AASHTO Journal - White House Nominates Bhatt for FHWA Administrator

On July 21, the Biden administration nominated Shailen Bhatt (seen above) – a former state department of transportation executive and longtime mobility industry advocate – to be the next administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.

[Above photo by AASHTO]

Bhatt is currently senior vice president of global transportation innovation and alternative delivery for global consulting firm AECOM. He previously served as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation, and as associate administrator for policy and government affairs at the FHWA.

He also previously served as the CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, chair of the board of directors for the National Operations Center of Excellence, and chair of the executive committee of the I-95 Corridor Coalition.

He currently chairs an external advisory board for the U.S. Department of Energy, is a member of the Aurora Safety Advisory Board for autonomous driving, and is the chair of the ITS World Congress board of directors. Married with two daughters, Bhatt graduated summa cum laude from Western Kentucky University with a degree in economics.

Jim Tymon, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, applauded Bhatt’s nomination to lead FHWA.

“Shailen Bhatt has been a tireless transportation advocate for decades, especially in the areas of safety and technology, and he makes an excellent choice by the Biden administration to lead FHWA,” he said in a statement.

Tymon noted Bhatt’s leadership roles at both the Colorado DOT and Delaware DOT – as well as his time at AECOM, FHWA, and ITS America – demonstrate his “ability to bring people together” to ensure the nation maintains a “safe, sustainable, equitable, and multimodal transportation system” that enables mobility for everyone.

“We look forward to building upon our already strong relationship with Shailen and urge the Senate to consider his nomination quickly so that he may partner with states to implement the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and improve the quality of life for people in every community throughout the country,” Tymon noted.