The Team

John E. Alford, PE     
Senior Project Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, NC

Education: Applied, Civil Engineering Technology

Experience: Mr. Alford has over 37 years of Roadway Design and engineering management experience. His career with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) spanned 32 years where he retired as the State Roadway Design Engineer. Mr. Alford has worked with private engineering firms for the past 5 years since retirement from NCDOT.   His 37 years of design experience includes functional, preliminary, right of way and final plan designs for a multitude of projects ranging from simple bridge replacement projects to the more complex interstate rehabilitation projects. Mr. Alford represented NCDOT as the one voting member on the AASHTO Subcommittee on Design, NCDOT representative for the 2001 AASHTO Policy for the Design of Low Volume Roads, NCDOT representative on the 2002 rewrite of the AASHTO Greenbook, co-chaired with FHWA on the rewrite of the NCDOT Noise Policy and co-chaired the rewrite of the NCDOT Bridge Policy. 

Nathan Benson, PE       
Planning and Environmental Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer and Land Surveyor - North Carolina

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineer, University of South Carolina
Graduate, NC Public Manager Program

Experience: Mr. Benson has served more than 35 years in the transportation planning and environmental field including 19 years (from 1969 to 1988) employed with the NCDOT. During his tenure he served as Highway Planning Engineer, Head of Rural Project Planning Section, and the Assistant Manager of Planning and Research for Project Planning.

Experience: Ms. Bonney has over three years of experience in bridge and other structural inspections, bridge design and analysis, as well as many other miscellaneous structural designs. She is proficient in multiple engineering computer programs such as Microstation V8, WIGINS (Wearable Inspection Grading Information Network System), SAP, Conspan, RC Pier, Daystar, and Microsoft Office.


Michael Craig, PE    
Design Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina - 2002; Tennessee - 2004

Certifications: Effective Design Build Teams, Precast / Prestressed Concrete Bridge Design, Steel Bridge Design, National Highway Institute of In-Service Bridges, Age and Failure of Structures

Education: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Buffalo 1997; Masters of Structural Engineering, University of Buffalo 1999

Experience: Michael Craig has over eight years of experience in structural design. Mr. Craig has a passion for bridge analysis and strives to maintain and expand his skills and knowledge. His areas of greatest expertise are prestress box girder design and repair and retrofit of existing structures. Michael Craig is a highly motivated structural PE with a multitude of computer software skills including extensive knowledge of SAP, GEOPAK, MATHCAD, CONSPAN, RC PIER, Microstation, Merlin Dash and MS Excel. He applies these skills to his work to bring efficient solutions to structure design.

Jim Davis, PE    
Hydraulics Manager

Registration:  Professional Engineer – North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee

Education:  Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University

Experience:  Mr. Davis has been specifically involved in hydraulic design for fifteen years and has a total of twenty-nine years experience in highway engineering related work.  Initially employed with the NCDOT Roadway Design Unit, he worked as a Transportation Design Technician for fourteen years.  After receiving his civil engineering degree, he was employed as a Project Engineer with the NCDOT Hydraulics Unit for eight years, directing and supervising the preparation of drainage design plans.  Mr. Davis has prepared hydraulic designs for numerous roadway and bridge projects throughout North Carolina.

Gerald DeVito, PE
Wilmington Office Manager/Project Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, NC, WA
Education: B.S. Civil Engineering

Gerald has over 26 years of engineering experience and recently joined WEI after 5 years working with the City of Wilmington, NC. His career experience is split between private and public sectors with a concentration in transportation, drainage and utility design. While with the City of Wilmington, Mr. DeVito was Project Manager in the Construction Management Section but also designed utility and road project. Gerald served as Project Engineer for the City’s new Police Headquarters.  Prior to serving with the City of Wilmington, Mr. DeVito designed and managed diverse projects including Military and State DOT projects as a consultant. He also has extensive residential and commercial site design, land development and is trained in property valuation.

Tom Diffee, PE, SE    
Design Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina - 2001, Structural Engineer, Illinois - 2004

Certifications: Safety Inspection of In-Service Bridges, SCDOT Seismic Design Specifications for Highway Bridges

Education: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University

Experience: Mr. Diffee has more than 13 years of design experience. With the capabilities to work on roadway, bridge and hydraulic design, drawing review and bridge inspection, he deliviers exceptional expertise on mult-phased projects. He specializes in the layout, design, design check and plan preparation for roadway and rail bridge projects for Departments of Transportation in North Carolina and other states. He has reviewed structural working drawings for North and South Carolina Departments of Transportation. Mr. Diffee has designed many types of bridges including steel plate girders, prestressed girders, cored slab continous flat slab and a single-point urban interchange bridge. He has been the engineer for several widening/rehabilitation and new location roadway projects.


John A. Dilworth, PE      
Project Design Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering; Bachelor of Science, Mathematics

Experience: Mr. Dilworth has over 7 years of experience in working drawing review and approval with the Structure Design Unit of the North Carolina Department of Transportation. His experience has been in structure design and analysis of working drawings and designs for a large number of highway construction projects throughout North Carolina. He has experience in various stages of highway and bridge construction including bridge overhang falsework, hammerhead bent cap falsework, precast concrete box culverts, temporary shorings, noise walls, retaining walls pile load test frames temporary detour bridges, and foundations and structural supports for highway signs and traffic signals.

Shannon Irwin, PE     
Hydraulics Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, December 2007, NC Board of Registration

Education: Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska

Experience: Ms. Irwin has over four years of experience in water resources, transportation and civil engineering.  Her experience includes stream restoration and monitoring, SCDOT and NCDOT roadway hydraulics design, NCDOT roadway and bridge projects, plan production including roadway layout, grading, and construction detailing, structural analysis, site development, and serving as a public information officer.  She is proficient in Microstation, GeoPak Roadway, FlowMaster, and HEC-RAS, and familiar with GeoPak Survey, and AutoCAD .

Bob A. May, PE    
Senior Roadway Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, North Carolina State University

Experience: Mr. May has over 15 years of experience including 11 years with the NCDOT Roadway Design Group as a Transportation Engineer Supervisor II. In this capacity he supervised four employees and was responsible for over $400 million in highway design projects. Mr. May has also let approximately $37 million in State contracts and has worked in all phases of design from functional and preliminary design to right of way and final plans adhering to AASHTO and Roadway Design policies and procedures. Mr. May has also been responsible for reviewing roadway plans and coordinating with other design units to ensure the project objectives are met and project information is shared. This ensures the highest quality of product.

Fred F. Mehfar, PE     
Construction Maintenance Services
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, 1968

Experience: Mr. Mehfar brings over 46 years of experience to Wetherill Engineering, Inc. Including 25 years with the NCDOT Bridge Maintenance Unit. Prior to retiring, he served as Bridge Maintenance Staff Engineer responsible for responding to emergency bridge damage statewide, assisting the Unit Head on special projects, coordinating all bridge maintenance works in 58 field offices, and purchasing and maintaining materials and equipment.

James Pendergraft  
Design Technician

Education: Architectual Drafting; Autocad & Microstation

Experience: Mr. Pendergraft has nine years of experience in structural and hydraulic designs. Another two years in architectural drafting and designing houses and commercial buildings. Along with fifteen years working in construction.


Frank Price, PE     
Senior Transportation Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, NC, SC and TN, Professional Licensed Surveyor, NC

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, NCSU 1961; Master of Science, Civil Engineering, NCSU 1969; Graduate work, Urban & Regional Planning, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 1964;
Graduate work, Engineering Management, University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi 1987;
Numerous short courses, workshops and seminars on traffic engineering and transportation planning technical subjects.

Experience: Mr. Price has over 44 years of engineering planning and engineering management experience. He spent over 30 years with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as a project engineer, unit head, and branch manager (for both the Capital Improvement Program and Transportation Improvement Program). He has served as project planning engineer on numerous highway projects from major highway rolocations to minor urban intersection improvements located throughout North Carolina. Mr. Price has worked both in-house and as an engineering consultant for the NCDOT to manage the planning design and operation of transportation projects. He has over 13 years of experience in providing traffic engineering / transportation planning services as a consultant for both state and local governments and private clients.


Angela Pridgen, PE     
Roadway Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, December 2006, NC Board of Registration

Education: Associates Degree, Civil Engineering

Experience: Ms. Pridgen brings six years of NCDOT Roadway Design experience to WEI. She has been involved in all phases of projects from preliminary design to right-of-way and final roadway plans. She incorporates her experience with the AASHTO specifications and standards and her knowledge of Geopak software to create innovative roadway plans. Ms. Pridgen has experience in interchange and guardrail design, public involvement, and calculating and checking quantities and estimates.


Danny L. Sherrod, EI    
CEI / Claims Specialist

Education: AAS; Nash Community College, 1981 - 1983; AAS; Wilson Technical Community College, 1969 - 1971

Experience: As a retired NCDOT Field Transportation Technician, Mr. Sherrod brings over 30 years of construction experience to the firm. As a Senior Project Inspector he was responsible for overseeing all aspects of construction including installation and maintenance of erosion control measures, various engineering and inspection tasks, material sampling and testing & daily record keeping. In addition, he served as liaison with all involved parties.


Robert Tucker, PE    
Senior Civil Engineer
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering

Experience:  Mr. Tucker has over 30 years of civil/site engineering experience.  His background includes having served as the Assistant County Engineer for Wake County and Director of Engineering, Public Utilities and Building Inspections for Brunswick County.  Mr. Tucker also served as the Director of the Town of Cary Government responsible for managing a capital budget in excess of $75 million.  Major capital projects included design and construction of major expansions to the North and South Wastewater Reclamation Plants, and raw water pump station and water treatment plant.


Debora B. Wetherill    
President

Departments: Administration

Professional History: Ms. Wetherill has more than twenty years of experience in engineering administration, business, and marketing. As President / CEO of Wetherill Engineering, Inc., Ms. Wetherill has directed the growth and direction of the firm for the past eleven years. She maintains day-to-day control of the corporation and is responsible for contract negotiation, billing and she oversees quality control and coordination of all projects. Ms. Wetherill is involved with all engineering operations of the firm and prides herself of her hands-on-approach in each department.


Edward G. Wetherill, PE    
Vice-President/Project Manager

Departments: Civil and Site Design, Bridge and Structural Design

Professional History: Edward Wetherill has over 27 years of transportation-related project experience, of which the last 17 years has been as Project Manager and Lead Engineer for roadway design, structure design, and construction projects.

Experience: Mr. Wetherill's experience has been in the design and construction of numerous highway and bridge/structural projects throughout North Carolina. His field of special expertise includes the analysis and design of concrete and steel bridges, bridge inspection and load ratings, preparation of bridge and roadway plans, specification writings, estimating, computer-aided design (CAD), and supervision and direction of personnel. He has experience in highway design, site design and layout, drainage facilities, utilities, traffic control, signing and pavement marking, and erosion control, construction cost estimates, specifications and contract documents for letting and supervising the location surveys.


Robert Smith, PE    
CEI Manager
Registration: Professional Engineer, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia

Education: Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, 1962

Experience: Mr. Smith is presently Construction Engineering Director for Wetherill Engineering, Inc. He has over 40 years of experience including 20 years as District Engineer for the North Carolina Department of Transportation in Durham and 9 years with another engineering firm.