Susan Martinovich has 22 years of experience with the Nevada Dept. of Transportation, but as its new director, she will need it to handle 5,400 miles of state highway, 1,000 bridges—and a $3.8-billion funding shortfall through 2015.
Gov. Jim Gibbons (R) named the former chief transportation engineer to her new job Jan. 1, managing 1,700 employees and a $690-million annual budget. The money gap is fueled by tourism and growth, increasing road use with fewer tax dollars for new projects. While some 20 billion miles are traveled yearly on Nevada roads, that figure could increase 44.4% by 2010, says Martinovich, a civil engineer.