80 Years Strong
Founded in 1944 by transportation planning and design pioneer Harry W. Lochner, our company has been a beacon of quality, excellence and innovation for eight remarkable decades. Lochner’s longevity speaks volumes about client trust and the unwavering commitment of our people. As we celebrate this significant milestone, Lochner is poised for continued transformation – with many more successes on the horizon.
Supporting America's Economic Growth
Shortly after setting up business in Chicago in 1944, Lochner was one of three firms nationwide skilled in planning urban highway systems in the U.S., including providing planning services for the Atlanta Expressway System Study and the East St. Louis Expressway system. In the 1950s, Lochner planned expressway systems for 30 major cities through the Midwest and Southern U.S.
In the 1960s and 1970s, we contributed to the building of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, and began implementing and designing systems and aesthetics that today we refer to as ITS and context sensitive design.
In the last two decades of the 20th century, and into the new millennium, Lochner continued to support clients and communities with infrastructure modernization, increasing capacity and improving safety, accessibility, connectivity, and efficiency. We expanded our office footprint coast to coast and further diversified our surface transportation capabilities with environmental, alternative project delivery, construction engineering and inspection, program and construction management, and technology enabled solutions.
Following NEPA legislation in the 1970s, Lochner added environmental services with the completion of the award-winning I-75 Alligator Alley EIS.
In the 1980s, Lochner provided major water crossing construction engineering and inspection services for the Tampa Bay Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
In the 2010s, Lochner completed multimodal urban highway design for SR 520 Eastside Transit and HOV Design-Build in King County, WA, promoting cross-highway connections and regional movement of vehicles, transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
Lochner Leads
In 2021, Lochner recapitalized the business under the leadership of Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Ruhl. Terry’s growth vision is to transform Lochner into a market leading professional services organization. A leader that provides unparalleled client service, delivered by a diverse and inclusive workforce that feels empowered to make a difference in our world.
Key to this vision is investing in companies that seek to accelerate their unique value propositions and become partners in our vision to become a Top 50 A/E industry leader.
Pictured: Hal Lochner and Terry Ruhl
“I’m honored to help write the next chapter of Lochner’s history and am grateful to follow in the outstanding legacy left by Harry W. Lochner and Chairman Emeritus, Hal Lochner.”
– Terry Ruhl, Board Chairman and CEO
Family of Companies
Join Our Growth Journey
In 2022 and 2023, we welcomed four new partners to our Family of Companies, adding Water & Wastewater services to our platform, and broadening our presence in the Aviation, Transit & Rail, and Municipal infrastructure markets. With a sustained focus on quality, excellence and innovation, Lochner will continue its legacy of shaping the future of infrastructure and civil engineering for generations to come.
Join us and unlock a world of possibilities.