Courtesy of Dawson & Associates Capka had led FHWA since May 2006

J. Richard Capka, former head of the Federal Highway Administration, has joined Dawson & Associates, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying and consulting firm, as its chief operating officer, the firm announced Feb. 25. The firm's president and founder is Robert K. Dawson, a former assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.

Capka became FHWA administrator in May, 2006 and left the agency on Feb. 22. He had been FHWA's acting administrator since August 2005 and was named deputy administrator in 2002.

Before joining FHWA, Capka was the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority's chief executive officer and executive director, where he oversaw the massive Central Artery/Tunnel project that is also called the "Big Dig."

Capka served 29 years with the Army Corps of Engineers, retiring in 2000 as a brigadier general. One of Dawson & Associates' major focus areas is water resources. Among its roster of "senior advisors" are many former top Corps officers and managers, including two retired Chiefs of Engineers: Lt. Gen. E.R. (Vald) Heiberg III and Lt. Gen. Arthur E. Williams.