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Civil Engineering

David Jacobson, P.E.

image of David Jacobson

Director of Engineering, Kansas Turnpike Authority

Office Location: Topeka, KS

Education

  • BS, Civil Engineering, Kansas State University

Professional Associations

  • International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association (IBTTA)
  • Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE)
  • Engineers’ Foundation of Kansas
  • KSU Civil Engineering Advisory Council
  • Kansas Transportation Research & New Development Program (K-TRAN)

 


David Jacobson serves as the Director of Engineering for the Kansas Turnpike Authority. The 236-mile roadway is supported by user-fees and serves as a regional thoroughfare from the Oklahoma border to Kansas City. 

After obtaining his Civil Engineering degree from Kansas State University in 1986, David began working for the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Olathe construction office. In 1988, he moved to KDOT’s Consultant Services/Road Design division in Topeka. David worked with DRG Consulting Engineers in Kansas City 1992-94. He joined the Kansas Turnpike Authority in 1994 and was promoted to the Director of Engineering in 2005.

David stands at the forefront of transforming tolling in Kansas. He is leading a decade-long improvement plan focused on modernizing and preserving the Turnpike system while enhancing safety, efficiency and the customer travel experience.

Leading a team of staff assistants, field personnel and five professional engineers at the Kansas Turnpike, David and his team are charged with managing and improving Turnpike infrastructure. Together, they oversee a large number of projects, using traditional and alternative delivery methods.

During David’s tenure, he has overseen large modernization projects, including the addition of highway speed electronic lanes and raising 50+ overhead bridges to increase their vertical clearance, both of which help aid commercial travel and the Kansas economy. Currently, he helps lead the transition to convert the Kansas Turnpike to cashless tolling.

David is a licensed Professional Engineer in the state of Kansas and was named Engineer of the Year by the Kansas Society of Professional Engineers (KSPE) in 2019.  He has served on the KSPE Topeka Chapter and KSPE State Boards, the Engineers’ Foundation of Kansas Board, 2014 Statewide Freight Advisory Committee, 2016 Kansas Freight Advisory Committee, Kansas Transportation Research & New Development Program Council Member, ACEC/KDOT Partnering Committee, and the Kansas State University Civil Engineering Advisory Council.  David and his wife Connie are proud parents of daughter Emily, and son Joseph.