Two Cobb DOT engineers make “100 most influential women in Georgia engineering” list

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Karyn Matthews and Ligia Florim, engineers for Cobb DOT were on the list of “100 most influential women in Georgia engineering” compiled by Engineering Georgia magazine.

“I always enjoyed math.  I sort of fell into engineering after I decided to major in Physics at Emory,” Karyn Matthews said for the county’s news release about the honor. “Since I have been at Cobb, I have been fortunate to be involved in many great projects – several of them winning design awards as well,” 

Matthews said her favorite project was the Windy Hill/Terrell Mill connector project.

“I was handed the project when I first walked in the door in 2013 as a scoping project – figuring out where a new road location could go,” she said. “I got to follow that project from the beginning to the end of construction.  It’s not every day that you see a brand-new road get built in such an urban environment.”

According to the news release:

Ligia Florim said her favorite projects have been ones that involved cooperation with multiple stakeholders and design complexities such as the Mableton Parkway Pedestrian Improvements, New Macland Road Improvements, Chattahoochee Trail, Old 41 Highway, and South Barrett Reliever Phase 3.

“Engineering is a rewarding field when you make it about serving others,” Florim said.  “Do your best at whatever job you do, no matter how small it might seem … Nowadays, I enjoy working and coordinating with commissioners, developers, and individual property owners, helping them resolve issues that directly impact them and the County’s transportation system.”

To read more, follow this link to the county’s news release, or click https://www.engineeringga.com/march-april-2024-issue-available-now/ to view the complete list in Engineering Georgia magazine.

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About the Cobb County Department of Transportation

The Cobb County DOT website describes the responsibilities of the department as follows:

The Cobb County Department of Transportation (DOT) develops, manages, and operates Cobb County’s transportation system. This system includes a vast network of roadways, sidewalks, and trails; a transit system that provides public transportation; and an airport that serves business and recreational flying needs.

The Director and Deputy Director oversee all functions of the Cobb DOT.

Cobb DOT consists of several divisions, including engineering, traffic operations, planning, airport, transit, and road maintenance. It also includes support services, which is a general designation for services that support Cobb DOT across all divisions.

The director of the department is Drew Raessler.