Summit Design & Engineering

Paving the way for better community connections.

Durham’s infrastructure is doing a lot of heavy lifting. From aging systems to new multimodal connections, the focus on the near future of the cities’ infrastructure needs remain apparent.  The foundation is strong, so the next steps are clear: strengthen what exists, improve safety, and build resilience into every project. This is where Summit can help.

Summit partners with cities to deliver civil engineering, stormwater, transportation design, and surveying services that align with those goals. We support large-scale capital programs as well as neighborhood-level improvements, helping communities plan, design, and maintain infrastructure that performs over the long term. Our approach blends practical engineering with a strong understanding of equity, environmental stewardship, and lifecycle performance.

Across North Carolina, we’ve worked alongside municipalities to improve stormwater systems, rehabilitate roadways, expand pedestrian and bicycle networks, and extend the life of critical assets. From major drainage restoration projects to sidewalks and safety upgrades that connect communities, Summit is ready to support Durham’s continued investment in a safer, more resilient, and more connected city.

Award-Winning

ACEC/NC 2023’s Large Firm of the Year / ENR’s 2023 Design Firm List for Top 500 Design Firms Nationally / Two awards for Engineering Excellence in 2020 and 2015 from the ACEC/NC

14 Comprehensive Services

Including Civil Engineering, CMT/SI, Landscape Architecture, Construction Services, and Geotechnical Engineering.

375+ Employees

Including Master Special Inspectors, Professional Engineers, Landscape Architects, and over 100 certified inspectors located throughout North Carolina.

Services.

Maintenance Management

Our Maintenance Management team understands how vital transportation infrastructure is for a community’s well-being. Our communities rely on the roads that bind us, and we strive to keep that infrastructure healthy and functional. We approach each problem or challenge with an innovative and responsive mindset, developing solutions to keep our infrastructure functional and safe. Our encompassing approach to maintenance management, including our advanced inspection, monitoring, and reporting capabilities, accomplishes this goal.   

We know the transportation infrastructure must be appropriately maintained to serve our communities, and maintenance management is the primary way to make that goal a reality. By partnering with us, our clients can create the resilient, adaptive infrastructure our modern world needs to thrive.  

Contact

Jon Arnold, PE

Transportation Maintenance Manager 

919-824-7482
jon.arnold@summitde.com 

Our Capabilities Include:

  • Pavement Condition Assessments for Roadways and Parking Lots 
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 
  • Asset Inventory 
  • Asset Assessment 
  • Emergency Response 
  • Roadside Systems 
  • Drainage Systems 
  • Sidewalk and Curb Ramp Assessments 
  • Stormwater Inventory and Assessment 
  • Contract Development 
  • Contract Administration and Inspection 

Transportation Design

Ensuring smooth transportation is crucial for a thriving community. That’s why we are dedicated to cultivating a team of true professionals with a wealth of experience in project development and engineering design– ensuring successful project delivery for various clients, every time. We have the capacity to provide every design discipline for transportation projects, including roadway design, hydrologic analysis and hydraulic design, traffic management, and utility engineering. With a focus on constructability, serviceability, and value engineering, we guarantee exceptional project delivery that results in extraordinary benefits to our community. 

Contact

Brandon Johnson, PE

Civil Engineering Department Manager 

brandon.johnson@summitde.com 

Our Capabilities Include:

  • Roadway Design 
  • Streetscapes 
  • Structure Design 
  • Pedestrian Management 
  • Trail & Greenway Design 
  • Traffic Management Design 
  • Floodplain Analysis 
  • Bike & Pedestrian Design 
  • Pavement Marking Design 
  • Sign Design 
  • Signals/ITS Design 
  • Erosion & Sediment Control 
  • Landscape Architecture 
  • Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) 

Civil Engineering & Site Design

Our project teams, lead by Department Managers with decades of experience, guide projects through the design, permitting, and construction administration. Our Hillsborough, Asheville, and Raleigh Teams have experience working within the Triad on subdivisions, institutions, and retail as well as time with local municipalities and government. Our group of engineers and landscape architects work closely together on projects as large as 1600 lot subdivisions in Stokesdale to intimate wedding venues. We have professionals specializing in Civil Engineering, Water Resources, Roadway Design, and Stormwater Compliance, as well as separate geotechnical, surveying, and construction materials and testing departments to back up our designs. 

Contact

Russ Davis, PE

Civil Engineering Department Manager 

russ.davis@summitde.com 

Our Capabilities Include:

  • Due Diligence Studies 
  • Feasibility Studies 
  • Site Programming 
  • Conceptual Design 
  • Master Plans 
  • Stormwater Management 
  • Road Improvement Plans 
  • Utility Plans & Coordination 
  • Grading & Erosion Control Plans 
  • Pre-Development Services 
  • Construction Administration 
  • Entitlements/Rezoning and 
  • Special Use Permits 
  • Erosion & Sediment Control 
  • Landscape Architecture 
  • Construction Engineering Inspection (CEI) 

Water Resources 

At Summit, we believe that maintaining the environmental wellbeing of our projects is a priority. That’s why our team is dedicated to delivering resilient and sustainable solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients’ projects. We strive to create designs that seamlessly integrate into the adjacent ecology and infrastructure. We take a collaborative approach to design, working hand-in-hand with other disciplines to ensure the hydraulic systems we deliver are both efficient and cost-effective. Our team has the experience and expertise required to provide innovative and integrative solutions to challenging design roadblocks, whether it’s roadside ditches or FEMA-regulated stream crossings. 
 

Contact

Ken Ashe, PE, PMP, CFM

Stormwater Resources Manager 

910-547-0302
ken.ashe@summitde.com

Our Capabilities Include:

  • Hydrologic Analysis 
  • Bridge and Roadway Design 
  • Stormwater Drainage Design 
  • Hydraulic Design 
  • Floodplain Modeling and Mapping 
  • Erosion & Sediment Control Design 
  • Stormwater Control Measures 
  • Wet Utility Design 
  • 2D Bridge and Rain-On-Mesh Modeling 
  • Dam Breach Analysis and Emergency Action Plans 
  • Levee Inundation Analysis and Mapping 

Survey & Geomatics  

Summit has been at the forefront of surveying since our inception, leveraging our extensive history to enhance our understanding and impact across various disciplines. Our Geomatics department offers tailored surveying services to both private and public clients across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. With advanced technical capabilities and decades of experience, we efficiently collect, analyze, and interpret data to meet tight schedules. We utilize state-of-the-art equipment for the most accurate, high-definition surveys and provide verification services to ensure contractor accuracy. Our expertise spans wet utilities, drainage structures, roadways, and more, all aimed at laying the groundwork for community-enhancing projects. 

Contact

Brantley Wells, PLS

Survey Department Manager

919-730-2524
brantley.wells@summitde.net

Our Capabilities Include:

  • Boundary Surveys 
  • Topographic Surveys 
  • ALTA/NSPS Surveys 
  • Engineering Surveys 
  • As-Built Surveys 
  • Route Location/Corridor Surveys 
  • GPS/GNSS Surveys 
  • Aerial (Drone) Surveys 
  • Stream Mitigation/Restoration Surveys 
  • Subdivision Plats 
  • Recombination Plats 
  • Construction Surveys 
  • Site Plans/Plot Plans 
  • 3D-Laser Scanning 
  • Lighting (Photometric) Surveys 
  • Elevation Certificates 
VIEW OUR FULL SERVICE OFFERINGS

Durham Private Drainage Assistance Summit has supported the City of Durham since 2018 in replacing and/or rerouting compromised, existing stormwater drainage systems located on private property. The drainage issues included pipe failures, undersized culverts, damaged drop inlets, and pipes underneath buildings. Summit evaluated the drainage and upstream and downstream drainage components for each location, determining replacement alternatives for the City and homeowners to review. City of Durham Pavement Management Services Summit provided Project Management and Inspections for the City of Durham’s Annual Paving Contracts for 2023, 2024, and 2025
and was recently selected to manage the City’s 2026 paving program as well. Our team has managed three individual contracts
each year, with a totaled $38.4M of contract work. Additionally, Summit assisted the City in 2023 and 2024 in the preparation of a
combined $40M in budgeted work for the following year’s paving contracts. Durham Youth Home Summit provided Geotechnical, CMT and SI services during the design and construction of this facility, which has 36-beds facility that provides housing, classrooms, program spaces, indoor/outdoor recreation areas, administrative offices, arrival and intake areas, assessment spaces, and visitation areas in a safe and secure environment.

Contact

Jon Arnold, PE
Transportation Maintenance Manager

919-824-7482 || jonathan.arnold@summitde.com

James Martin
Client Services Manager

919-412-0713 || james.martin@summitde.com