Ed Hassinger, a 40-year employee of the Missouri Department of Transportation, will take the helm as the new director of the department, officials with the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission (MHTC) said Wednesday.
Officials said Hassinger’s leadership will ensure the continuity of delivery for critical infrastructure projects already underway and on tight construction schedules.
“We are delighted that Ed Hassinger has agreed to be MoDOT’s director during this critical time for project execution and the development of our next chapter of MoDOT leadership,” MHTC Chairman W. Dustin Boatwright said. “We are very grateful to the Governor, the General Assembly and to the people of Missouri, who we are accountable to, for the historic funding they have provided to fund so many big infrastructure projects across the state, including expanding I-70 to six lanes across Missouri, improvements to I-44 in preparation for its expansion, replacement or repair of 971 bridges across the state, repaving of Missouri’s low volume rural lettered roads, and hundreds of other important transportation projects in MoDOT’s $14.6 billion Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP).”
Officials said Hassinger holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and is a Registered Professional Engineer with over 40 years of work fulfilling the mission of MoDOT.
“It’s my great honor to serve as director and work with the Commission and Missouri’s key transportation stakeholders to ensure we stay on track and on schedule with the historic investment Missouri has made in our infrastructure,” Hassinger said. “I understand and appreciate the importance of meeting the Commission’s and the public’s expectation for delivering the largest transportation program in the state’s history. Fortunately, we are blessed with a world class team of professionals who are currently being battle tested and will be ready to lead the next chapter of MoDOT.”
Officials said Hassinger and the commission will work together with as yet to be formed new advisory council to deliver transportation improvements. The leaders said their efforts will be on reviewing and fine-tuning MoDOT’s organization to strengthen its commitment to continuous improvement of project delivery and operations.
Hassinger replaces MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna who resigned in September 2024 after nearly a decade in the role.