By Marshall Griffin, St. Louis Public Radio
Jefferson City, Mo. – Pete Rahn has announced his resignation as Director of the Missouri Department of Transportation, effective April 23rd.
He's been the head of MoDOT since September 2004. Rahn oversaw the massive redesign of U.S.40/I-64 in St. Louis and the approval of the program to replace or repair more than 800 aging bridges in Missouri.
Rahn has spoken on many occasions about the looming funding crisis facing Missouri's highway system. But he told reporters that the state's budget woes are not why he's leaving.
"I think our list of successes (is) substantial, and I feel fortunate that I've just been allowed to be a part of those, and this is a very hard decision...I love my job," Rahn said.
Rahn has accepted an engineering consulting position with Kansas City-based HNTB, the company hired to design the new Mississippi River Bridge in St. Louis. He also said there is no connection between that contract and his new job.
"As (MoDOT) Director, I am not involved in making selections of contractors or consultants for the department, and in fact, I do not even sign the contracts."
Rahn says the main reason he took the job is because he'll be able to work from his home state of New Mexico and spend more time with his one-year-old grandson.