IDOT Appoints Veteran Engineer to Lead Highway Region 2 Covering Northern Illinois

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) Acting Secretary Milt Sees today appointed George F. Ryan, a 28-year veteran of the Department, to serve as Deputy Director of Highways and Region 2 Engineer in charge of two Highway Districts in northern Illinois that stretch from Indiana to the Mississippi River.

Ryan, who was the chief IDOT engineer on the recently completed Upgrade 74 project in Peoria, will supervise IDOT's Highway District activities in the 10 counties of District 2, headquartered in Dixon, and the nine counties of District 3, based in Ottawa. The area is responsible for 530 miles of Interstate highways and 3,265 miles of primary routes. The Highway Districts are responsible for planning, construction and maintenance of IDOT roadways under their jurisdiction.

"George Ryan is an engineer who has worked his way up from an entry level trainee position at IDOT to his most recent assignment, which involved supervising one of the most complex reconstruction projects the state has seen," said Acting Secretary Sees. "I am confident that his broad experience as a planner and builder of roads and as an expert on work zone safety will be a tremendous asset to all the people that IDOT serves in Highway Region 2."

Ryan replaces Gregory Mounts, who left the Department last year to enter the private sector.

Until the promotion announced today, Ryan had been serving as Project Implementation Engineer for IDOT's Region 3/District 4, based in Peoria. He oversaw the four-year, half-billion dollar reconstruction of I-74 through Peoria and East Peoria, including the public outreach component. Ryan was instrumental in the media and community outreach strategy, including coordination with local businesses, governments and the motoring public. 

In recognition of the support that Upgrade 74 garnered in the community, Ryan and the Department have received nearly 30 local and national awards for the public information campaign.

Prior to his role as Project Implementation Engineer, Ryan served as Construction Engineer overseeing highway construction for the nine-county area of District Four.  He has been involved in statewide training of Department personnel and contractors in bridge deck construction and work zone safety.  He is listed as a resource for "Best Practices and Innovative Technology" in the area of construction work zone safety measures in the U.S. Department of Transportation web site.   He has also given presentations at two national workshops on the subject.

During his tenure with the Department, Ryan has served as the Studies and Plans Engineer and supervised the production of all engineering studies and designs of roadway projects within District Four.  The major engineering studies he has worked on include Upgrade 74, the reconstruction of I-74, and U.S. 67 between Monmouth and Macomb.

Ryan, originally from Mossville, Ill., is married and the father of two and grandfather of four. He joined IDOT in June of 1978 as a Technician Trainee.  In 1980, he returned to school to pursue an engineering degree.  He graduated from Bradley University in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering.

Highway District 2 includes: Jo Davies, Stephenson, Winnebago, Boone, Carroll, Ogle, Rock Island, Whiteside, Henry and Lee counties.

Highway District 3 includes: De Kalb, Bureau, La Salle, Kendall, Grundy, Kankakee, Livingston, Ford and Iroquois counties.