A Miami transportation executive, Javier Rodriguez, P.E., executive director of the Miami-Dade Expressway Authority (MDX), has been named 2015 president of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association’s (IBTTA).
“I am honored to lead IBTTA and its members during this critical time for infrastructure investment," said Rodriguez. "Our economy and mobility depend on the quality of our highways, bridges and tunnels and the tolling industry is front and center providing solutions to address congestion, mobility, interoperability, and the reconstruction of highways.”
As a transportation leader, Rodriguez is poised to lead IBTTA during this challenging time. Under Rodriguez's leadership, MDX converted its expressways to an all-electronic system. Before joining MDX in 2007, Rodriguez spent 16 years with the Florida Department of Transportation, including four years as Director of Transportation Development.
A native Floridian with Cuban-American roots who speaks fluent Spanish, Rodriguez will lead IBTTA members in asking Congress to give the states flexibility to meet their individual transportation funding challenges, including through the use of tolling on existing Interstate System routes.
"We are thrilled to have Javier as president of IBTTA at this crucial time," said Patrick D. Jones, executive director and CEO of IBTTA. "At MDX, Javier has been instrumental in growing the operation and financing some of the busiest, most critical East-West roadways in the Miami-Dade Metropolitan Area. He brings a unique level of experience and leadership in the world of transportation and tolling."
Rodriguez, who officially became IBTTA president on Jan. 1, was elected at IBTTA's 82nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition in September. The meeting brought together nearly 1,000 transportation leaders from more than 20 countries to discuss innovative practices, policies, technologies, funding options and business models transforming mobility for drivers worldwide.
Rodriguez earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Florida International University. He was recognized as Engineer of the Year Award by the Cuban-American Association of Civil Engineers in 2005; and was presented with the Ben G. Watts Leadership Award by FDOT, in 2002.
Part of Rodriguez's leadership role will be to advance IBTTA's Moving America Forward public awareness campaign launched in 2013 to highlight the benefits of tolling to elected officials, policymakers, the media, and the general public. For more information about the Moving America Forward campaign including materials, statistics, charts, and graphs, please click here.
