Acting Division Director and Chief of Engineering, Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division

Mr. Kurt Dowden is the Acting Director of the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) in the Federal Highway Administration. He is also continuing in his role as Chief of Engineering. EFLHD operates as part of the Federal Lands Highway Program, serving the transportation engineering needs of Federal Land Management Agencies and other interagency partners for the 31 states along the western border of the Mississippi River to the east coast, to include the District of Columbia, and the territories of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As the Acting Division Director, Mr. Dowden provides senior executive level leadership for 265 employees in delivering more than 40 annual road and bridge improvement project (worth approximately $400M) in Federal and Tribal lands such as our National Parks, Wildlife Refuges, and Indian Reservations.

Mr. Dowden became the Chief of Engineering in 2024 for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD) located in Ashburn, VA. In that capacity he has the responsibility for the oversight and leadership of the Design and Construction Program. He works with the design and construction staff who partner with Federal Land Management Agencies to address transportation needs on Federal and Tribal lands in 31 eastern states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Mr. Dowden has several other positions at EFLHD including Chief of Business Operations, Project Management Branch Chief, Planning Programs, and Environment Branch Chief, Project Manager, and Highway Engineer. Mr. Dowden is a graduate of the Highway Engineer Training Program and has worked for the Federal Highway Administration over 33 years. Mr. Dowden earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Michigan Technological University and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Colorado.

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