Fuchigami Returning to Head State DOT Under Hawaii’s Incoming Governor Ige

Hawaii’s Gov.-elect David Ige has named Ford Fuchigami to take over as director of the state Department of Transportation when Ige assumes office Dec. 1, which returns Fuchigami to the post he held as interim director from May through October.

A previous deputy DOT director for aviation since 2010, Fuchigami was tapped by Gov. Neil Abercrombie as interim HDOT chief after Glenn Okimoto left the department’s top job for a position at the University of Hawaii.

Last month, Fuchigami took a position starting Nov. 1 as director of Honolulu’s Department of Enterprise Services. So he will have been away from the state agency only a month before he comes back as its top executive.

Hawaii News Now reported that Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said the move back to HDOT for Fuchigami “signifies a positive future working relationship between the city and state on important issues.” Caldwell also said that “Oahu drivers, bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians, and airport and harbor users will all continue to benefit from Ford’s work for the state.”