Cape Girardeau resident renominated for MoDOT leadership position

A lifelong Southeast Missouri resident was among two Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) members who were selected to lead the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission.

W. Dustin Boatwright of Cape Girardeau, who served as commission chairman for the last year, was announced as vice chair on Wednesday, March 5. The previous vice chair, Warren Erdman of Kansas City, was chosen as this year’s chair.

Boatwright is the chief engineer of the Little River Drainage District. He graduated from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.

“I’m honored to have spent the last year chairing the dedicated members of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission,” he said in a news release. “This commission is tasked with work critical to the well-being of this state’s infrastructure. It’s challenging but even more rewarding. We’ve made tremendous strides in improving Missouri’s transportation system, from its busiest interstates to its most rural highways. I look forward to continuing that work on the commission as vice chair under Mr. Erdman’s leadership.”

Erdman is the executive advisor of special projects for the chief executive officer at Canadian Pacific Kansas City. He had previously worked for former Missouri governors Jay Ashcroft and Kit Bond.

The six-member Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission governs MoDOT, appointing MoDOT’s director and secretary to the commission. No more than three of its six members may belong to any given political party. Boatwright is an independent, while Erdman is a Republican. They have been serving on the commission since 2020 and 2022, respectively.

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