Hayden worked as a construction field engineer/inspector on the Laurel Fork Bridge replacement in Laurel Springs, North Carolina. The existing 546-foot, five-span steel girder bridge was replaced with a new segmental concrete bridge. Hayden inspected the substructure construction, gaining knowledge in structural steel, concrete properties and testing, formwork installation, and the new use of a derrick crane. He had to become familiar with the plans and contract to ensure compliance, which benefited him in his winter 2023-2024 internship working on final construction reports. He also visited TFHRC, a similar bridge over I-26 in Asheville, NC, and a precast yard in Wilmington, NC.

Hayden worked as a land surveyor along the Blue Ridge Parkway in both Boone, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia. He was responsible for helping the crew survey the mainline and culverts along the Blue RIdge Parkway as well as creating targets for the LiDAR scanners. Hayden gained knowledge i establishing control points, backsights and foresights, running the total station and rod, and GNSS basics. He later had the opportunity to visit the sight during the construction phase while working on the neighboring project, BLRI 2D17.