A passion for explaining to people how the rubber meets the road has earned a leading Pottstown professional the prestigious 2016 Delaware Valley Engineer of the Year honor.

Traffic Planning and Design President Kevin Johnson was praised for his career achievements, leadership and a passion for educating elected officials and the public about the reality of local roads and bridges.

“It is truly humbling to be so honored when reviewing the esteemed list of past Engineers of the Year,” he said.

The award was bestowed last week by the Engineer’s Club of Philadelphia following an election by delegates from Delaware Valley engineering-related technical societies and several past Engineers of the Year based on Johnson’s background, stature and visibility, and representation and proclamation of industry virtues.

Johnson is a champion of understanding facts like the lack of a federal transportation funding increase since 1993 and the impact of even a radical 14-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase, which he said would provide a 76 percent funding increase while only costing consumers $60 a year more for their gas. On top of that, he noted that polls show 70 percent of the public supports some increase in transportation funding.

“Don’t assume that the elected officials know every fact and every piece of regulation or law that they’re looking at,” he recommended in a nomination video.

Johnson, who heads an award-winning engineering firm with eight offices across the Mid-Atlantic, received overwhelming support from the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE) Delaware Valley Chapter, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Philadelphia Chapter, the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) Delaware County Chapter and Women in Transportation (WTS) Philadelphia Chapter. He’ll be presented the award in February during Delaware Valley Engineers Week.