CIMA+ transportation engineer Kate Barclay on how collaboration shapes real-world transportation solutions
At the end of an innovative engineering project, the visible results—state-of-the-art infrastructure, breakthrough technology, and enhanced services that transform communities—reflect months or years of technical effort. What’s less visible is the driving force behind these outcomes: the collaborative energy of a team working together to explore ideas, challenge assumptions, and solve complex problems. Conversations across disciplines, the blending of perspectives, the shared commitment to solving real-world challenges—these are what spark innovation and make cutting-edge projects possible.
At CIMA+, this spirit of collaboration is a defining pillar of how the firm delivers excellence. CIMA+’s culture is rooted in a set of core values that places team spirit alongside excellence, with collaboration seen as fundamental to both how projects are managed and how breakthrough ideas emerge. By valuing open communication, respect for diverse expertise, and cooperative problem-solving, CIMA+ creates an environment where people are encouraged to share insights, innovate together, and deliver solutions that exceed client and community expectations.
Kate Barclay, a project engineer and project manager in CIMA+’s Transportation group, is at home in CIMA+’s collaborative environment and embraces the iterative process of people coming together to openly share ideas. “As engineers, we naturally cycle through ideas, test assumptions and work across disciplines to arrive at the best possible solution.” This mindset is central to the environmental assessment and preliminary design work she leads, where she brings together input from a broad range of specialists and guides teams toward solutions that meet both project objectives and community needs. “I work with specialists in several different fields—including ecology, archaeology, cultural heritage, safety, traffic, drainage, structures, noise, air quality—who see problems and our projects through entirely different lenses, which constantly challenges our assumptions and further refines our recommendations.” This constant exchange of perspectives not only strengthens the technical outcome, but also keeps the work dynamic, engaging, and deeply rewarding.
This people-centred approach to collaboration traces back to what first drew Kate to engineering: transportation itself and the way it connects people, places, and opportunities. “I was originally drawn to transportation as a career because of how mobility enables human interaction, supports economic and social life and shapes the way communities function, linking people, places and opportunities” she explains. The physical outputs of transportation are at the heart of the attraction. Unlike a career in transportation policy or planning, transportation engineering focuses on built infrastructure that directly influences how people move and the decisions they make. “Our decisions influence their choices, convenience, and comfort, ideally for the better. Small changes can have a large impact on many people.”
That focus on people extends beyond design decisions to the way projects are shaped through dialogue and engagement. For Kate, collaboration is not limited to technical coordination within the project team; it also means actively involving stakeholders and the public. Public engagement is a defining and meaningful part of her role, requiring openness, curiosity, and a willingness to listen. “I really value opportunities to meet with the public and hear their perspectives,” she says. These conversations help ensure that solutions are grounded in lived experience, resulting in outcomes that reflect both engineering best practices and the realities of the communities who rely on local infrastructure.
Balancing those many perspectives, however, is rarely straightforward. As Kate observes, transportation projects are inherently complex. “Transportation is like a puzzle because it involves fitting many interdependent pieces together, where changing one piece affects all the others.” Each system or component is constrained by limited space, budgets, political priorities, and environmental impacts, and there is rarely a single right answer. Compounding this complexity, the puzzle is constantly evolving—travel patterns shift, land uses change, populations grow, and new modes emerge. For Kate, this dynamic nature is part of what makes the work so engaging, always offering opportunities to reassess assumptions and refine solutions over time.
Kate extends this spirit of connection in another direction, too: out to the broader industry through her involvement with WTS, the Women’s Transportation Seminar. Founded to advance the careers of women in the transportation industry, WTS has been a source of inspiration for Kate. “I always leave WTS events feeling energized and motivated by the impact of transportation on our community.” Drawn to the organization’s supportive professional network and commitment to equity, she now helps strengthen CIMA+’s presence in the chapter and has recently applied to the 2026 WTS Mentorship Program.
Through her work, Kate gives life to the collaborative values at the core of CIMA+’s culture. “A supportive and connected workplace leads to better project outcomes and a more positive experience for everyone,” she says, a belief that reflects the firm’s commitment to team spirit and excellence. By bringing people together across disciplines, experiences, and communities, she demonstrates how connection not only strengthens project delivery but also helps build an environment where people feel encouraged to grow, contribute, and do their best work.
