WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday, Dec. 8, that Shailen Bhatt has been confirmed as the 21st Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration. Nominated by President Biden on July 21, Bhatt was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on Dec. 8. He is the first person of Indian descent to lead FHWA.
“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 USDOT,” 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.”
Bhatt will lead FHWA in administering more than $350 billion as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including formula and competitive grant programs that are available to a range of grant recipients, including state departments of transportation, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, tribes, territories and federal land management agencies.
“I am honored to return to the U.S. Department of Transportation to lead the Federal Highway Administration as we deliver the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and make transformational investments modernizing our nation’s transportation system,” Bhatt said.
Prior to his confirmation, Bhatt was a senior executive with AECOM. He has also served as the executive director of the Colorado Department of Transportation, a cabinet secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation, FHWA associate administrator for policy and government affairs during the Obama Administration and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America.
Bhatt is a husband and father to two daughters. He graduated summa cum laude from Western Kentucky University with a degree in Economics.
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