Dear Chair Carper and Ranking Member Capito:
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports the nomination of Mr. Shailen P. Bhatt to serve as Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and urges the Committee to expeditiously advance his nomination.
Mr. Bhatt has spent decades working to develop strong partnerships between the public and private sectors and to advance the development and modernization of transportation infrastructure. His experience as Executive Director for the Colorado Department of Transportation and Cabinet Secretary of the Delaware Department of Transportation would serve him well in the role of FHWA Administrator, a role that requires regular engagement with state and local governments on project execution. As President and CEO of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, Mr. Bhatt worked with private sector stakeholders across the transportation spectrum to enable rapid adoption of electric and interconnected vehicles and understands the challenges these next-generation vehicles pose. In his current position as Senior Vice President of Global Transportation Innovation and Alternative Delivery at AECOM, Mr. Bhatt has facilitated major public-private partnerships that are working to transform America’s roadways.
As the Administration continues implementation of the historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the country needs an experienced leader like Mr. Bhatt at the helm of the agency receiving the vast majority of the law’s funding. We encourage the Committee to expeditiously review and favorably report his nomination to the full Senate.
Sincerely,
Neil L. Bradley
Executive Vice President, Chief Policy Officer,
and Head of Strategic Advocacy
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
cc: Members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
