Highway Construction Workforce Partnership – Creating the Next Generation Heavy Highway Worker

The heavy highway infrastructure industry serves as one of the life bloods of this country. Texas has the largest transportation network of any other state with over 314,000 miles of roads. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) estimates that it will cost $547 billion to keep Texas’ roads “in a good state of repair” through 2040. Despite the amount of work, in 2019, 84% of Texas contractors reported challenges filling some or all job positions. With proper training and education, a prospective employee could earn up to $18/hour near the beginning of their career. Combined with the potential for overtime, employees in rural areas could expect early career gross pay ranging from $40,000 to $45,000 per year. Due to the command for higher wages, employees in urban and metro areas could exceed this. Employees with a desire to continue growing in the industry could fast-track their path toward project foreman and project superintendent positions by continuing their education and training. Highway superintendents are often compensated at more than $75,000 per year and individuals that can manage large and complex projects often exceed an annual income of $100,000. The Highway Construction Workforce Partnership (HCWP) will help train and educate the next generation of the heavy highway workforce. This training will offer the state’s diverse population an opportunity to obtain consistent and high paying employment. Furthermore, increasing the knowledge and skills of the heavy highway workforce will result in higher quality projects that are completed on budget and on time.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $197116
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552344813

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  National Center for Infrastructure Transformation

  Prairie View A&M University
  Prairie View, TX  United States  77446
• Performing Organizations:

  Texas A&M Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System
  3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Principal Investigators:

  Gurganus, Charles

• Start Date: 20230701
• Expected Completion Date: 20241231
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Source Data: 01-17-TTI

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Construction and maintenance personnel; Education and training; Road construction; Workforce development
• Subject Areas: Construction; Education and Training; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01893184
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: National Center for Infrastructure Transformation
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552344813
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Sep 13 2023 2:04PM