Gov.-elect John Hickenlooper has named Don Hunt, a long-time consultant on major development projects, as the new Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The 59-year-old Hunt will replace Russell George as CDOT’s chief. Hunt is head of the Antero Co., a real estate ownership and advisory firm.
As a consultant to Denver, Hunt currently is manager of the Better Denver Bond Program, which has led to hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements in the city since 2007.
He served as chairman of the transportation subcommittee of Denver’s infrastructure priorities task force.
Hunt will earn about $150,000 as executive director of CDOT, which has about 3,000 employees and is responsible for a 9,000-mile highway system and about 3,400 bridges.
One challenge for Hunt will be to help develop new funding sources for transportation in Colorado as some traditional sources — including state and federal fuel taxes — become less reliable.
Hunt said he expects CDOT will continue to look at alternatives such as tolling and other options involving public-private partnerships to help generate new dollars for transportation, especially when there appears to be little public appetite for paying additional taxes and fees.
In the late 1990s, Hunt was president and chief executive of BRW Inc., a transportation and urban development consulting firm.
At that time he was involved in planning for the redevelopment of the old Stapleton International Airport site after Denver International Airport opened.
Hunt continued to consult for the development firm Forest City after it was selected as master developer for the old airport property.
Currently Hunt is on the board of directors of the Denver Union Station Project Authority, which is overseeing the $484 million transit development around the historic rail station in lower Downtown Denver.
Hunt said he expects to start at CDOT in mid-February after he has a chance to “wind down” some of his current business responsibilities.
Hickenlooper takes office on Tuesday.
Jeffrey Leib: 303-954-1645 or jleib@denverpost.com
