You are here: Home >> Round Rock/Pflugerville >> People >> Pflugerville City Engineer and Round Rock Director of Transportation Services

Pflugerville City Engineer and Round Rock Director of Transportation Services

Attention: open in a new window.

Saturday, 07 April 2007

Joe Carpenter, City Engineer, Pflugerville

Joe Carpenter grew up in Katy, Texas near Houston. His love for math and science drew him to study engineering in Pennsylvania at LeHigh University and future employment in Maryland. However, he knew he wanted to get back to his home state. Since his sister lived in Austin and his parents retired in Georgetown’s Sun City, he moved to Pflugerville where he has worked since 2001. Now that he is back in Central Texas, he does not plan to leave anytime soon.

“I want to be here as long as possible,” he said. “I want to watch Pflugerville grow and grow along with it.”

Q. What are your responsibilities?

A. The main part of my job is capital improvements. Right now we have about $15 million worth of development under construction, which is about the same as the city’s operating budget. We have had that number to $40 million. In the near future, we could easily see an increase again to the $30-$40 million range. I am also in charge of regulating developing projects and commercial development. I handle public concerns regarding engineering or give technical guidance when required and assist in correlating commercial development.

Q. What are the primary considerations for a city when deciding where to put a road?

A. We look over key features such as enhancing safety and the expansion among developing land. Public safety, drainage and flood plains are all considerations. There are soil and environmental considerations. I also like to look at existing projects for correlating road enhancements.

Q. What is your most challenging road project in the city and why?

A. East Pecan Street widening all the way from FM 685 to 130. We should be under construction by the end of this year. There are multiple jurisdictions along the road with some of the road in the city and some in Travis County. There were many right-of-way acquisitions, numerous utility relocations. The existing subdivisions mean there are lots of landowners, so we had to take them into consideration.

Q. What project are you most proud of and why?

A. It was in 2005. We had to update the design guide and constructions standards. The standards were adequate at the time, but we were having significant growth, so we needed to get ahead and protect our infrastructure inherited from development. We had to find out what the community wanted and then come up with a win-win for everybody.

Q. What aspect of your job gives you the biggest headache?

A. I get the biggest headache from construction change orders, which are unforeseen problems that were noticed in the construction phase. It impacts time as well as additional costs.

Education: Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Lehigh University
Family: Wife Tracy and son David, 6 years old.
Contact Information: 251-2679, joec@cityofpflugerville.com

Tom Martin, Director of Transportation Services, Round Rock

Tom Martin began his career working in the transportation department in New Mexico, but moved to South Texas in 1986. Eventually he relocated to Round Rock where he appreciates the city’s ability to provide the financial resources to build roads.

“I like it here,” he said. “It’s fast-paced and my days go by real fast. The city gives me the opportunity to build good quality roads. It’s not a lot of cities that will give you millions of dollars and say to build roads as fast as you can.”

Q. What are your responsibilities?

A. I am responsible for basically the construction of the arterial systems, the corridors in Round Rock, and its maintenance. I am in charge of planning, building and maintenance.

Q. What is the primary consideration(s) for a city when deciding where to put a road?

A. We look at the best functionality, where it would provide transportation for the most motor vehicles, at the place where there will be the most connectivity. On the arterials we want to be linking the roadways so people can easily travel between where they work, live and play.

Q. What is your most challenging road project in the city and why?

A. It’s going to be Hesters Crossing at IH 35. It’s very complicated to build. We’re going to have to keep traffic flowing while we build a bridge. We’re also working with the state highway department and Williamson County to help fund the project. There are a lot of challenges to keeping a partnership like that together while we work on it for the next 18-20 months. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle in the air. It’s going to be an exciting 18 months.

Q. What project are you most proud of and why?

A. A.W. Grimes [Boulevard]. It’s just about done and will be a six-lane connection. When it’s done it will run from 45 to US 79 and will provide connection from Georgetown to Round Rock to Pflugerville. It will be a major carrier, but it was a major project that was very complicated. Once it’s open, it would provide a lot of mobility for people.

Q. What aspect of your job gives you the biggest headache?

A. I get the biggest headache from trying to build major projects, but minimizing the traffic impact. We’re not always successful, but we try keeping everyone happy.