Women in Engineering Day – 23 June
Maribel Gomez perfectly reflects the diversity of the talented team delivering the Ison Road Overpass.
As woman in engineering with South American heritage, she typifies the vibrant mix of people and backgrounds working to help provide Wyndham West with a vital link to the Princes Freeway.
Ms Gomez makes valuable contributions as a Senior Project Engineer, overseeing important work to ensure smooth delivery of the overpass works.
“As a civil engineer, it’s always satisfying to help deliver safer, more-reliable travel with MRPV’s important transport infrastructure projects, like the Ison Road Overpass.” – Decmil Senior Project Engineer Maribel Gomez
“I encourage young women with an interest in construction and a talent for mathematics to consider the opportunities available in civil engineering.”
– Decmil Senior Project Engineer Maribel Gomez
Ms Gomez hails from Colombia, where she developed an interest in construction while growing up in a family of 12.
As engineers themselves, her older brothers provided Ms Gomez with valuable guidance. Watching them and her father complete household projects such as building a new bedroom inspired her to dream of becoming an engineer.
With a complementary interest in mathematics, Ms Gomez successfully completed a degree in civil engineering before travelling to Australia for what she thought would be a one-year experience.
That was 18 years ago. Now she’s a valued employee of Decmil, the construction partner of Major Road Projects Victoria (MRPV) on the Ison Road Overpass.
After working on various MRPV projects in recent years, Ms Gomez remains thrilled to help provide drivers, walkers and cyclists with safer, more-reliable travel on new transport infrastructure.
She encourages young women with an interest in civil engineering to follow their dreams.
She advises that a career in civil engineering can be challenging and rewarding at the same time.
MRPV and the wider civil construction industry provide many exciting opportunities for employment and career development, she says.
Ms Gomes advises anyone wanting more information about MRPV careers and opportunities to visit the Big Build website.
“We’re proud to have a number of women in engineering playing critical roles to help deliver the Ison Road Overpass.”
– Major Road Projects Victoria Program Director Tim Price
“It’s important that we provide a welcoming, inclusive environment for the diverse range of people working on the project, which will help provide Wyndham West’s community with a vital link to the Princes Freeway.”
– Major Road Projects Victoria Program Director Tim Price
With Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, the Ison Road Overpass team is celebrating the contribution of the project’s women engineers.
The project supports the Victorian Government’s Building Equality Policy, which seeks to create training and employment opportunities in the construction industry for women.
Once complete, the four-lane Ison Road Overpass will extend over the Melbourne-Geelong railway line toward the Princes Freeway.
Future-proofed for six lanes, it will help give residents access to surrounding areas and minimise traffic in central Werribee, reducing congestion and improving journey reliability.
The project’s opportunities for active transport will include shared walking and cycling paths over the bridge and a cycling path underneath the bridge.
The overpass is set to cater for nearly 29,000 vehicles a day by 2036.
More information is available at bigbuild.vic.gov.au/ison.
