{"id":909851,"date":"2026-06-02T10:12:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:12:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/wsp-gets-ready-to-tackle-the-southeasts-biggest-infrastructure-challenges\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:12:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T15:12:08","slug":"wsp-gets-ready-to-tackle-the-southeasts-biggest-infrastructure-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/wsp-gets-ready-to-tackle-the-southeasts-biggest-infrastructure-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"WSP Gets Ready to Tackle the Southeast&#8217;s Biggest Infrastructure Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Over the last five years, Montreal-based engineering firm WSP has grown considerably through notable strategic acquisitions that have expanded business lines and its geographic footprint. Its purchase of the environment and infrastructure business of John Wood Group plc in 2022 and its acquisition of power and energy sector heavyweight TRC Cos. earlier this year indicate considerably more growth lies ahead.<\/p>\n<p>Numbers bear out the merits of those additions. For example, ENR\u2019s 2026 Top 500 Design Firms ranking shows WSP\u2019s total annual revenue more than doubling, from $2.3 billion in 2022 to nearly $5.1 billion reported for 2025, ranking fourth overall.<\/p>\n<div id=\"paywall-container\">\n<p>Across ENR\u2019s Texas &#038; Southeast region, WSP has climbed the charts, from reporting $542 million in 2021 regional revenue to its 2025 total of $1.185 billion, securing 2nd place on this year\u2019s regional Top Design Firms ranking.<\/p>\n<p>The acquisition of Wood Group and its approximately 6,000 employees was especially impactful for the Southeast, significantly bolstering WSP\u2019s footprint in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.<\/p>\n<p>At the time of the purchase, WSP President and CEO Alexandre L\u2019Heureux said the move would \u201ccontribute to the achievement of our strategic ambitions while expanding our geographical range and adding expertise in key sectors. This will create even greater momentum as we future-proof our cities and our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>WSP\u2019s broad expertise is indeed showing up across a diverse range of projects\u2014and keeping the firm more than busy. Its work includes raw water supply wellfield and injection well systems in an effort to deliver alternative water sources in Polk County, Fla.; delivering meteorological guidance to the Georgia Dept. of Transportation; helping to create living shorelines in Apalachicola Bay; designing and delivering a shore power system at PortMiami; and serving as lead designer to the Superior-Lane JV team constructing Florida DOT\u2019s approximately $1-billion Westshore Interchange project.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Hartsfield-Jackson\u2019s Concourse D\" title=\"Hartsfield-Jackson\u2019s Concourse D\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enr.com\/ext\/resources\/Issues\/TXSE\/2026\/June\/WSP_2_Concourse-D-Modular-construction.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>To expand Hartsfield-Jackson\u2019s Concourse D, the project team is employing 19 large-scale modules for the new structures.<br \/><em>Photo courtesy WSP<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span><strong>Staying Hot in the Southeast<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Atlanta construction market is increasingly keeping WSP active. Since 2019, the firm has served as general engineering consultant on Georgia\u2019s $1.25-billion I-285 at I-20 West Interchange project, which started construction in 2025. The project will reconstruct and widen several interstate system-to-system ramps at the I-285\/I-20 interchange and add auxiliary lanes along I-20 west and I-285 north of the interchange, among other improvements.<\/p>\n<p>Top among its current Atlanta-area contracts, though, is its work leading the Atlanta Aviation Associates joint venture\u2019s effort to deliver the $11.6-billion ATLNext program at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. There, WSP is performing numerous duties, including program\/project management support, quality management, safety oversight, constructibility reviews and supplier diversity outreach, among others.<\/p>\n<p>Contained within that program is the $1.4-billion expansion of ATL\u2019s Concourse D, where WSP reports that the CM at-risk joint venture of Holder Construction Group, C.D. Moody Construction Co., Bryson Constructors and Sovereign Construction and Development is building a total of 19 modular construction units and moving them more than 1 mile and across two runways to grow the concourse from 60 to 99 ft wide and extend its length by 288 ft.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGiven the scale and visibility of the Concourse D project, WSP\u2019s role goes far beyond traditional program management,\u201d says Edmund Ramos, WSP vice president for aviation delivery and the project\u2019s deputy program director. \u201cOur main contribution is helping the airport balance heavy construction with daily operational demands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Regarding the sprawling work at ATL and other major projects, Claudia M. Bilotto, WSP\u2019s Atlanta-based Southeast region executive, says, \u201cPart of leading a big job is you have to be able to administer a big job\u2014and have the infrastructure to do that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have a lot of very experienced project managers who have done big jobs before,\u201d she continues, \u201cbut we also have the infrastructure to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The firm\u2019s ability to provide clients a wide variety of services is key, Bilotto adds.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have clients like Amazon where we\u2019re able to provide services from site location, due diligence and civil work all the way to the engineering of the data center itself and the facility,\u201d she says. \u201cBeing able to provide a full suite of services to clients is a critical part of our growth strategy, and it\u2019s been really effective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><h4>\n<strong>\u201cBeing able to provide a full suite of services to clients is a critical part of our growth strategy.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/strong><br \/><span>\u2014Claudia Bilotto, Southeast Region Executive, WSP<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n<p>Another notable Atlanta project that WSP is engaged in is the Stitch, which is described as a \u201ctransformational civic infrastructure investment\u201d that will create approximately 17 acres of community park space atop a \u00be-mile-long platform spanning the Downtown Connector between Ted Turner Drive and Piedmont Avenue, among other features.<\/p>\n<p>While also noting WSP\u2019s considerable environmental and resiliency work, Bilotto adds, \u201cWhat I\u2019m really excited about is the sheer breadth that we cover across the Southeast. In this area of the country, we have some of the most exciting projects just because of the growth\u2014and we\u2019re also a firm that\u2019s able to be engaged in those projects in many different ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Work in the Sunshine State that is especially of note includes the estimated $1-billion Westshore Interchange project, considered Tampa\u2019s largest-ever highway construction contract. Joint-venture partners Superior Construction and The Lane Construction Corp. engaged WSP as lead designer for the phased design-build (PDB) project, which will add capacity in general-use and tolled express lanes and upgrade the east end of I-275 at the Howard Frankland Bridge, replace an existing loop ramp and construct new direct connectors to and from Tampa International Airport.<\/p>\n<p>In the phased design-build approach, the joint venture team will work collaboratively with FDOT to refine the design, with work packages incorporated into the project in phases as the design progresses. Through the PDB procurement\u2014the first of its kind for a major transportation initiative in Florida\u2014WSP will facilitate collaboration between stakeholders to produce innovation and design optimization.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, WSP has a history of working with Superior Construction, including serving as the lead design firm on the $171-million, 2,111-ft-long John T. Brooks Bridge over Santa Rosa Sound, currently under construction in Fort Walton Beach, Fla.<\/p>\n<p>Evan Lawrence, construction project manager with Superior, says that in addition to WSP\u2019s excellent communication with the project team, their work on the Brooks Bridge has shown that \u201ctheir problem-solving ability is second to none because they are such a big resource.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of engineers understand what it looks like on paper, but they don\u2019t know what it looks like in the field,\u201d Lawrence adds. \u201cWSP really just truly understands how we have to build. It\u2019s a more agreeable approach where [both parties know] we\u2019re going to have cost overruns, we\u2019re going to have issues on the job, but let\u2019s work through them,\u201d Lawrence says. \u201cThere\u2019s never any pointing fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Apalachicola Bay Living Shoreline\/Franklin 98 project\" title=\"Apalachicola Bay Living Shoreline\/Franklin 98 project\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enr.com\/ext\/resources\/Issues\/TXSE\/2026\/June\/Frankling-98-Living-Shorelines.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>The Apalachicola Bay Living Shoreline\/Franklin 98 project aims to bolster the resilience of 6 miles of Florida Highway 98.<br \/><em>Photo courtesy WSP<\/em><\/p>\n<h2><span><strong>Attracting, Keeping Talent<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Another notable acquisition of sorts took place this past April, when WSP announced that Katus Watson had joined the firm as U.S. chief operating officer. With Jacobs for the previous eight years, Watson most recently served as executive vice president and general manager for that firm\u2019s Canada and U.S. East region. As COO, Watson\u2014who\u2019s based in Tampa\u2014is charged with overseeing operational performance.<\/p>\n<p>Watson sees plenty of opportunity for growth while addressing significant challenges. While noting the \u201chigh caliber of [WSP\u2019s] leadership and the strength of its talent\u201d in an interview with ENR, Watson said, \u201cThe opportunity to embrace a future-ready mindset\u2014building for the future\u2014was one of the things that brought me to WSP.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Katus Watson\" title=\"Katus Watson\" src=\"http:\/\/www.enr.com\/ext\/resources\/Issues\/TXSE\/2026\/June\/WSP_4_pri-wsp-watson-katus.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h4>\n<strong>\u201cThe opportunity to embrace a future-ready mindset &#8230; was one of the things that brought me to WSP.\u201d <\/strong><br \/>\n<span>\u2014Katus Watson, Chief Operating Officer, WSP<\/span><br \/>\n<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p>While recognizing significant ongoing demand for major improvements across all types of infrastructure systems as a \u201cbig problem for us to solve,\u201d Watson sees his new firm ready to address the challenges.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWSP is pretty well poised to address all of these issues, whether it\u2019s transportation, energy transition &#8230; data centers, environmental remediation, sustainability and defense,\u201d he says. \u201cWe have the depth, the talent and the skill sets to help address all of these challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To that end, WSP describes its developing professionals network (DPN) as a program where employees can be \u201csurrounded by experienced mentors, participate in cutting-edge projects and build a strong foundation for a successful career.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard Sinz Lopez, a civil engineering consultant in WSP\u2019s Atlanta office, says that the DPN network offers him real opportunities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe DPN allows you to really see and find those opportunities if you\u2019re looking for them,\u201d he says, adding that WSP\u2019s size and scale facilitate a seamless transition to a new venture.<\/p>\n<p>Sinz Lopez says that when he was looking for his first position after graduating from college six years ago, \u201cWhat really sold me was the structure and the career opportunities that were being pitched to me back then that were so evident.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Sinz Lopez, after seeing what similar programs are being offered by other companies, \u201cI really came to realize that no other company has developed a young professionals network as robust, well-organized, well-structured as the DPN.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With WSP\u2019s broad focus on solving the big infrastructure challenges of today, keeping its employees engaged like this certainly can\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.enr.com\/articles\/63073-wsp-gets-ready-to-tackle-the-southeasts-biggest-infrastructure-challenges\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Thomas Howe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over the last five years, Montreal-based engineering firm WSP has grown considerably through notable strategic acquisitions that have expanded business lines and its geographic footprint. Its purchase of the environment and infrastructure business of John Wood Group plc in 2022 and its acquisition of power and energy sector heavyweight TRC Cos. earlier this year indicate<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":909852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2923,23401],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-909851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ready","category-tackle"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=909851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/909852"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=909851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=909851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=909851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}