State Highway Engineer's Office

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ABOUT US

The State Highway Engineer’s Office plays a vital role in advancing safe mobility across Kentucky by overseeing complex projects, ensuring effective project delivery, fostering collaboration, leading innovative research initiatives, and administering the KYTC Scholarship Program to support the next generation of transportation professionals. Through strategic leadership, guidance, and technical support to KYTC District Offices and Divisions, the State Highway Engineer’s Office helps ensure Kentucky’s transportation system continues to evolve to meet the needs of its communities, economy, and future growth.

CENTRAL OFFICE STAFF

	James Ballinger, PE State Highway Engineer James Ballinger graduated from the University of KY in 1987 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. He was a KYTC Scholarship student and immediately started working on the Cabinet’s training program in District 7. During his career he served in various roles including, Construction Resident Engineer, Branch Manager for Construction, and Branch Manager for Pre-Construction. He retired in December 2014 as the Chief District Engineer from Highway District 7. He re-joined the KY Transportation Cabinet in August 2020 when he was appointed as the State Highway Engineer.
	Jason Siwula, PE Deputy State Highway Engineer, Office of Project Development Jason started with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in 2000 on the KYTC Civil Engineering Scholarship. Starting fulltime in 2005, he spent five years in KYTC’s Lexington District, moved to the KYTC Central Office in 2011 assisting with the administration of the Highway Safety Improvement Program and then joined the State Highway Engineer’s Office in 2014 as KYTC’s Innovation Engineer providing leadership and oversight to the Cabinet’s Research, Innovation and Performance Management programs. For the last several years, Jason has served as Assistant State Highway Engineer at KYTC...
	John Moore, PE Deputy State Highway Engineer, Office of Project Delivery and Preservation John Moore’s career began with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in 2003 in the Elizabethtown Department of Highways District #4 office. Since that time he has worked in various capacities within the project development area for KYTC. John has served as designer, project manager, branch manager, and planning director. John currently serves as Deputy State Highway Engineer for Project Delivery and Preservation.
	Tracy Nowaczyk, PE Assistant State Highway Engineer Tracy oversees the pavement preservation program to preserve and maintain the eighth-largest state pavement system in the United States. It represents a significant public investment and demands a proactive approach to maintaining pavements by expanding Kentucky’s treatment options. Under her leadership, KYTC is responsibly growing the program thanks to partnering with national research organizations, developing local data through pilot projects, and fostering state knowledge by bringing engineers together with industry through annual training. The pavement preservation program has helped KYTC address more lane miles at a lower cost.
	Amanda Spencer, PE Assistant State Highway Engineer Amanda’s focus area deals with innovative funding as she currently oversees tolling of the Kennedy and Lincoln bridges in Louisville with her Indiana DOT counterpart, as well as manages preliminary activities for a future Ohio River crossing for I-69 between Henderson and Evansville, Indiana. Amanda has more than 20 years of engineering experience in both the private and public sectors. She formerly was on staff at CDM Smith, where she led planning studies for KYTC and the financial component of long-range transportation plans for various state transportation agencies. She later was transportation director of KIPDA, the metropolitan planning organization for the Louisville area. At KYTC, Amanda has served as Director of Planning and as statewide local public agency coordinator in the Division of Program Management.