AASHTO applauds nomination of Victor Mendez to head FHWA.
Press Release Summary:
Victor Mendez, former Director of Arizona Department of Transportation and 2007 President of AASHTO, has been named by President Obama as next Federal Highway Administrator, subject to Senate confirmation. During his ADOT tenure, Mendez implemented accelerated schedule for Valley regional freeway system. As deputy director, he served as part of ADOT team, which completed $80 million widening of I-17 and launched the widening of Superstition Freeway.
Original Press Release:
AASHTO Applauds Nomination of Victor Mendez to Head FHWA
Victor Mendez, former Director of the Arizona Department of Transportation and the 2007 President of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, has been named by President Barack Obama as the next Federal Highway Administrator, subject to Senate confirmation.
AASHTO Executive Director John Horsley said, "We consider Victor Mendez an outstanding choice for this key leadership role at the Federal Highway Administration, particularly as we approach the authorization of the nation's surface transportation programs. He brings an in-depth knowledge of transportation gained on the front lines of a state DOT, which will be invaluable as we look to reform and improve the way we provide transportation for America."
Most recently, Mendez directed public outreach as a member of the Obama transition team on transportation. Mendez served with ADOT beginning in 1985, and was named director in 2001. During his tenure, Mendez implemented the accelerated schedule for the Valley regional freeway system, advancing its completion from 2014 to 2007. As deputy director, he served as part of an ADOT team which completed the first major design-build project in Arizona - the $80 million widening of I-17 - and launched ADOT's largest project to date, the widening of the Superstition Freeway.
In his activities within AASHTO, Mendez served as chair of the Standing Committee on Research, as chair of the Operations Council of the Standing Committee on Highways, and as chair of the Transportation Research Board/National Cooperative Highway Research Program oversight group for the Long-Term Pavement Performance 20-year program.
Mendez earned a Masters of Business Administration degree from Arizona State University and a Bachelors of Science in Civil Engineering degree from the University of Texas at El Paso.
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) is the "Voice of Transportation" representing State Departments of Transportation in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. AASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association serving as a catalyst for excellence in transportation.
