Obama nominates highway administration chief

President Obama has nominated Deputy Federal Highway Administrator Greg Nadeau to be the full-time chief of the agency. 

Nadeau has been Deputy FHWA Administrator since July 2009, and he has been acting as the agency’s chief since its former Administrator Victor Mendez left to become Deputy Transportation Secretary. 

The Obama administration has been criticized by Republicans for allowing a number of transportation-related posts to remain vacant, including the highway administration.  

{mosads}Leadership positions at the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHSMA) are also currently being filled with interim chiefs. The positions are all Senate-confirmable.

Transportation advocates praised Obama for tapping Nadeau for the highway administration post. 

“President Obama made a solid choice nominating Greg Nadeau, a former state DOT executive and long-time transportation leader, as the next FHWA administrator,” American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Executive Director Bud Wright said in a statement. 

“Not only has Greg served as the acting FHWA administrator with distinction, he has been the energy and vision behind the innovative Every Day Counts program. AASHTO looks forward to a speedy confirmation process for Greg,” Wright continued. “The issues facing today’s transportation industry are significant and FHWA needs a strong leader.”