Bruce Campbell

Originally from Binghamton, New York, Bruce Campbell came to Alaska in June 1952, fresh out of Union College with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering, and went to work for the Alaska Road Commission (ARC). ARC was part of the U.S. Department of Interior, and when the Interstate Act passed in 1956, the ARC changed to the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR). In 1959, when Alaska became a state, BPR changed to the Alaska Department of Highways, and over the years Bruce worked for the State of Alaska as Road Design Engineer, Pre-Construction Engineer, and Special Assisant to the Road Commissioner for Engineering. In 1969, he accepted a position with Burgess Construction Company in Fairbanks, who built the first sixty miles of the Hickel Highway route between Livengood and the Yukon River to the standards of a secondary highway. As Executive Vice-President for Burgess Construction, Bruce was the project manager for this initial construction. In 1971, Bruce became Alaska's Commissioner of Highways under Governor William Egan, during which time he wrote the project agreement for construction of the Haul Road (Dalton Highway) on behalf of the State of Alaska, and played a vital role in policy planning and development of the road. In 1975, Bruce opened his own engineering consulting firm, Campbell & Associates. He was semi-retired through the early 1990s, though he did do work on some construction projects, sometimes for free. In 1993 and 1994, he was again called to serve by a governor. This time by a re-elected Walter Hickel. He became commissioner of the state's Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. In his free time, Bruce enjoys restoring old cars.