Get to Know Lucas Gunka, One of Carpenter Marty Transportation’s Project and Construction Inspection Engineers!

Lucas Gunka has been with the Carpenter Marty Transportation team for 10 years. Though he has experience with bridge, roadway, survey, and traffic engineering, he is specialized in project and construction inspection. Lucas has completed over 10,000 inspections of various bridges, culverts, and other structures across Ohio. He is the lead inspector for various types of public improvement projects, such as sanitary sewers, storm sewers, water lines, roadways, sidewalks, and utilities within the public right-of-way. He coordinates with contractors to diagnose and solve problems that may occur during construction and with the client’s testing laboratory to assure materials are tested and passed.

When Lucas is not at a project site, he is busy helping his colleagues with other projects. He has helped with tasks ranging from surveying and developing right-of-way plans or setting up traffic cameras to assisting in the design of several types of structure rehabilitations and replacements. Lucas enjoys the variety of tasks and says the experience has helped him become a more well-rounded engineer. Internally, we joke that Lucas is the Director of Hodge Podge.

While working with our bridge group, Lucas wrote Fracture Critical Member and Fatigue Prone Connection Identification Plan reports for several bridges in Pike County. The Federal Highway Administration requested them after the Minneapolis bridge collapse; however, there were no templates or examples as a guide at the time. Lucas drafted and finalized the reports, which were approved by the County Engineers Association of Ohio (CEAO). CEAO sent the reports to the Ohio Department of Transportation as a model of what is to be considered a good Fracture Critical Member and Fatigue Prone Connection Identification Plan report. They later became the template for Ohio counties to use. Lucas’s reports, according to personnel at the County Engineers Association of Ohio, were said to be “quite good – one of the best I have seen.”

Excellence comes easy for Lucas. His attention to detail, genuine curiosity regarding the needs of others, and great work ethic make him a great project and construction inspection engineer. As a construction inspector, his hours fluctuate. He works nights and sometimes long days to ensure projects are completed in a timely manner. When asked about his hours or schedule, his response is “whatever the client needs.”

Favorite project

The Olentangy River Road and SR 315 construction project, which Lucas worked on recently, was Lucas’s favorite for many reasons. He enjoyed working with the City of Columbus staff, and the project had many different aspects. It had new highway bridges, storm, electric, fiber, paving, sidewalk, water line, a new culvert, bridge rehabilitation, new roads and ramps, and more. Best of all, since the project is close to where Lucas lives, he gets to see the benefits of the project firsthand.

Person He Admires Most

At 34, Lucas’s friend, Matt, has survived cancer twice. Lucas explained his friend has had a lot of health complications, and yet he is still fun-loving and positive. It can be easy to let difficult situations alter your attitude. Matt’s positivity, through some of the toughest times, is truly inspiring.

Extracurricular Activities

Lucas has a sense of adventure. When he is not working, he likes to travel, play volleyball, or ski. One thing people may not know about him is that he used to develop freelance video games, including level design, modeling, and textures.