Bobby Lewis Joins HNTB as VP in New National Advisory Practice
Bobby Lewis, PE, joined HNTB Corporation as vice president, national practice consultant, in the firm’s new national Advisory practice. Based in HNTB’s Raleigh office, he will serve clients nationwide as an infrastructure strategic consulting executive, focusing on work with state departments of transportation.
With more than 25 years of infrastructure experience, Lewis most recently was chief operating officer at the North Carolina Department of Transportation where he was responsible for overall operations and strategy for the department, managing an 80,000-mile highway network and an annual budget of $5.8 billion.
As part of his leadership role, Lewis led the formation of the NCDOT’s Strategic Initiatives Office to accelerate project delivery, improve overall efficiency and streamline project delivery for all aspects of the department.
“I have worked with Bobby Lewis for years and am pleased to welcome him to HNTB’s Advisory team. Not only does he bring the deep experience of leadership within a public transportation agency, but Bobby is an innovative problem solver and has repeatedly demonstrated over his career the ability to find creative solutions to difficult problems,” said Jim Ray, HNTB corporate president and Advisory practice leader.
At NCDOT, he led the effort to secure legislative authority for BUILD NC, the state’s largest transportation revenue bond authorization totaling $3 billion, and drove a number of initiatives to streamline the DOT’s operations and project development processes. He was previously chief of staff to the secretary, served as a district and division engineer within the DOT, and he is a registered professional engineer.
Lewis also previously worked in the private sector where he was responsible for North Carolina offices of a national engineering firm.
In the delivery of major projects at NCDOT, Lewis reduced project development timelines from 10 years to three years and doubled the state transportation improvement program expenditures from $1.6 billion annually to $3.0 billion annually. He accelerated delivery of critical projects across the state including: first widening of I-95 from I-40 to I-295; improving U.S. 70 to interstate standards including acceleration of Havelock Bypass; and last section of I-440 widening in Raleigh.
Lewis holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. He served on the Transportation Policy Forum and the Committee on Funding and Finance for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
HNTB’s new Advisory practice provides a holistic, strategic perspective to help clients develop and deliver their most complex programs. As the lead commercial advisor on large, complex projects and programs, the firm works directly with clients’ executive-level management to provide strategic and commercial advice, drawing on legal, technical, management and policy expertise. The practice brings in-depth knowledge of innovative delivery models along with substantial transactional experience and understanding of public and private sector perspectives to drive innovation and facilitate informed decision-making across disciplines.
