Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) crews are working across southern Orange County on multiple projects to improve the Interstate 4 (I-4) corridor. These projects include reconstructing the I-4 interchanges at Sand Lake Road (State Road (S.R.) 482) and Apopka-Vineland Road (S.R. 535), converting the Daryl Carter Parkway overpass into a new diverting diamond interchange, and widening the westbound I-4 ramp to eastbound S.R. 528 (Beachline Expressway). These critical junctions in Florida’s tourism corridor serve millions of drivers per year, highlighting the importance of these projects.

Lindsey Barnwell, P.E., serves as the FDOT construction project manager for these four projects, directly overseeing the construction engineering and inspection (CEI) teams. Barnwell represents FDOT on these projects, seeking compliance with stakeholder interests and maintaining constant coordination between these projects.

Barnwell has 19 years of engineering experience. After graduating from the University of Miami with bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering and architectural engineering, she began her career with FDOT in the Professional Engineering Training Program. In this program, trainees rotate around the various departments within FDOT, gaining a wide range of experience in multiple areas of engineering and construction.

“Once I stepped foot in the construction office, I knew that is where I wanted to focus my career,” she said. “It is a fast-paced environment in which you can see your decisions being built in real time.”

After working for FDOT as a project administrator and project manager for six years, Barnwell began working at RK&K, where she has held the role of senior project engineer for 13 years. Some of the notable projects Barnwell has worked on include two sections of Wekiva Parkway in Mount Dora and the S.R. 436 and S.R. 528 interchange project, which serves as the gateway to the Orlando International Airport.

March 2-8 is Women in Construction Week, and when asked what she would want other women to know about the construction field, Barnwell said, “The career can be very rewarding, working with various teams to build a project that will benefit the surrounding communities for many years. Construction management is a fast-paced environment where your impact can be felt in real time. Each day presents a new challenge, so it allows you to continually develop professionally and use a wide range of skills (including) engineering, contract management, and leadership.”

Barnwell enjoys coming to the table with the project management team, establishing a common goal, understanding everyone’s interests, and working to develop solutions that benefit the project.

“Issue resolution requires answering multidimensional puzzles that are only solved by teamwork, consideration to time, money, stakeholder commitments, contract requirements, and safety,” she said.

Outside of work, Barnwell takes pleasure in spending time outdoors with her husband and three children. They enjoy the local theme parks, gardening, and riding bikes.