Building Bridges (Literally) with Bridges to Prosperity

Ditch the desk job—this Platform Chats episode takes us to Rwanda, where engineers swapped spreadsheets for socket wrenches and the cubicle for Kigali. Host Walt Blesser talks with Jim Costigan, PE, Senior Engineer – Field Services, Modjeski and Masters, and Erin O'Malley, PE, Bridge Engineer, HDR Engineering, about building a suspension bridge by hand with the local community through the organization Bridges to Prosperity.

The featured keynote at the AREMA 2025 Railroad Bridge Symposium, Bridges to Prosperity, is a nonprofit organization that envisions a world without poverty caused by rural isolation and is dedicated to ending it one trail bridge at a time. From jet lag to hauling cables with no cranes in sight, they share how a simple bridge can transform lives and careers. If you think your job has challenges, wait until you hear this.

Tune in for laughs, insights, and a reminder that real impact often happens off the tracks. For more information about Bridges to Prosperity, visit https://bridgestoprosperity.org/.