Christopher Braden, PE, SE is one of hundreds of skilled GAI professionals who help clients create better communities, transportation infrastructure, power generation and delivery, and more from our office locations throughout the United States. Today we will find out a little about Chris —the background, motivation, and methods that he brings to the table every day for GAI and GAI’s clients.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your area of specialization and what drew you to it?
Chris Braden: I have been designing bridges for almost 20 years. My interest in bridges goes back to my childhood in New York. Growing up just outside of New York City meant that I had a lot of exposure to the buildings and bridges in that area. I remember being fascinated by the enormous structures, and that I spent time craning my neck to see the buildings every time we made a day trip with the family or a field trip with school.
My father also played a role in my choice of profession. He was a truck driver and spent most of my childhood driving a dump truck in construction. So often my father would point out, “See that parking lot? I paved that,” or, “See that flagpole? I delivered that!”—regardless of how many times he had told us already. Those experiences showed me the pride that can come from making a mark on the world and producing tangible things that can improve the lives of others. I have very much continued my father’s tradition of “See that? I worked on that,” and I love the sense of accomplishment that comes with my job.
Q: What sorts of projects do you typically contribute to at GAI and what role do you play?
Chris: I serve as the Florida Structures Lead managing bridge design staff across the state. I am heavily involved in marketing efforts in addition to coordinating and assisting with project delivery. I have had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of structures throughout my career—I particularly like post-tensioned concrete and segmental projects, but I have also worked on straight and curved steel, conventional prestressed concrete, and rail bridges across the country and internationally.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
Chris: The bridges, the people, and the constant learning. The great thing about bridge design is that it is never the same, there is always an element of learning and researching that really excites me. I love that projects in the transportation industry so often involve several disciplines and a variety of people, which presents an amazing opportunity to learn and grow. This isn’t limited to the structural aspect of transportation work; I love having the opportunity to learn why roadway or drainage designers approach a problem in a certain way, and the insight I gain helps me to become a more well-rounded engineer.
But, in the end, I love bridges. In my opinion, they exemplify the engineering mindset of function over form, which makes bridges beautiful and fascinating in their own way. I feel very fortunate to work in a field that I continually find so exciting and interesting.
Q: Tell us something about yourself that people may not know.
Chris: I spend a lot of time in my garage woodworking. When I was a teenager, I started building an electric guitar with my father. When I inherited my father’s tools years later, I decided to finish the guitar we had started, and I haven’t stopped woodworking or guitar building since. I have built and refinished several guitars, built keepsake boxes for myself and my kids, had a side-hustle selling cutting boards, and even built a dining room table for my sister and a Little Free Library for my wife. Woodworking requires concentration, planning, and precision, which are all traits that appeal to my engineering personality. The high level of attention required to do woodworking well and safely also helps me turn my focus away from the stresses of life and provides ample opportunity to decompress.
The company’s values relating to providing quality and service to our clients stand out as cornerstones for building and sustaining a successful business.
Q: Why do you feel GAI is a good place to put your skills to work?
Chris: GAI has offered me an opportunity to raise my career to the next level. I have stepped into the role of department manager, which has opened a new set of challenges and opportunities to grow and learn. From my very first interview, I was aware of the high level of camaraderie and shared vision within the company. Since I started in January 2024, I feel that I have the company’s confidence and support that will help me excel at this new endeavor. The company’s values relating to providing quality and service to our clients stand out as cornerstones for building and sustaining a successful business.
Q: How do you believe that the job you do benefits the community?
Chris: As I alluded to in my other responses, one of the characteristics of structural engineering that has always attracted me is that my efforts have the result of improving the lives of others. Each new bridge is a new structure that will make a highway safer, alleviate congestion, or shorten someone’s commute. There are tangible benefits to the effort and expertise I put into a project that will be realized well into the future. It’s a great feeling to know that my grandchildren may still be driving across the bridges that I have worked on for decades to come.
Contact Chris Braden, PE, SE, 321.319.3079, for more information about GAI’s transportation engineering services—message GAI and start the conversation about how our multidiscipline professionals can meet your unique project needs.
Christopher Braden, PE, SE serves as GAI’s Florida Structures Lead, a role in which he manages bridge design staff across the state, helps coordinate project delivery, and assists with the company’s regional marketing efforts. Chris’ work on a range of highway structural design projects includes design and detailing activities relating to prestressed concrete, precast and cast-in-place post-tensioned segmental concrete, steel box and plate girders for bridges, and displacement based seismic design utilizing AASHTO criteria.
