistry. I have completed two years of undergraduate civil and structural engineering with first class at Coventry University.  I had a year placement with DH and will be finishing my degree in 2011. I am working towards qualification as chartered engineer with ICE and DH staff has supported in numerous ways with my ICE report.

I worked in the highway design and traffic signal departments. This team is primarily responsible for the design and administration of the installation of traffic signals which often includes signs and street lighting.  I had training with many different teams within DH which included highway maintenance, structures and recently Highway Improvements.  I have been able to contribute on the design work of the Weymouth Olympics Transport Package. I have also visited sites and carried out surveying.  My duties included:

  • preliminary and detailed 2D civil and signal layout plans
  • statutory procedures and processes involved in a project
  • Statutory Undertakers enquiries
  • compiling accident reports and design option report
  • estimating the costs of a project

My last task was designing a new footway in Gillingham and working on traffic calming measures at Queens Avenue, Dorchester.

I most enjoyed working in a team where I can express my ideas and apply them to different designs. My colleagues have helped with my ICE and University reports and I am hoping that I will be able to use the knowledge I have gained from working with DH to achieve a First Class degree.

Jack Wiltshire

I have always been interested in Civil Engineering and in particular bridges.  I found out about Dorset Highways when I was looking for a summer job following my 2nd year at the University of Exeter.  I was fortunate enough to be offered work during the summer holiday and again at Christmas and Easter. I was then offered the opportunity to work through my next summer holiday and be sponsored to stay on for a fourth year at university to gain my Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering.

Once I had completed my degree in 2004, I went to work in the Weymouth Relief Road design team. Here I concentrated on the hydrological aspects of the design, but managed to gain a good idea of the processes involved in designing and securing permission for a major highways scheme.  I then continued on Dorset Highway’s graduate training scheme working within different areas of Dorset Highways including Bridge Design, Highways Asset Management (roads and bridges), Structural Maintenance, Contract Management and working as a Contractor.  The experience gained in each of these areas enabled me to become a Chartered Civil Engineer within five years.

I have worked as a Site Agent primarily delivering capital and routine bridge works for Dorset Highways.  In this role I helped take a bridge design from an Engineer and deliver it with my team of operatives.  Overall I was responsible for constructing in the region of £2 million pounds worth of bridge works annually.

My current role as Works Delivery Manager in Dorset Highways, means I am responsible for 9 Agents and 100 operatives constructing in excess of £17 million pounds worth of works annually.  I also can easily find myself carrying out other activities such as organising out of hours responses to highways emergencies and winter maintenance activities, or (as a one off) coordinating visitor access to Weymouth during the Olympic Games.

I am also acting as an ICE Delegated Engineer helping people within the organisation progress with their aspiration of becoming an Incorporated or Chartered Engineer.

I particularly enjoy my current job as I have the opportunity to work with a cross section of the people within Dorset Highways and I enjoy the diversity of projects that exist within Dorset Highways.