AASHTO Journal - Ed Hassinger Named Director of Missouri DOT

The Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has named Ed Hassinger (above) as the new director of the Missouri Department of Transportation.

[Above photo by MoDOT]

Hassinger – a 40-year veteran of the agency, where he most recently served as chief engineer – replaces Patrick McKenna, who stepped down as MoDOT’s director in September after a nine-year tenure to become president and CEO of The Eno Center for Transportation.

“We are delighted that Ed Hassinger has agreed to be MoDOT’s director during this critical time for project execution and the development of our next chapter of MoDOT leadership,” said W. Dustin Boatwright, the commission’s chairman, in a statement.

“The commission feels a strong obligation to its many stakeholders and all Missourians to ensure continuity during this time of unprecedented project construction and has prioritized on-time and on-budget execution of the historic number of projects underway now,” he added. “That requires someone as director who can hit the ground running with years of project management experience and a track record of fostering leadership development. We are grateful to Ed that he will serve in this role for us.”

“It’s my great honor to serve as director and work with the commission and Missouri’s key transportation stakeholders to ensure we stay on track and on schedule with the historic investment Missouri has made in our infrastructure,” Hassinger noted.

“We are blessed with a world class team of professionals who are currently being battle tested and will be ready to lead the next chapter of MoDOT,” he added. “I’m thrilled for the trust and opportunity of the commission and look forward to leading during this transformational time period.”

The commission noted that it will work with Hassinger collaboratively in tandem with a new advisory council to be formed with representatives of the department’s key stakeholders including key elected officials, local planning partners, the MoDOT contractor community, state and local economic development, plus others critical to delivering statewide transportation improvements.

The commission added that those efforts will focus on review and fine-tuning of MoDOT’s organization to strengthen its commitment to several key areas of continuous improvement critical to project delivery success and operations. That includes:

Safety in all operations and project management;
Outreach to and coordination with state leadership and elected officials to make the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program or STIP process as locally driven as possible with sensitivity to timely local needs as they arise;
Build an even closer partnership with the department’s critical private sector contractor community and regional planning partners;
Recruit and retain the essential and valued MoDOT workforce;
Increase focus on operational needs to keep MoDOT’s system maintained, useable, clean, and responsive to citizen reported upkeep; and,
Innovate and use technology for the future to maximize efficiency and cost-effective delivery of programs and services.

“I am committed to working with the commission and the department’s stakeholders through this new advisory council to look for ways to achieve continuous improvement in the commission’s six key focus areas,” Hassinger stressed. “Making these improvements and having accountability to the commission and to the public for each of them is critical to the success of transportation in Missouri.”

Prior to being named director, Hassinger served as the agency’s chief engineer since 2013 with added responsibility of deputy director since 2018.

A native of Columbia, MO, and a 1983 graduate of the University of Missouri with a bachelor degree in civil engineering, Hassinger began his career at MoDOT in 1984 as a design engineer in the Bridge Division.

He has also worked as a traffic engineer, bridge maintenance engineer, and assistant district engineer in the St. Louis District, as well as the district engineer in MoDOT’s Northeast District in Hannibal and the St. Louis District.