J. RICHARD CAPKA

2006 - 2008
Federal Highway Administrator

Soldier - Engineer - Executive - Administrator

Mr. Capka was sworn in as the 16th Federal Highway Administrator on May 31, 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Capka was appointed the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in August 2002 and had been the Acting Administrator since August 2005. In that capacity, he helped prepare the Bush administration's transportation reauthorization proposal, shape the management of highway mega-projects across the country and develop other programs and initiatives for the FHWA.

Prior to his appointment as Deputy Administrator, Mr. Capka served as Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MTA) where he directed the oversight of the $14.6 billion Central Artery/Tunnel project ("Big Dig") in Boston, the largest and most complex infrastructure project in the United States. In that capacity, Mr. Capka worked closely with the FHWA and other federal agencies to gain approval of the project's complex finance plan. The budget that Mr. Capka established for the Central Artery Project in May 2001 has remained on target.

Prior to his position with MTA, Mr. Capka retired in 2000 from a 29-year military career in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he served in the U.S., Europe, the Pacific and the Far East. His most recent assignments before retirement included Division Engineer and Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division, where he was responsible for managing the Corps' activities in the southeastern U.S. and in Central and South America. He also was Commander of the South Pacific Division, where he was responsible for the Corps' activities in western and southwestern U.S. In 1997, he led the federal flood system recovery response to the unprecedented California floods that severely damaged the Sacramento River and San Joaquin flood control systems. The effort earned specific praise from both the President and Governor of California.

Mr. Capka is a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General. He is a West Point graduate and holds a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Masters in Business Administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu. He is a professional engineer, registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Among his many military awards are the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.