Toll Roads Hires New Chief Engineer

A new Chief Engineer has been hired to the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), the government agency said. The TCA oversees operations of California’s largest network of toll roads – State Routes 73, 133, 241 and 261.

Dave Speirs will be responsible for the engineering management of Orange County’s 51-miles of toll roads.

He will lead a team of engineers and consultants for TCA’s capital projects program, including the proposed 241/91 Express Connector and South Orange County Traffic Relief Program, according to that organization. Speirs will also ensure TCA remains at the forefront of the industry through sustainable transportation practices and his active participation in the civil engineering community.

“Dave’s depth of professional experience in the private and public sectors enable him to hit the ground running as our new Chief Engineer,” said TCA Chief Executive Officer Mike Kraman. “We look forward to Dave bringing his project management experience in-house to continue furthering TCA’s reputation as a leader in tolling throughout the nation.”

Speirs comes to TCA from HNTB, one of the nation’s leading infrastructure solutions companies, where he was a project director. Speirs worked closely with TCA during his HNTB tenure: for the past two years, he has served as TCA’s Program Manager for the Corridor Management Group (CMG), directing the project report process for the South Orange County Traffic Relief Effort.

A resident of Irvine, Speirs brings more than three decades of experience in transportation including major highway improvement projects throughout Southern California. He has successfully completed projects for several of the region’s leading transportation agencies, including the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, the Orange County Transportation Authority and the Riverside County Transportation Commission.

He joins the TCA at a time when many, including two U.S. Representatives, say that TCA has overstepped their "core mission."

Speirs earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada and is registered as a professional engineer in California.

He says that he is “grateful for this opportunity and excited to lead TCA’s engineering department to enhance the on-road experience for our more than 1.5 million account holders and 325,000 daily drivers."