Fredrick named WYDOT chief engineer

Interim Director Bill Panos announced Friday that Gregg Fredrick of Cheyenne will serve as the WYDOT’s new chief engineer.

Fredrick served five years as the department’s assistant chief engineer for engineering and planning. He succeeds Del McOmie, who was recently appointed by Gov. Matt Mead to become director of the state School Facilities Department.

Fredrick’s appointment has been approved by the Wyoming Transportation Commission.

“Gregg was instrumental in the agency’s operation and development over the last several years,” Panos said. “With his deep engineering and agency knowledge and management expertise, Gregg is the natural choice to lead these critical functions and empower our employees to drive our agency forward.”

As chief engineer, Fredrick will oversee all the planning, design, construction and maintenance activities associated with the state’s transportation system in WYDOT’s five districts, as well as the department’s financial, computer and telecommunications functions.

“I’m excited to build upon an already strong foundation, and it is an honor to work with a highly committed group of men and women to proactively address the challenges and changing demands associated with tomorrow’s transportation agency,” he said.

As assistant chief engineer, Fredrick was instrumental in the department’s transition to a highway construction program based on a cost-effective, systematic approach to maintain and upgrade the highway system, considering its current and projected future conditions.

Under his leadership, a majority of the highway construction project contracts have been put out for bids in the first two quarters of the fiscal year, and the engineering staff has completed designs for a year’s worth of projects now ready for bidding and construction.

Fredrick is a Cheyenne native who first worked for the Wyoming Highway Department in 1980 as a temporary employee. After earning his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Wyoming, he became a permanent employee in 1986 as a bridge engineer.

He worked his way up in the Bridge Program at Cheyenne headquarters, becoming state bridge engineer in 2001. He was named assistant chief engineer for engineering and planning in 2010.

Fredrick has served as chairman of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials’ Subcommittee on Bridges and Structures since 2013. The subcommittee develops and updates national engineering standards, design and construction specifications and inspection requirements for bridges and structures.
Fredrick’s other professional affiliations include the American Institute of Steel Construction, the Wyoming Engineering Society and Laramie County Community College Engineering Technology Advisory Committee.

He served as an officer in the Wyoming Air National Guard from 1987-1997.