UDOT district engineer Alex Fisher Willis highlights maintenance crews, career path and fellowship experience

Alex Fisher Willis, a district engineer with the Utah Department of Transportation, said he oversees most of Salt Lake County and all of Tooele County and manages crews responsible for snow plowing, pothole repairs, litter pickup and operations in the Cottonwood Canyons including the Avalanche crew.

Willis said maintenance field crews are “the most important part of UDOT, period,” adding, “They they work their butts off” and that those crews keep roads functioning for the traveling public. He emphasized that many employees perform those duties out of concern for people using the roadways.

Willis recounted his own path into UDOT, saying he interned as an undergraduate, worked as a traffic operator in the Transportation Operations Center and pursued graduate studies in civil engineering with an environmental focus. He said he applied for UDOT’s rotation program, completed several rotations in Region 2 and central construction, and remained with the agency for about 15 years.

He described taking a yearlong AASHTO fellowship in Washington, D.C., beginning in April 2017, noting the fellowship involves remaining on UDOT payroll while working directly with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and observing interactions with the Federal Highway Administration and other state agencies.

Willis credited agency leadership and colleagues for supporting professional development. He said director approval was required for the fellowship and that named colleagues (Carlos and Shane Marshall) assisted in arranging the opportunity. He urged staff to proactively seek growth opportunities and to build professional connections both inside and beyond their region.

He closed the remarks by identifying himself to the record: “Alex Fisher Willis. I’m a district engineer.”