Civil Engineering Intern Roadway

Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway at Olsson — Research Report

Introduction

The Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway position at Olsson in Overland Park, Kansas, is designed for students who want practical transportation-engineering experience before graduation. The internship can expose candidates to roadway design, plan production, technical calculations, coordination with project teams, and the standards used to move a project from concept toward construction.

The listing showed a September 25, 2026 date. Available job-board information indicates that the Civil Engineering Internship – Roadway listing was still appearing in late September 2026, including an Overland Park, on-site internship posting updated around September 28–29. Because listings can close or change without notice, candidates should verify the current status on Olsson’s official careers page before applying.

This Olsson internship is valuable because it connects classroom knowledge to real transportation work. A strong intern will not merely observe engineers; they will learn how design decisions affect safety, constructability, budgets, schedules, public agencies, and the people who use roads every day.

Overview of Olsson

Olsson is an employee-owned engineering and design firm that works across transportation, water, facilities, environmental services, planning, client advisory, and field services. The company describes its work as engineering and design solutions intended to improve the communities and environments where people live and work.

Its transportation practice places Olsson in competition with multidisciplinary firms such as Burns & McDonnell, WSP, HDR, Kimley-Horn, Jacobs, and Stantec. Olsson’s differentiation is its combination of civil engineering, planning, environmental work, construction support, and regional relationships rather than a narrow focus on one design specialty.

Roadway projects can include urban street improvements, highway and interchange work, corridor studies, intersection redesign, drainage coordination, traffic-related improvements, and construction documents. The firm also provides construction management and observation services, including daily inspection, documentation, submittal review, design support, shop-drawing review, payment-application review, and materials-testing oversight.

Olsson began in 1956 and has expanded its presence across the central United States and other markets. The company emphasizes responsiveness, transparency, results, employee development, and a people-centered culture. Those themes matter to interns because civil engineering is highly collaborative: roadway designers regularly coordinate with surveyors, traffic engineers, drainage specialists, environmental teams, utility companies, contractors, and public-agency representatives.

People are drawn to an Olsson internship because it can offer meaningful project exposure within a firm large enough to provide structured training but regional enough for interns to see how their work fits into an actual client relationship.

Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway Role

Role Overview

The Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway supports engineers and project managers with transportation design and documentation. Day-to-day assignments may range from updating plan sheets and organizing design information to checking quantities, preparing exhibits, researching standards, and assisting with roadway or site-related calculations.

The intern’s work affects the quality and speed of project delivery. Accurate drafting, clear documentation, and careful quality checks help senior engineers issue reliable plans and reduce avoidable revisions later in design or construction.

Detailed Responsibilities

• Assist with roadway plan development, including alignments, profiles, typical sections, grading, and plan-sheet updates.
• Support preparation of construction documents, exhibits, technical memoranda, and design packages.
• Use survey and base-map information to develop or revise roadway layouts.
• Help calculate quantities for pavement, earthwork, drainage features, signs, markings, or other project elements.
• Review drawings for drafting errors, inconsistent dimensions, missing notes, and coordination issues.
• Research municipal, state, and federal roadway standards and incorporate applicable requirements.
• Coordinate information with transportation, traffic, drainage, utilities, environmental, and construction teams.
• Attend project meetings and capture action items, decisions, and follow-up responsibilities.
• Assist with field visits, site observations, documentation, or construction-phase support when needed.
• Organize project files and follow company standards for naming, version control, and quality assurance.

Day-to-Day Workflow

A realistic day may begin with a short team check-in covering deadlines, design questions, and priorities. The intern might then spend several hours in a computer-aided design environment updating roadway geometry or plan sheets. Afterward, a project engineer may review the work, explain a correction, and assign a related task that requires more judgment.

Afternoons may include quantity calculations, standards research, coordination with another discipline, or a field visit. A productive intern keeps a running list of questions, documents assumptions, and confirms priorities before spending too much time on an uncertain task. The most valuable habit is not working silently for six hours; it is communicating early when information is incomplete.

Tools and Technologies

Exact software requirements depend on the project team, but candidates should be prepared for tools commonly used in roadway consulting. These may include Bentley OpenRoads Designer or MicroStation for roadway modeling and plan production, AutoCAD Civil 3D for civil drafting and surfaces, Bluebeam Revu for PDF review, Microsoft Excel for quantities and calculations, and Microsoft Teams or SharePoint for collaboration and file management.

Other project technology may include GIS platforms, survey data, cloud-based document systems, traffic-analysis tools, and agency-specific design standards. A candidate does not need mastery of every platform. Demonstrated ability to learn software quickly, read drawings carefully, and maintain organized files is often more persuasive than a long list of program names.

Skills and Requirements

Technical Skills

• Progress toward a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Understanding of geometry, trigonometry, statics, surveying, transportation engineering, and basic hydrology.
• Ability to read civil plans, profiles, cross sections, details, and technical specifications.
• Basic familiarity with roadway alignment, grading, drainage coordination, pavement, and construction documentation.
• Working knowledge of Excel, including formulas, sorting, filtering, and clear spreadsheet organization.
• Exposure to CAD or civil-design software through coursework, student organizations, research, or personal projects.
• Careful attention to units, dimensions, coordinate systems, design standards, and drawing consistency.

Soft Skills

Roadway design is a team sport, so communication is central. Olsson’s stated emphasis on responsiveness, transparency, and results suggests that interns should be comfortable asking questions, sharing progress, and acknowledging mistakes quickly.

• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Dependability with deadlines and follow-through.
• Curiosity about how designs are built in the field.
• Comfort receiving technical feedback and revising work.
• Organized problem-solving when information is incomplete.
• Professional conduct with clients, public agencies, contractors, and teammates.

Experience Expectations

Prior internship experience is helpful but should not be treated as mandatory unless the posting explicitly requires it. Coursework projects, a transportation-related capstone, undergraduate research, surveying experience, a concrete design project, or leadership in an engineering organization can provide credible evidence of readiness.

There is no reliable evidence that one specific GPA determines selection. A competitive application usually combines solid academic performance with examples of applied work. Include relevant courses, software, project outcomes, and your individual contribution rather than listing “team project” without detail.

Salary and Benefits

A realistic estimate for a civil engineering internship in the Overland Park market is approximately $17 to $23 per hour, or roughly $35,000 to $48,000 on an annualized basis for full-time equivalent hours. One available listing for an Olsson transportation internship in Overland Park showed an estimated range of $17.25 to $22.50 per hour, while another aggregator displayed a broad annual estimate of approximately $34,000 to $69,000. Because estimates are not the same as an employer-confirmed rate, candidates should verify compensation during the recruiter conversation.

Potential benefits may include structured mentorship, exposure to active projects, professional-development opportunities, wellness programming, and access to experienced engineers. The schedule should be clarified directly because the roadway posting was identified as on-site. Ask whether field visits, overtime, mileage reimbursement, or flexible scheduling apply.

Full-time conversion is a realistic possibility at engineering firms when interns perform well, maintain strong relationships, and become productive in the firm’s workflows. Candidates should ask whether successful interns are considered for entry-level civil engineering roles after graduation and what milestones influence that decision.

Olsson Hiring Process

Step-by-Step Hiring Stages

1. Application: Submit a targeted resume, education details, location preference, and availability.
2. Screening: A recruiter or coordinator may confirm degree status, work authorization, start date, and interest in roadway design.
3. Assignment: Some teams may request a brief technical discussion, software review, transcript, or project sample rather than a formal design test.
4. Interviews: Expect behavioral and technical questions with a recruiter, project engineer, or hiring manager.
5. Offer: The final stage typically covers pay, schedule, start date, location, and any required employment conditions.

Application Timeline

Apply as soon as the role is verified as open, particularly when the stated date is approaching or has passed. University recruiting can move quickly, while a direct application may take one to several weeks depending on project demand, interview availability, and internal approvals.

If the September 25, 2026 date refers to a posting or application deadline, do not assume that an active search result guarantees an open requisition. Confirm availability through Olsson’s own job board and, if appropriate, contact recruiting with the exact role title and Overland Park location.

Screening Methods

Applicant tracking systems may prioritize terms such as roadway design, transportation engineering, CAD, OpenRoads, MicroStation, Civil 3D, plan production, construction documents, Excel, drainage, surveying, and quality control. Use these terms only when they accurately describe your background.

A strong resume makes qualification easy to verify in seconds. Put your degree, expected graduation date, relevant coursework, software, work authorization, and availability near the top. Link to a professional portfolio only if it contains clean, nonconfidential work.

Interview Preparation

Example Interview Questions

• Tell us about a civil engineering project in which you used CAD, calculations, or technical standards.
• How would you check a roadway plan for errors before sending it to a project engineer?
• Describe a time you received critical feedback on a team assignment and changed your approach.
• Why are you interested in roadway engineering and Olsson’s Overland Park office?

How to Answer

Use the STAR structure: describe the situation, explain your specific responsibility, outline the actions you took, and finish with the measurable or practical result. For technical questions, state your assumptions before describing your method. If you do not know an answer, explain how you would find the governing standard, ask a qualified engineer, or validate the result.

For the “why Olsson” question, connect the firm’s multidisciplinary services and people-centered culture to your goals. Avoid saying only that Olsson is a “great company.” Mention roadway design, community infrastructure, mentorship, regional project exposure, or the opportunity to see design work continue into construction.

What Recruiters Evaluate

Recruiters and engineers will look for technical fundamentals, willingness to learn, accuracy, professionalism, and realistic expectations about consulting work. They also evaluate whether you can work productively in a structured team without needing constant supervision.

Evidence matters more than confidence alone. A concise explanation of how you checked a design, resolved a team disagreement, or improved a spreadsheet can demonstrate maturity even when your professional experience is limited.

How to Get Selected

Practical Tips

• Tailor the resume specifically to roadway engineering rather than submitting a general civil-engineering resume.
• List relevant coursework such as transportation, highway design, surveying, geotechnical engineering, hydrology, and construction methods.
• Show software proficiency beside the project where you used it.
• Prepare one two-minute explanation of a technical project, including your contribution and result.
• Review basic roadway terminology, plan-sheet organization, and quality-control practices before interviewing.
• State your availability clearly, including summer dates and your expected graduation term.
• Ask informed questions about project types, mentoring, field exposure, software, and potential full-time opportunities.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Applying with a resume that contains no roadway, transportation, CAD, or design evidence.
• Claiming software expertise without being able to explain what you created.
• Focusing entirely on coursework while ignoring teamwork, communication, and reliability.
• Failing to distinguish personal contributions from group-project results.
• Giving vague answers about why roadway engineering interests you.
• Ignoring the on-site requirement or providing unclear availability.
• Submitting portfolio files that contain confidential client information.

How to Stand Out

Create a compact portfolio with two or three pages of nonconfidential work: a roadway or intersection concept, a CAD or GIS exercise, and a calculation or spreadsheet example. Annotate each page with the problem, your role, software used, assumptions, and what you learned. This gives interviewers something concrete to discuss.

Networking can also improve timing. Connect with Olsson engineers or recruiters through university events, professional societies, and transportation organizations, then ask thoughtful questions rather than immediately requesting a referral. A brief message that references the Overland Park roadway team and your relevant project is more effective than a generic request.

Final Thoughts

The Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway role at Olsson is a strong fit for a civil engineering student who wants hands-on exposure to transportation design, multidisciplinary coordination, and the realities of consulting delivery. The best candidates will pair fundamental technical knowledge with careful work habits, clear communication, and genuine interest in how infrastructure serves communities.

Verify whether the September 25, 2026 listing remains open, then submit a focused application that makes your roadway interest visible immediately. Prepare specific project examples, learn the fundamentals behind the tools on your resume, and treat every conversation as an opportunity to demonstrate the reliability that engineering teams need.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Salary?

The most defensible estimate is approximately $17 to $23 per hour in Overland Park. A related Olsson transportation internship listing showed $17.25 to $22.50 per hour, but the exact Civil Engineering Intern – Roadway rate should be confirmed with Olsson.

How Competitive Is Hiring?

The role is likely competitive because it combines a recognizable engineering employer, a desirable metro area, and a pathway into transportation consulting. Candidates improve their odds by applying early, showing relevant software or project experience, and explaining why roadway engineering specifically interests them.

Which Skills Matter Most?

The strongest combination is roadway-design fundamentals, CAD or civil-design exposure, Excel, plan reading, attention to detail, and communication. The ability to learn quickly and respond constructively to feedback can matter as much as advanced software experience for an internship.