CIR Advisory Panel Board Member

Lance W. Simmons, P.E., is a retired Chief Engineer with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

A dedicated TxDOT professional for 32 years, Simmons began his career in 1994 in the Atlanta District’s Design Office, following three summers of work in the Atlanta Area Office. As part of the Young Engineers’ Rotation Program, he gained experience in Advance Planning, Traffic, and Area Office operations. From 2001 to 2009, he served as the Atlanta District’s Bridge/Special Projects Engineer before being appointed Director of Operations in 2010.

In March 2015, Simmons was named District Engineer for the Bryan District. He later advanced to serve as TxDOT’s Director of Engineering and Safety Operations in August 2021, a role he held until his retirement.

Simmons was honored with the prestigious Luther DeBerry Award at the 2014 Transportation Short Course. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Texas A&M University in 1994, where he was recognized as a Terry Scholar. He was recently recognized by the Texas Transportation Commission in June 2025 for his decades of service, and his retirement was also honored by the Texas Senate Committee on Transportation in May 2025.