AASHTO Journal, 6 November 2015
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie tapped state Department of Transportation veteran Richard Hammer to be the agency’s acting commissioner and said he will formally nominate Hammer him to succeed Jamie Fox as the agency’s CEO. Fox left on Oct. 30, and Hammer stepped in Nov. 1.
HammerHammer had been an assistant NJDOT commissioner, responsible for the department’s Capital Program Management Section where he managed about 1,100 employees in six divisions. He joined the department in 1982 and was named assistant commissioner in March 2006.
The Oct. 30 announcement changed the governor’s original plan to have Deputy Commissioner Bertoni head the agency on an acting basis following Fox’s departure until Christie settled on a new NJDOT chief.
Christie said Hammer’s “33 years of service to New Jersey and the department bring a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the transportation challenges that face the Garden State. I appreciate him stepping up to this next challenge in his long career of public service at the department, and look forward to having him join my cabinet.”
The announcement said that as assistant commissioner Hammer “spearheaded major infrastructure initiatives to improve New Jersey’s vast transportation network.” Those include a $1.2 billion rehabilitation of the Pulaski Skyway, a $265 million reconstruction of Route 35 that was damaged by Super storm Sandy in 2012 and a $1 billion “Direct Connect” program in Camden County.
Hammer’s career includes 14 years with the Bureau of Structural Evaluation in the former Division of Bridge Design and 10 years in the Division of Project Management, where he served as a program manager overseeing major statewide bridge projects and ultimately as division director.