DALLAS — Kentucky Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock says his main task as the newly elected president of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is to end the uncertainty over federal transportation funding.
"A top priority for our nation must be to achieve economic stability through a strong and sustainable level of transportation investment," he said. "I look forward to continuing discussions with lawmakers as Congress works to reauthorize federal transportation programs before they expire on Oct. 1, 2014."
Hancock was elected president of AASHTO on Oct. 21 at the group's annual meeting in Denver.
John Cox, director of the Wyoming Department of Transportation, was elected vice president of the association. AASHTO members include transportation department officials in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
As president of AASHTO, Hancock heads a 12-person executive committee that leads the organization.
Hancock said during his tenure he will work to update AASHTO's strategic plan and promote innovation in state DOT and industry practices, while participating directly in the association's effort to pass the next surface transportation reauthorization bill.
"This is a critical time for transportation agencies across the country as we grapple with uncertain federal funding in the face of ever-increasing transportation needs," he said. "AASHTO member transportation departments rely on the federal government to provide sustainable levels of annual transportation funding today and into the future."
MAP-21, the two year, $105 billion surface transportation funding bill signed into law in 2012, will expire on Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 2014.
Hancock is a graduate of the University of Kentucky School of Engineering and a career Kentucky Transportation Cabinet employee. He was appointed Cabinet secretary in July 2010 by Gov. Steve Beshear.
Hancock recently served as president of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. He is a member of the executive committee of the Transportation Research Board, a national panel that guides transportation research in the United States.
Cox was named WYDOT director in 2005 and reappointed in 2011. The department is Wyoming's largest and most diverse state agency with more than 2,000 employees based in 60 locations. He joined WYDOT following a 28-year career in law enforcement, including seven years as administrator of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.
