A career in Road & Bridge Building and Heavy Construction
The provincial government has budgeted $56 million in capital improvements to roads and bridges for the 2019-2020 construction season.
“We need to continue to improve our roads and bridges so that our roads are safe and efficient,” says Steven Myers, Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Energy. “Major infrastructure project areas include $56 million for roads and bridges to help our communities grow and thrive.”
A positive forecast
“The 2019 construction season has started on Prince Edward Island,” says Melissa Paquet, Executive Director, PEI Road Builders & Heavy Construction Association. “We are looking forward to a busy season and are projecting a busy few years.”
The Fall Capital Budget and the Five-Year Capital Plan were presented in the Legislature in November 2018. The Highway Capital Budget for 2019-20 is $56.0 million. “The Five-Year Plan is looking prosperous and is great for the industry to plan ahead.”
The Provincial Highway Capital budget broke down as follows:
Bridges $ 5,000,000
National and Collector Highways $13,400,000
Collector Highways $12,600,000
Trans-Canada Highway Extension $17,000,000
Provincial Paving $ 8,000,000
Total $56,000,000
Road & Bridge Building on Prince Edward Island – Hiring practices
- Curran & Briggs, Summerside
- Duffy Construction, Kinkora
- Go with the flow Traffic Control Inc., Montague
- Island Coastal Services, Charlottetown
- Island Construction Ltd., Charlottetown
- Kings County Construction Ltd., Montague
Visit www.islandbuilder.ca: Check out many PEI job openings in the construction sector
The PEI Road Builders and Heavy Equipment Association has 22 regular members who are road builders and just over 100 associate members who supply goods and services such as equipment, fuel, and parts to the industry.
For a 2019 list of the members, click here
Jobs in road and bridge building and jobs in demand
- Skilled Labourers
- Flaggers
- Heavy Equipment Operators
- Truck Drivers
- Heavy Equipment Mechanics
- Technicians
- Supervisors and Superintendents
- Consulting Engineers who design the roads
- Building surveyors
- Estimators
- Office Managers, Accountants, Heavy Equipment Dealers
“There is a shortage in Skilled Labourers and Heavy Equipment Operators,” Melissa says. “Qualified Heavy Equipment Operators and Mechanics are also difficult positions to fill.
“Many older workers who have been in the industry for years are beginning to retire. To replace them with new younger qualified people is difficult.”
Melissa says there is also a shortage of Flaggers. “Flaggers need to first take a safety course, but they don’t necessarily need to have experience, because they could be trained on the job.
“Flagging is a tough job. They are standing all day in all kinds of weather, and there can be an element of danger dealing with traffic.”
Promoting a career in Road Building
“These days, the career choices young people are facing can be overwhelming,” says Melissa Paquet. “One of our initiatives moving forward is to promote a career in Road Building on Prince Edward Island. This is a viable industry. People who work in road building and heavy construction really do build our communities and our province.”
Education options
- The Construction Technology program at Holland College includes a component of heavy civil (roadbuilding).
- Civil Engineers, who design roads, need a university Engineering degree.
- JVI offers courses for Truck Drivers and Heavy Equipment Operators.
Finding work in the road and bridge building industry
“Anyone interested in working in this industry is welcome to contact the Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association office,” says Melissa. “I can put people in touch with most of the roadbuilding companies in operation on PEI. Job seekers can send me a resumè, and I will forward it to our members.
“Job seekers can also contact company owners directly to ask what skills they are looking for and how to get into positions.
“Employee commitment is very important. Employers want to invest in people who are willing to stay with their companies for the long-term. They don’t want to train them and then lose them. Being such a seasonal Island, it is hard to get that commitment because many workers have to go off-Island in the winter to find employment to pay the bills.”
 | For more information about the PEI Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association , call 902-894-9514. Visit www.peirb.ca and click on Our Members for a list of employers in the industry. For a list of roadbuilding tenders, visit www.princeedwardisland.ca/tenders. For PEI jobs advertisements in Road and Bridge Building, visit www.islandbuilder.ca and www.workpei.ca. |
 | Click to watch videos of the trades and technology programs Holland College offers across PEI. |
 | Click for related articles on the Road & Bridge Building Industry. |