His name was S. Daud Ali. World traveler. Academic. Engineer. Husband. Father. Renaissance man. Traffic engineer.

Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Ali always finished at or near the top of every class he attended. Earning his BS in civil engineering in 1968 from the NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi, Pakistan, he then earned an MS in transportation engineering from the University of Leeds in England, where he attended under a full scholarship.

Furthering his studies, he ventured to the United States where he pursued a PhD in Transportation Systems Management and Policy Analysis at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At MIT he played a pivotal role in the development of MITROP (the Mixed Integer Traffic Optimization Program), a mainframe computer model for improving traffic flows on arterial roads with signalized intersections—a model that is still used today.

In 1983 things changed. He formed his own professional engineering consulting firm, Infra Tech Engineering, LLC (ITE). Of course, he succeeded. Combining his hallmark work ethic, smarts, passion for engineering, and his particular knack for networking, he and ITE soon played prominent roles in the design and construction signature infrastructure projects including NYC’s Route 9A (formerly known as the West Side Highway), the Van Wyck Expressway (Queens, NY), the Major Deegan Expressway I-87 (Bronx, NY), and Route 9 (Poughkeepsie, NY), to name a few. He and ITE also contributed meaningfully to the development of many bridges and highways throughout New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and overseas.

In 2016, David suddenly passed away after a brief illness. But his mark on the region is undeniable. Although he hadn’t intended for his daughters to follow in his engineering footsteps, they have, inheriting many of the traits that made him so successful. Mashal, his eldest daughter, honors his name by serving as the president and CEO of ITE, and driving it to even greater heights.

His name was S. Daud Ali, though many knew him as David. Devout academic, meticulous engineer, avid world traveler, ravenous intellect, he was also a devoted family man. Today, ITE continues to grow and prosper under the direction of his daughter Mashal. Inspired by his love and teachings, his daughters look to continue the success of ITE and further S. Daud Ali’s legacy.