James “Jim” Siebels, who died Aug. 8 at age 65, served as chief engineer for the Colorado Department of Transportation, where he was instrumental in bringing Global Positioning System technology to survey projects.
Before 1992, few engineering surveys used GPS to support highway design and construction. Siebels helped persuade CDOT’s executive management team to widely use GPS technology.
His support endeared Siebels to CDOT and National Geodetic Survey engineers, who named an Eastern Plains High Accuracy Reference Network survey station after him. Today, most surveys involving highway design, right of way and construction use GPS technology and the High Accuracy Reference Network survey stations.
A native of Missouri, he earned his engineering degree and moved to Colorado after working as a consultant in California.
As a civil engineer, his forte was designing highways and bridges, including the Bergen Parkway overpass.
Traveling with Siebels often involved a busman’s holiday, said his wife, Karen Siebels.
“If there was a bridge that was unique for some reason, we’d detour to see it,” she said.
“When we were in California last February, we went to see the first bridge he worked on after college, the Vincent Thomas Bridge between San Pedro and Terminal Island.”
That bridge, completed in 1963, was the first of its kind to be constructed on pilings, and town fathers proudly nicknamed it “San Pedro’s Golden Gate.”
At CDOT, Siebels became a firm advocate for small businesses and affirmative action. As chief engineer, he made the final decision about awarding projects to candidates submitted by the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program’s Good Faith Effort Review committee, which held contractors responsible for equal-opportunity practices.
Siebels’ first marriage ended in divorce. He met his second wife on a Colorado River raft trip in the Grand Canyon. Though they never went on another float trip, they spent most weekends hiking and camping.
He devoted himself to his sons, coaching soccer teams and faithfully showing up for every marching band performance. When his elder sons chose careers in theater, Siebels encouraged their efforts and often arranged business trips to accommodate their performance schedules in other cities.
Survivors include his wife, Karen Siebels of Centennial; sons Troy Siebels of Boston, Craig Siebels of Los Angeles and Sean Lee-Siebels of Seattle; parents Bud and Doloris Siebels of Hillsboro, Mo.; sister Shirley Smith of St. Louis; and brother Art Siebels of St. Louis.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-820-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com.
