Built on 60 Years
of Engineering Excellence

ESPO Engineering is the civil design and utility permitting division of ESPO Corporation — a licensed Illinois design firm delivering construction-ready engineering for natural gas and telecommunications since 1965.

Our Story

From Staffing Roots to Full-Service Design

ESPO Corporation was founded in 1965 as an engineering staffing and consulting firm. Over the decades, we recognized that our clients needed more than just talented engineers — they needed a partner who could take ownership of the entire design and permitting process.

That insight led to the creation of our in-house civil design practice. Today, ESPO Engineering operates as a dedicated division, combining deep utility expertise with production-scale CAD capabilities to deliver permit-ready engineering drawings for natural gas and telecommunications infrastructure.

Our team produces everything in AutoCAD Civil 3D — from directional bore plans and site plans to road crossing details and complete permit packages. We also perform GPS-based field mapping to capture existing conditions, though we are civil engineers, not surveyors.

With offices in Willowbrook, Illinois, we serve utility companies, general contractors, and engineering firms across the United States.

Timeline

1965

ESPO Corporation founded — assisted utilities with engineers and draftsmen for design and field operations.

1995

Purchased an in-house CAD/Engineering Design Center, bringing design production under one roof.

2000s

Expanded into utility permitting — assembling complete permit packages for DOT, municipal, and railroad jurisdictions.

2020

Started combining software engineering with civil permitting to automate and streamline the design-to-permit workflow.

2025

Implemented AI initiatives to greatly enhance the permitting process — faster turnaround, fewer errors, scalable production.

Site Plans & Civil Design

Directional Bore Plans

Road & ROW Plans

Field Mapping

Why Clients Choose ESPO

On-Time Delivery

We understand that permit delays cost money. Our production pipeline is built for speed without sacrificing accuracy.

First-Pass Approval

We design to get approved. Our deep knowledge of DOT, municipal, county, and railroad requirements means fewer revisions and faster approvals.

Scalable Teams

From a single permit to a thousand-lot program, we scale our CAD and engineering teams to match your project demands.

Deep Expertise in Two Disciplines

Natural gas and telecommunications — we specialize in utility permitting and civil design for these two industries and do it better than anyone.

Tools & Technology

Industry-Standard Software

Our primary production platform is AutoCAD Civil 3D, but our design team works in whatever environment your project requires. We maintain current licenses and trained staff on all major civil engineering and GIS platforms.

AutoCAD Civil 3D
AutoCAD
MicroStation
ArcGIS / QGIS
Google Earth Pro
Bluebeam Revu
ProjectWise
GPS Field Equipment

Our Services

What We Design & Permit

We focus on two disciplines — natural gas and telecommunications — and deliver the civil design and permitting services that get utility projects from planning to construction.

Contact Us
Site plans & civil design
Road plans & road crossing details
Directional bore plan & profile sheets
Right-of-way (ROW) plans & easement exhibits
DOT & municipal permit packages
Railroad crossing applications
Field mapping of existing conditions
As-built & record drawings
Construction-ready document sets