Nexa Castro-Murtoff, Senior Project Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation

Nexa Castro-Murtoff was appointed as the Senior Project Manager for the District 8 Highway Design Unit in October 2020, marking a significant milestone as the first Hispanic female to hold this position within the unit. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering science, complemented by a minor in Civil Engineering, in 1996. With over 26 years of experience, her extensive portfolio as a project manager includes a diverse range of initiatives, from straightforward trail projects to complex roadway resurfacing, bridge rehabilitation, replacements, and major highway improvements. She is especially recognized for pioneering the state’s first Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT) innovative design. To date, she has successfully completed 155 projects, with three currently in construction and eight in the design phase. Her personal vision of empowering employees and fostering leadership through dedicated workforce development and support has contributed to her receiving the Women Transportation Seminar (WTS) 2020 Innovative Transportation Solutions Award for her outstanding management of the SR 272 project in Lancaster County—the first RCUT design in the state. Recently, she was honored with the WTS 2025 Innovative Transportation Solutions Award for the SR 2001 Cornwall Road Realignment & Wilhelm Avenue project, which also received the ASHE Harrisburg Section 2025 Project of the Year award, and was nominated for the NASTO 2025 America’s Transportation Award. Additionally, the SR 1033 Sherman Street Bridge Modification project was acknowledged as the 2026 ASHE Harrisburg Section Project of the Year under $30 Million and the 2025-2026 ABCD Susquehanna Chapter Outstanding Medium Span Bridge.

In November 2018, inspired by the experience of shadowing former Secretary of Transportation Leslie Richards at the APC Fall Conference, the concept of TRUSS was conceived. The group’s vision is to “Advance women through workforce development and support.” The group proudly hosted diverse and inclusive activities that support individuals from the entire district. Their achievements include receiving the prestigious 2020 WTS Rosa Parks Diversity and Leadership Award, as well as the 2020 TQI Award for Diversity & Inclusion from the APC.

She also holds the position of Director at Large for the Women Transportation Seminar (WTS) and is the founder of the organization’s EDI Committee.

Learn more about her on LinkedIn at:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nexa-m-castro-murtoff-5991593b/