June 24, 2005
ROMNEY NAMES LUISA PAIEWONSKY AS HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER
Governor Mitt Romney today appointed Executive Office of Transportation Assistant Secretary Luisa Paiewonsky as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Highway Department.
“With a solid record of achievement at MassHighway, Luisa Paiewonsky is the right person to lead the agency forward,” said Romney. “As we work to complete projects within our Long-Range Transportation Plan, I look forward to Commissioner Paiewonsky’s advice on how to keep our citizens moving now and in the future.”
Paiewonsky’s appointment continues Romney’s record of hiring women to high-level positions within his administration. A study conducted last year by the University of Albany ranked Massachusetts first in the nation in appointing women to policy-making positions.
Paiewonsky started her career in transportation 16 years ago as an assistant in MassHighway’s Planning Department. After a series of promotions, she was elevated to Director of Transportation Planning in 1998, and she was appointed MassHighway Deputy Commissioner in 2002. In the fall of 2004, Paiewonsky was named Assistant Secretary of the Executive Office of Transportation.
While working within state transportation agencies, Paiewonsky has spearheaded several key transportation initiatives such as the development of the $300 million Route 146 relocation in Worcester and Millbury, the location of the Anderson Regional Transportation Center in Woburn, and the implementation of the Southeast Expressway contra-flow “Zipper Lane.” Most recently, Paiewonsky has worked on revisions to the Highway Department’s Design Manual to make it more responsive to cities and towns in accordance with Governor Romney’s Communities First initiative.
“I’m honored that Governor Romney has selected me to lead the Highway Department at this critical juncture,” said Commissioner Paiewonksy. “We have an ambitious agenda of investing in our aging infrastructure, dramatically reducing the number of structurally deficient bridges, and spending at least $450 million a year on road and bridge construction. I look forward to working with the staff at MassHighway to realize Governor Romney’s transportation goals.”
As Highway Commissioner, Paiewonsky will manage 1,850 employees and have purview over 9,500 lane miles of roadway and more than 2,800 bridges. MassHighway has a combined annual capital and operating budget of $890 million.
Among the key projects that Paiewonsky will be advancing as Commissioner are the elimination of the Sagamore Rotary, the Route 128 add-a-lane project between Randolph and Wellesley, and the $166 million Brightman Street Bridge replacement between Fall River and Somerset.
Paiewonsky received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish at Mount Holyoke College in 1986 and holds a Masters of City Planning Degree from Boston University. She resides in Arlington with her husband John and her daughter Lauren.
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