WATERTOWN, MA — VHB promotes Andrew Burkholder to the role of National Structures Service Leader. As a new leader of this team, Burkholder will integrate and advance the structures service line across VHB’s footprint, actively engaging regional and local teams while continuing to enhance the company’s talent base.

Burkholder joined VHB in 2012, and his most recent role was as Director of Structures - Massachusetts. Burkholder has worked to connect individuals within various structures teams, leveraging their collective experience and skills to support new growth and project delivery across different markets and regions.

Burkholder has been instrumental in several high-profile projects:

• MBTA Bridge Bundle: Burkholder was the Structural Lead responsible for managing the design of six commuter rail bridges for this $90 million design-build project. His role included coordinating and leading the design squad for each bridge and conducting weekly bridge design coordination meetings with the squad leaders to provide direction, guidance, and a forum for sharing ideas and lessons learned. This approach delivered consistency and standardization across multiple bridge designs while allowing VHB to effectively compress the design schedule.
• MaineDOT, Bridge Inspection and Load Ratings: Burkholder played a critical role as Lead Inspection and Rating Engineer for the evaluation and rating of 59 bridges throughout Maine, many of which are vital structures carrying Interstate 95. His hands-on approach provided detailed and accurate load ratings for each bridge.
• MassDOT, I-495/I-90 Interchange Reconfiguration: Currently, Burkholder is the Lead Structural Engineer overseeing this critical interchange improvement project for MassDOT with teaming partner Barletta Heavy Division. This project aims to reduce congestion, queuing, travel time, and crash risk along the I-495 and I-90 mainlines and ramps. It involves the complete replacement of the interchange, designing and building new ramps, and replacing existing bridges — a total of 13 bridges and 33 walls.

In his new capacity, Burkholder will be partnering closely with regional managers, managing directors, and service and market leaders to identify and implement strategies to drive growth, foster innovation, enhance collaboration, and provide consistent delivery of structural services.

“Andrew has continually demonstrated an unwavering commitment to excellence and unity within our team,” said Mike McArdle, VHB’s Chief Development Officer. “His leadership is instrumental in elevating our structures services and enhancing VHB’s technical excellence. I am confident that under his guidance, we will make significant strides in setting new benchmarks in structural engineering.”

Concurrently, Brent Richard has been promoted to replace Burkholder as Director of Structures - Massachusetts. Richard will lead VHB’s 35-person structural group in Watertown, Massachusetts, which includes a diverse set of bridge engineers, designers, and inspectors, as well as a growing number of vertical/building structural designers.

Richard is a long-time leader within the structures team. During his 16-plus years at VHB, he has led some of the company’s largest and most complex design-build and heavy infrastructure projects, including the Route 79/I-195 Interchange design-build and the Route 44 over 24 Interchange design-build — all while spearheading the growth of VHB’s vertical structural design practice.

Founded in 1979, VHB's specialties include real estate, education, health care, county and municipal governments, airports and port authorities, transit and rail, federal government, planning, civil engineering, landscape architecture, structural engineering, design-build, environmental, energy, and transportation.