Journal Times staff
MADISON — The board of directors of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials unanimously elected Racine native Craig Thompson — secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation — as its 2022-23 vice president on Thursday.
Thompson
Thompson replaces former AASHTO Vice President and director of the Michigan Department of Transportation Paul Ajegba. Ajegba retired at the end of 2022 after a 31-year transportation career.
“AASHTO plays an important leadership role in America’s transportation system,” Thompson stated in a news release from the WisDOT. “From delivering cutting-edge research to promoting highway safety to providing a platform for states to learn from one another, AASHTO’s services are vital to Wisconsin and to state transportation agencies nationwide. It’s an honor to be elected vice president.”
gov. Tony Evers named Thompson — who has more than 26 years of experience working with Wisconsin businesses, communities, legislators and units of government — as WisDOT secretary in January 2019. In his role at WisDOT, Thompson leads more than 3,200 employees that support all modes of transportation, including state highways, local roads, railroads, public transit systems, airports and harbors, as well as the Division of Motor Vehicles and the Division of State Patrol.
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Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson speaks at a news conference on Aug. 2, 2022, at Racine City Hall, 730 Washington Ave., announcing a new collaborative between Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana to create a Lake Michigan road trip tour specifically with electric vehicles in min.
Rachel Kubik
Thompson previously served as executive director of the Transportation Development Association or TDA of Wisconsin. Prior to leading TDA, he served as the legislative director for the Wisconsin Counties Association, managing legislative initiatives at the state and federal levels.
Thompson is from Racine and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Madison with his wife; they have a daughter and a son.
In photos and video: The Badger unveiled | Racine could become a testing ground for automated vehicles
The Badger 1
The Badger, a Polaris Gem outfitted with automated driving technology from Perrone Robotics, was shown to the public for the first time Monday outside Technical College
ADAM ROGAN,
The Badger 2
Gateway Technical College staff members — from left to right: Stephanie Sklba, Amber Stoian, Stacy Riley and Katie Graf — pose Monday for a photo with “The Badger,” the new research automated vehicle being stored at Gateway Technical College.
ADAM ROGAN,
The Badger inside
The Badger can both be driven by a person and by itself. Its dashboard includes a tablet that can be used to set the route and activate self-driving capabilities, as well as a GoPro and everything else a driver needs to operate the vehicle when it is manually driven.
ADAM ROGAN,
The Badger 3
Mayor Cory Mason, in the passenger’s seat, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson, seated behind Mason, ride in The Badger for the first time Monday. In the driver’s seat, a Perrone Robotics employee drives the vehicle into the place where the automated vehicle demonstration would begin in Gateway Technical College’s parking lot.
ADAM ROGAN,
Watch Now: Our ride in “The Badger,” Racine’s new automated vehicle
Mini AV
A miniature self-driving vehicle circles round a figure-eight track inside Gateway Technical College in Racine, an example of how automated cars may someday work by reading lines on the ground and signs above. The technology is far from street-ready yet, however. In just the few minutes a Journal Times reporter watched the vehicles drive, one crash happened and the stop sign pictured here was ignored several times.
ADAM ROGAN,
Watch Now: Matt Kirchner explains automated vehicles at Gateway Technical College in Racine
Mini AV screen
A TV screen shows live information from three automated miniature vehicles inside Gateway Technical College during a demonstration Monday.
ADAM ROGAN,
Watch now: A miniature example of how automated vehicles work and learn
Mayor Cory Mason addresses the crowd at Gateway Technical College during the launch of The Badger
ADAM ROGAN,
DOT Secretary Craig Thompson addresses the crowd at Gateway Technical College during the launch of The Badger
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dr David Noyce, an engineering professor at UW-Madison, addresses the crowd at Gateway Technical College during the launch of The Badger
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