After a nationwide search Governor Gary Herbert has appointed Carlos Braceras as the new director of the Utah Department of Transportation.
Braceras has worked for UDOT for almost 27 years and until today’s appointment had spent the past 12 as UDOT’s deputy director working directly under former director, John Njord. Braceras says as the new head of UDOT one of his main focuses will be to create better relationships with local communities.
“I believe that there is a lot of improvement that we can do in our relationships to help communities be successful in their objectives to create more livable communities," he says. "I believe there is more we can do to help improve the safety and access for bicyclists and pedestrians.”
Braceras is also eager to improve the public perception of UDOT in the wake of the controversy surrounding payments to the losing bidder of the I-15 CORE project in Utah County. He says he hopes to do that by becoming more transparent.
“I’m committed to improving that transparency so that they can get on at any time, to say a website, and follow the money," he says. "That’s what I call it. I want to be a partner, so, my commitment is very open and continuous communication with the public and all other agencies.”
As director, Braceras will be responsible for all of UDOT’s 1,800 employees and the design, construction, and maintenance of Utah’s 6,000 miles of highways.
