Last week, Erika Bowen planned to arrive early to a meeting in Coeur d’Alene to celebrate a coworker receiving an Idaho Transportation Department award.

Instead, the award was for her.

Bowen said she was shocked when her supervisors and fellow administrators from Boise surprised her with ITD’s Engineer of the Year award.

The department’s impact awards have recognized professionals for about a decade, honoring individuals who have had advanced career achievements within the company. ITD offers the award through a nomination process and awards it to a handful of people like Bowen.  

“Friends and co-workers had to write a nomination to say that they acknowledge the things I’ve been doing over the years throughout the state, so it felt really special. I know I do good things for safety, but it felt really great that others see what I do too,” Bowen said.  

Chosen for the example she sets for the department and innovative thinking, Bowen is one of 125 other engineers with ITD.  

Bowen has been with ITD for two decades, starting her journey with the company in 2006. In her career, Bowen has served a multitude of roles, working as a staff engineer, project manager and engineer manager. Since 2021, Bowen has spent her time working in the department’s bonding office, responsible for initiating and delivering some of the state’s largest transportation expansion and congestion mitigation projects.  

“Erika has made lasting contributions to ITD and to transportation across Idaho,” the nomination stated. “She elevates the people around her, sets high standards, and always keeps safety and service to the public at the center of her work.” 

Bowen is responsible for providing oversight and direction for approximately $2 billion worth of transportation funding for priority statewide corridors, she said. Based in Ponderay, Bowen works with projects throughout the state, improving interchanges and reconfiguring them.  

One of her biggest accomplishments, Bowen said, was helping lead the charge on ITD’s first federally funded designated “major project” on Interstate Highway 90. The project designation applies to projects exceeding $500 million and requires extensive financial management, risk assessments, and project management strategies, among other requirements. She indicated that the project’s financial plan is reviewed by Congress annually and that it is the first major project in the state.  

In speaking of her accomplishment, Bowen said she’s most appreciative of ITD’s workplace environment and the department’s ongoing efforts to improve throughout the state.  

“ITD is making amazing strides for our transportation network and how to make improvements throughout all communities across the state, and it is a great place to work, not only to help define how improvements get developed ... My boss and our director really care about staff individually and making sure that not only do we all get home safe at the end of the day, but that we can enjoy our jobs and our families too,” Bowen said.