DENVER, CO — Steve Harelson will serve as the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) next Chief Engineer, effective immediately. Harelson has been part of CDOT since 2002 and has served as the West Program Engineer in the Denver metro region since 2013. Harelson is a native of Leadville, Colorado.

His breadth of experience ranges from hydraulic engineering, planning and design work on both the US 285 and I-70 Mountain Corridors, work on the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel and fire suppression system. He has also worked extensively on landslides — leading to an expertise in rotational failures that many saw in action just a few months ago, when Harelson played an instrumental role in the emergency response on US-36.

“Steve’s range of work and experience with some of our most important infrastructure will be a great asset to CDOT and the travelling public,” said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. “Steve’s leadership will be instrumental as we continue to work to deliver a safe and reliable transportation system in Colorado.”

CDOT has approximately 3,000 employees located throughout Colorado and manages more than 23,000 lane miles of highway and 3,429 bridges. CDOT also manages grant partnerships with a range of other agencies, including metropolitan planning organizations, local governments and airports.