DENVER I Gov. John Hickenlooper has announced that Shailen Bhatt will be the next executive director for the Colorado Department of Transportation. He will begin at CDOT in mid-February.
Bhatt most recently served as Cabinet Secretary for the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).
During his term, Bhatt successfully delivered $2 billion in infrastructure investments, managed the disaster recovery from two hurricanes and strengthened the financial stewardship of the department by reducing agency debt by nearly 40 percent and increasing funds available for infrastructure.
Prior to serving at DelDOT, Bhatt was an associate administrator at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). There, he helped establish the Every Day Counts initiative focused on accelerating project delivery and deploying innovation. He also served as deputy executive director with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC).
He currently serves as chair of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, on the Executive Committee of AASHTO and is President of the Northeast Association of State Transportation Officials.
“Shailen not only brings incredible transportation experience to CDOT, he is a known consensus builder who can continue to build the alliances and the transportation system Colorado needs to support our state’s economy and people’s lives,” Hickenlooper said. “His experience in disaster recovery, transportation planning and innovative project delivery will help build on the successes that Don Hunt has led to improve safety and congestion on our roadways.”
“I’m thrilled to have the chance to work for Gov. Hickenlooper, be part of this Cabinet and lead CDOT.” Bhatt said. “For me, CDOT represents an exciting and important opportunity to continue my public service. Colorado clearly has a dynamic transportation department and a set of transportation challenges that I look forward to tackling.”
