Reuben Zylstra, P.E., P.Eng., F.ASCE, a principal engineer and partner with Foothills Bridge Co. in Boulder, Colorado, has been named a fellow by the ASCE Board of Direction.
Zylstra has dedicated his 25-year career to the field of heavy civil construction engineering, with an international footprint spanning the United States, Canada, and South America. He is passionate about solving complex field challenges and sharing his broad, hands-on experience to support the contractor clients he serves.
His early career with Kiewit Construction’s heavy civil marine group laid a strong foundation in large-scale temporary structures, including the use of pile driving templates, cofferdams, and falsework to support the construction of two monumental West Coast projects – the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. Specialized work with marine cranes and heavy lifts solidified his interest in large equipment and unique construction environments.
In 2006, Zylstra joined Foothills Bridge Co. in its formative early years. Over the past two decades, he has been part of the firm's growth into a thriving engineering practice. While the firm provides expertise in many areas of construction engineering, Foothills has found a niche in engineered bridge dismantling. As a practicing engineer and as engineer of record, Zylstra has participated in notable projects such as the engineered dismantling of the Carquinez Bridge, the Port Mann Bridge, the Tappan Zee Bridge, the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and multiple phases of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. His structural expertise spans a diverse array of field challenges, including heavy lifts, bridge erection, bridge jacking, marine falsework, access systems, and rebar stability. A recent career highlight came in 2021, when he collaborated closely with a client to develop a complex truss bridge erection scheme for a bridge located in a mining complex in the Andes Mountains of Southern Peru.
Beyond his practice, Zylstra is a committed leader within ASCE and a champion for advancing the construction engineering profession. As a member of the ASCE Construction Institute (CI) Temporary Works Committee since 2017 and chair of the committee from 2021 to 2025, he has worked to transform the group from a 15-person cohort into an active, innovative committee of over 75 contractors, educators, and engineers collaborating on critical industry topics. Zylstra is also a regular participant at the annual ASCE Construction Institute Summit and works diligently to diversify presentations, elevate technical content, and recruit new companies to participate.
Zylstra earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Calvin College and a Master of Science degree in structural engineering from the University of Colorado in Boulder. He is a registered professional engineer in 20 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
