Nicola Upright marks 41 years in heavy civil construction

Nicola Upright, a construction manager at RockSol Consulting Group in Thornton, Colorado, is being featured by Influential Women as she reflects on 41 years in heavy civil road construction. Her career spans major highway and bridge projects, mentorship work, and efforts to expand opportunities for women in the industry.

Why it matters: - Upright’s career shows how long-term technical leadership can shape major transportation work in Colorado. - Her path also highlights the push to bring more women into heavy civil construction and road building. - Her experience with accessibility and recovery work adds a broader lens to infrastructure design and project review.

What happened: - Nicola Upright, a Construction Manager at RockSol Consulting Group, is being featured by Influential Women for her 41 years in heavy civil road construction. - Upright built her career in Colorado, starting at the Colorado Department of Transportation as a tester and inspector before advancing to project manager. - She oversaw multimillion-dollar infrastructure projects and led teams delivering road and bridge improvements. - The profile highlights her work on award-winning projects, mentorship, and resilience in a male-dominated field. - Learn more through Nicola Upright’s Influential Women profile.

The details: - Upright managed a 30-mile resurfacing and realignment project that required about 160,000 tons of asphalt. - The project depended on coordination among contractors, suppliers, inspectors, and state agencies. - She played a key role in reconstructing multiple bridges after Colorado’s 2013 flooding. - Those flood-recovery projects had tight engineering, time, and environmental constraints and received industry awards. - Upright founded a charity within the Colorado Department of Transportation community 19 years ago. - That effort has provided more than $250,000 in financial assistance to employees and their families. - Upright was a founding member of Women of Asphalt Colorado and served as its president for five years. - Her work there focused on mentorship, professional development, and visibility for women in asphalt and road construction. - A serious hip injury about 15 years ago required 13 weeks of recovery and temporarily kept her out of fieldwork. - The injury shaped her view of resilience and accessibility in infrastructure design, including pedestrian access, tactile paving, and roadway usability for people with disabilities.

Between the lines: - Upright’s career reflects a shift from proving technical credibility on-site to building systems that support people, both inside the workforce and on the roads themselves. - Her emphasis on mentorship suggests a response to two industry pressures at once: retirements among skilled trades workers and the need to widen the talent pipeline. - Her accessibility focus adds practical perspective to a field that often evaluates performance in terms of schedule and materials, not only end users. - She also points to funding volatility as a continuing challenge for infrastructure delivery.

What's next: - Upright remains at RockSol Consulting Group, where she continues working on transportation projects across Colorado. - She says she will keep focusing on safety, integrity, execution, and mentorship as the industry changes. - Her outlook centers on helping the next generation of construction professionals build durable infrastructure and stronger teams.

The bottom line: - Upright’s 41-year career blends technical execution, public service, and advocacy for a more inclusive construction industry.