When people ask me what I like about working for the Maine Department of Transportation, I tell them employees are not trying to fit into a mold at MaineDOT:  the department finds a mold to best fit each member of the team. The flexibility and variety at MaineDOT create great opportunities for younger engineers who are trying to learn as much as possible and grow their skillsets.

I grew up in Winslow and studied civil engineering at the University of Maine. I think I gravitated toward the engineering field because of the experience I had with my grandfather’s construction company. Civil engineering offered the most variety. When I graduated, I knew I wouldn’t be working at a desk for eight hours every day unless I wanted to be.

Dalton Thompson is a field engineer for MaineDOT’s Bridge Program. He lives in Brunswick.

I got hired as a transportation engineer at MaineDOT in May 2015. In late 2019, I passed the exam to become licensed as a Professional Engineer. I currently work as a field engineer for the department’s Bridge Program. MaineDOT maintains almost 3,000 bridges. Each structure is unique, and each project comes with new and exciting challenges.

Several projects stand out for me. I spent two years working on the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge, which connects Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Both the scale of the project and the mechanical components involved with the structure made it an interesting assignment. More recently, I worked on bridge replacement projects in downtown Gardiner. Our team worked with our contracting partners to construct a new bridge deck adjacent to the old one before sliding the 700-ton replacement into place over the course of several days. My job takes me all over my home state but, by and large, allows me to come home at the end of even the longest days.

I’m proud to be part of the team at MaineDOT. The work environment is friendly and welcoming. People of all experience levels go by their first names, yet there is still a mutual respect among all of us. The recent reclassification of engineering positions has incentivized longevity, and public service offers benefits that are tough to beat in the private sector.

Finally, the work I do matters. It gives me a sense of achievement. Everyone sees and uses the bridges we build. That satisfaction, along with the variety and opportunity available, is why I am fortunate to do what I do for the people of Maine.