expresso 14 - en

expresso 14 | winter 2018

“Engineering safety is at the core of everything we do.

For Margot, proficiency with math and science runs in the family. Margot’s father was an engineer and her mother had a PhD in geology. Margot was raised to understand that, with the right education, there’s really no limit to what a woman can achieve in her career. Margot completed a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at McMaster University, and graduated from the University of Waterloo with a masters in transportation engineering. “I was very fortunate to quickly find my path,” says Margot. “I met a professor who became a life- long mentor. Together, we worked on a research project to develop the speed-flow relationship on highways, using some of the first freeway traffic data at that time in Ontario.” Vulnerable road users in mind Early on in her career, as a traffic operations engineer designing collision counter measures, Margot felt the weight of reducing accidents on our roadways. “Engineering safety is at the core of everything we do. Reducing potential collisions, crashes, or other impacts is key. One aspect that I’ve always paid close attention to is the protection of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.” the road ahead Margot Smeenk, P.Eng., PTOE Senior Traffic Engineer | Brampton, Ontario

SIR JOHN A. MCDONALD PARKWAY The National Capital Commission (NCC) wanted to redesign the Sir John A. MacDonald Parkway corridor to increase accessibility to the historic shoreline of the Ottawa River. EXP provided designs for two public spaces along the parkway to be incorporated into the City of Ottawa’s Light Rail Transit facilities on behalf of the NCC. They include a new parking facility (using low impact development criteria), new traffic control and pedestrian signals, site grading, and servicing for an outdoor ice rink and washroom facilities ready for future mixed-use developments. “This project is a great example of inter-office teamwork; with roundabout design from Sherbrooke, traffic operations and modeling from Brampton, and project coordination and civil works from Ottawa,” says Margot.

In transportation engineering, it’s easy to see the impact of our designs on the community. We’re reducing commute times, improving school zone safety, and more. A new path: building a service team In stark contrast with the seemingly linear progression of her early career, Margot has recently changed gears to follow a new calling. Her entrepreneurial spirit has led to taking on the challenge of growing EXP’s transportation presence in Ontario. She’s building a new, multidisciplinary team to secure new projects. She finds the daily interaction with architects, contractors and other staff exciting and keeps her motivated. For all the change that she has seen in her time with EXP, one thing has remained the same – Margot is committed to following her interests, wherever that may lead.

women at EXP | 25