Former VDOT chief picked as interim leader of HRT

Hampton Roads Transit on Thursday hired Philip A. Shucet, who has a reputation as a dogged trouble shooter, as its interim chief to replace the embattled Michael Townes.

Among Shucet's roles will be to rein in spiraling cost overruns and delays on Norfolk's light rail project.

A transportation consultant and former Virginia Department of Transportation commissioner, Shucet is probably best known for bringing the once-faltering Springfield interchange construction project - known as the mixing bowl - to completion within an agreed-to price and schedule.

"He brings instant credibility to Hampton Roads Transit," said HRT chairman Jim Wood, a Virginia Beach councilman. "It is extremely important for us to have someone who is well respected and can garner the support we need, not only in our member cities but in the General Assembly and with the folks in Richmond. "

When Shucet took over VDOT in 2002, one in every five construction projects was behind schedule, and more than half were over budget. By the end of his three -year tenure, 75 percent of projects were on time and 80 percent were on budget.

HRT vice chairman W. Randy Wright, a Norfolk councilman, said, "The most important need right now is to have a person who has the premiere record in the Commonwealth of Virginia of credibility for getting projects done on time and on budget."

Shucet was hired as a consultant to fill the role of president and CEO for a period of one year beginning Monday at $28,000 a month. The contract can be renewed for six-month intervals. The HRT board can terminate the contract with 45 days notice.

Shucet will serve until the HRT board completes a nationwide search for a permanent CEO.

Norfolk had already hired Shucet as a consultant last month to assist with the light rail project.

HRT has battled credibility issues since it was revealed last month that light rail will now cost $340 million, a 47 percent increase, and will open at least a year late. Townes was forced to step down as president and CEO and will retire from the agency in September.

"It won't be me turning things around; the agency will turn things around," Shucet said. "One of the first things we need to do is understand what might have happened... but only with the context of moving forward."

As the former head of VDOT, he said, he understands the challenges.

"I think the way you build public trust is you do good work... although I'm not suggesting there hasn't been good work," Shucet said.

"We will have a very keen focus on openness and transparency," he said. "It's terrible when things go wrong, but if they go wrong, we're going to talk about them real soon and in an open fashion."

Another criticism of Townes was that he did not immediately inform his board or Norfolk city officials when cost and schedule problems arose. He also did not reveal to his board an $80,000 suspected embezzlement by three employees.

Shucet is "an individual who can fix this thing and get it on the right track," said Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, one of several Beach council members who had vowed not to pursue extending light rail to their city with Townes in charge. "Then Virginia Beach can benefit from the knowledge that can be gained from this process."

Shucet has also worked for the West Virginia Department of Highways and the Arizona Department of Transportation and in private industry. Recently, he was a partner in bringing the Jordan Bridge replacement project to reality. He also has been a member of the team working to build a parallel Midtown Tunnel and Martin Luther King Freeway extension, but he says he'll withdraw from that role because of the new job.

Debbie Messina, (757) 446-2588, debbie.messina@pilotonline.com