J. Richard Capka, who has headed the Federal Highway Administration since May 2006, said he is leaving his post by the end of February. Capka informed President Bush of his decision in a Jan. 23 letter. No successor has yet been named. FHWA spokesman Ian Grossman says that FHWA's deputy administrator, James Ray, "would become acting administrator upon the administrator's departure."
In a letter to Bush, Capka said, "The decision was an extremely difficult one and was based solely upon our family situation." Capka didn't say what he plans to do next. But in a message to senior FHWA officials, which was obtained by ENR, he said, "The 'cleats' are not hung up yet," and added that he "will continue to seek ways to contribute to our nation in a meaningful way."