The Colorado Department of Transportation has announced that Julie Constan has been named as the new regional transportation director for southwest and south-central Colorado.
According to a news release Wednesday, Constan will lead the region’s team of more than 300 employees who are responsible for planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of highways in a 15-county area. She replaces Mike McVaugh, who recently retired.
“Julie will be leading a strong and dedicated team with a lot of challenging and exciting work ahead,” stated CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew in a news release. “In her four years with CDOT, she has served as the region’s traffic and safety program engineer developing close working relationships with local agency partners to improve safety and multimodal options along the region’s state highway system.”
In the role as the region’s traffic and safety engineer, Constan recently led the effort to secure an Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment grant to lay fiber optic cable over Wolf Creek Pass and continue to expand access of fiber to southwestern Colorado.
The grant will also allow for the deployment of intelligent transportation devices to communicate with commercial trucks and reduce truck crashes on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass. The fiber optic installation project will begin this spring.
In a press release, Constan stated “I was raised in Pagosa Springs and joined CDOT Region 5 with a love for the mountains of southwest Colorado and the beautiful San Luis Valley. I’m excited to continue to build upon the strong relationships I’ve established with community members and leaders in our region’s communities.”
Constan, a native of Colorado, is a graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in civil engineering. Constan lives in Durango with her husband of 17 years and 14-year-old son.