Roads director named

LINCOLN — Monty Fredrickson took over Monday as the new director of the Nebraska Department of Roads — and at least some people hope he cracks the whip at the agency.

Fredrickson needs to address some matters that have hurt contractors and engineers and needs to patch strained relations with federal officials, according to a state senator and officials of associations representing highway contractors and engineers.

Fredrickson is an “excellent choice,” said State Sen. Deb Fischer of Valentine, adding that the Roads Department needs to work on its relationship with federal officials.

“That’s a huge challenge for the state, and not just the Department of Roads,” Fischer said.

One problem involves about $70 million worth of federal stimulus projects for city and county road-building in Nebraska. The projects have been delayed until next year because of changes in federal paperwork requirements and the state’s slow response to some federal concerns. Gov. Dave Heineman recently criticized the delay.

A second problem, said Jackie McCollough of the American Council of Engineering Companies/Nebraska, is a proposed federal rules change that would nullify some engineering contracts because of a perceived conflict of interest.

McCollough said a federal highway administrator has challenged a long-standing Nebraska practice to hire a firm to do preliminary engineering work on a road project and then hire the same firm later to oversee the actual construction.

The proposed change is being applied not only to future work, McCollough said, but is being imposed on agreements made in the past two or three years.

Some engineering firms have already laid off workers because of the proposed change, she said.

Curtis Smith of the state chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America said he hopes Fredrickson can bring “a little firmer hand” in addressing the concerns raised by federal officials, which include allegations of lax state oversight of local projects.

“It seems like it’s taken an inordinate amount of time to get these things handled,” Smith said.

Fredrickson, 62, is a native of Stromsburg, Neb., and has been with the Roads Department since 1970. He was named acting director in June.

Heineman elevated Fredrickson to the $135,000-a-year post of director and state engineer on Monday.

Fredrickson had served as deputy director of engineering since 1992. He replaces John Craig, who retired.

Fredrickson did not immediately return a phone message.

A registered professional engineer, he graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in 1969 with a degree in civil engineering.

Contact the writer:

402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com