FHWA chief approved to guide spending $350 billion on infrastructure

Last week, the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Shailen Bhatt to be administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

As the top executive of the FHWA, Bhatt takes charge as the agency administers more than $350 billion from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law approved in November. The infrastructure package as a whole totals $1 trillion.

“From his leadership of the Colorado and Delaware Departments of Transportation to his work in the private sector to his service at FHWA during the Obama administration, Mr. Bhatt brings a wealth of transportation experience to U.S. DOT,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “His leadership will be a tremendous asset as we continue to implement the largest investment in our nation’s roads, bridges, and highways in a generation, and we are thrilled to have him on our team.”

President Joe Biden nominated Bhatt on July 21. He was confirmed by a voice vote on Dec. 8.

Bhatt previously was FHWA associate administrator for policy and government affairs during the Obama administration.

Bhatt comes to the the agency from his post as senior vice president of global transportation innovation and alternative delivery at AECOM, a Dallas-based infrastructure consulting firm and Fortune 500 company. Before that, he was the executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation, cabinet secretary of the Delaware DOT and a presidential appointee for U.S. DOT.

Bhatt previously was CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, chair of the board of directors for the National Operations Center of Excellence, chair of the executive committee of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, and was a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Automotive and Personal Transport.

Bhatt is the first person of Indian descent to lead the FHWA. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in economics from Western Kentucky University.

The FHWA has begun its process of doling out the infrastructure funds by seeking comments from the public and stakeholders. OOIDA pushed the agency to address the need for truck parking. LL