David Rodrigue, assistant commissioner and chief engineer for the Department of Transportation, told the Public Works and Highways committee at its orientation meeting that the agency is meeting core responsibilities but cannot do all the projects it would like because of staffing and funding constraints. "We are accomplishing what we need to, but we're not able to do all the things that we think we should be doing," Rodrigue said.

Rodrigue gave a high-level organizational overview and presented data the department cited as central to its near-term planning: 1,651 permanent DOT positions and about 404 current vacancies (roughly 24 percent of the workforce); a statewide asset inventory that includes 2,160 state-owned bridges (Rodrigue said 115 are on the department's "red list"); a target of paving about 500 centerline miles per year; and a FY2024 expenditures total the presentation listed as $702,000,000. Rodrigue said about 56 percent of that FY2024 figure — roughly $400 million — went to municipal aid, construction, maintenance and operations, and personnel costs.

Rodrigue described two related cost pressures: general inflation and more rapid project-specific escalation since the COVID-19 pandemic. He said bids can vary regionally and in some places come in as much as 40 percent above DOT estimates, driven by contractor workforce availability, project duration and complexity.

On maintenance and winter operations, Rodrigue said the DOT relies on a mix of state crews and rented contractor trucks with operators. He described difficulty recruiting winter operators and said the department offers a $5,000 seasonal incentive for employees who work through the winter season. For rented equipment, the department has in past seasons raised hourly rates and uses a 10-hour minimum payment structure (paid every two weeks during the winter) in addition to actual hours worked, to help contractors cover registration, insurance and readiness costs.

Rodrigue said bridge inspections are conducted every two years for most bridges and more frequently for those on the red list. He noted the department maintains traffic signals, signs, over 46,100 centerline miles of roadway, a state-owned rail inventory and 25 publicly accessible airports; his presentation also listed 11 public transit systems supported with federal funds.

On finance, Rodrigue explained that the highway fund is the primary non-federal funding source, that federal funds arrive in restricted program buckets, and that the state turnpike operates as an enterprise fund whose revenue must remain within the turnpike system. He listed longer-term revenue pressures including declining road-toll revenue per vehicle as fleets adopt more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles and a history of one-time fixes to the highway fund rather than structural changes.

Rodrigue described the department’s 10-year plan process. The DOT will begin the public portion of its update in April, solicit input from regional planning commissions and the public (the last update included more than two dozen public meetings), work with the governor's advisory group and executive council, and then transmit a finalized plan to the legislature through the committee. Committee members were also reminded that the immediate capital work by the committee will center on HB 25, the biennial capital budget.

Committee members asked questions about plow operators and contractor incentives. In response to Representative Ralph Bohm, Rodrigue said pay competitiveness is a factor in recruiting operators and that the $5,000 seasonal incentive has helped; he estimated the program yields roughly 140–145 volunteers who supplement the workforce. In response to Representative Lou Juris, Rodrigue described the department’s combination of internal incentives and the hourly/10-hour-minimum structure for contractor-provided trucks and operators.

No formal votes or committee actions were taken during the orientation. Rodrigue and other DOT staff said they would remain available to committee members for follow-up questions as the committee prepares for the capital budget and the 10-year plan update.