New WSDOT secretary appointed

Governor Jay Inslee announced the appointment of a new Washington State Department of Transportation secretary on Tuesday.

The position went to Roger Millar, who had been serving as deputy secretary for the past year and was appointed acting secretary in February.
 
A majority of the Washington State Senate voted in February to oust then-Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson.

Peterson's tenure as transportation secretary was fraught with failure, including the shutdown Seattle tunnel project and the as-of-yet ineffective I-405 high-occupancy toll lanes.

"Roger has proven to be a well-respected leader with an impressive ability to bring people together and find sensible solutions to difficult problems," Inslee said. "He will be overseeing our historic new transportation investment package and is already bringing innovative efficiencies to WSDOT that will save time and money on projects across the state."

Millar will oversee an agency of 6,800 employees with responsibility for 18,600 lane miles of highway, 3,800 bridges, general aviation airports, passenger- and freight-rail programs and Washington State Ferries.

Cox Media Group