Women in Construction

Mary O’Brien,?Highway Maintainer I, District 5, Chester, NH?

Mary O’Brien joined the New Hampshire Department of Transportation in December 2022.?As a Highway Maintainer, Mary is learning a lot.?She had first learned about job opportunities at NHDOT from the signs on the roadside of each highway maintenance shed.?She didn’t think she could work in Highway Maintenance, because she thought she didn’t have enough experience.?However, the requirements to be a Highway Maintainer are a high school diploma/high school equivalency credential and 3 months of work experience.?After learning of the requirements, Mary heard that DOT would help her with on-the-job training for her to get her Commercial Driver’s License (CDL).?She could earn a paycheck, get experience, AND start working right away!?Mary tells prospective applicants, “Don’t be afraid of not having experience.?Everyone starts somewhere!”

Mary has gained unique skills that she never would have imagined learning, such as operating a backhoe.?She also took a class on how to use a chainsaw safely with the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Mary recommends new hires ask questions if uncertain.?“No big deal. Ask! Don’t be afraid!”?She says you can’t expect to come out of school on top.?“Be patient, put in the time to learn, you’ll get there,” she advises. “It’s the people you work with who will help you.”?She compares working in the shed to a crew environment on a ship with a captain, mates, engineers, and deck hands.?Each person she works with has helped her to learn something new, such as studying to get her CDL permit, going over a pre-trip inspection, learning about airbrakes and how to operate heavy equipment.?Mary?doesn’t have her CDL yet, but there’s always something for her to do and a way for her to help her team, like flagging at a worksite on Route 121 to keep everyone safe.

She said there’s no “typical day.” She reports to the shed at 7:00 AM, and they talk about what they’re going to do.?Highway Maintenance work often depends on the weather.?Recent rainstorms caused washouts which required repair of the roads.?There’s also preventative maintenance and the upkeep of equipment and vehicles.?Fortunately, her significant-other works regular hours and can take care of their 2 dogs (a yellow Labrador retriever and a black lab) when Mary is working a long winter shift, fighting snow to keep travelers safe on the road.?Before she came to work at DOT, she thought of the department as just the plow truck drivers.?“We tend to take DOT for granted,” she said.?She never thought about the other activities crews perform under adverse conditions with exposure to high-speed traffic, hazardous materials, inclement weather, extreme temperatures, and during disaster situations.

Mary describes the Department of Transportation as important and fun. Her favorite part of working for NHDOT is that no matter what position you have, or what experience you have, that you are an important part, and you have a role that matters.?Mary is animated, enthusiastic and passionate, claiming that as a part of DOT, “You Matter!”?

On her days off, Mary enjoys going out with her dogs, pheasant hunting or at target practice.

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