Traffic Engineers
Overview
Introduction
Traffic engineers, also known as transportation engineers, are a branch of civil engineers who study factors that influence traffic conditions on roads and streets, including street lighting, visibility, and location of signs and signals, entrances and exits, and the presence of sites such as factories or shopping malls. They use this information to design and implement plans and electronic systems that improve the flow of traffic. Traffic engineers are often assisted in their work by traffic technicians.
Quick Facts
Median Salary
Employment Prospects
Minimum Education Level
Experience
Skills
Personality Traits
Earnings
Salaries for traffic engineers vary widely depending on duties, qualifications, and experience. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that median annual earnings of civil engineers were $87,060 in May 2019. Salaries ranged from less than $55,380 to more than $144,560. In September 2020, Indeed.com reported the average annual salary for traffic engineers was $88,520.
Traffic engineers are ...
Work Environment
Traffic engineers perform their duties both indoors and outdoors, under a variety of conditions. They are subject to the noise of heavy traffic and various weather conditions while gathering data for some of their studies. They may speak to a wide variety of people as they check the success of their designs. Traffic engineers also spend a fair amount of time in the quiet of an office, making ca...
Outlook
Employment for civil engineers (including those who specialize in traffic engineering) will increase by 2 percent, slower than the average for all occupations, through 2029, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The coronavirus pandemic has given traffic engineers opportunities to study road and highway performance due to lockdowns causing reduced traffic. Engineers will be needed to impro...