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Bhatt Abruptly Resigns as FHWA Leader

[ September 26, 2024   //   Gary G Burrows ]

Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt has left his post on Sept. 10, after less than two years on the job.
Kristin White, who was appointed FHWA deputy administrator in May, has stepped in to lead the agency in an “acting capacity.”
Bhatt announced his departure through a Sept. 6 LinkedIn post: “I have always said that a transportation agency exists to save lives and to make people[‘s] lives better. The work of our team has been to advance projects and policies that achieve these goals. The men and women of FHWA have worked tirelessly and our nation is better for their efforts. Whether it is building new projects, protecting vulnerable road users and our environment, or deploying #technology to create the #transportation system of the 21st century, the legacy of the Bipartisan #Infrastructure Law will be a better America.”
Bhatt was sworn in on Jan. 13, 2023, by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg as the 21st FHWA administrator, and was the first person of Indian descent to lead the agency.
He has spent his career in transportation leadership roles. He previously was executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation and secretary for the Delaware Department of Transportation. During the Obama administration, Bhatt held the role of FHWA associate administrator for policy and government affairs.
In his short time as FHWA administrator, Bhatt administered more than US$350 billion in bipartisan infrastructure funds and other grants.

Shailen Batt, former FHWA Administrator

Tags: FHWA