COLUMBIA, S.C. — Longtime South Carolina Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall has announced she will retire at the end of March after almost 30 years with the agency.
The agency said Wednesday Hall leave the agency on March 31. She has been with the Department of Transportation for three decades and has been the leader of the agency for almost 10 years.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the men and women of the S.C. Department of Transportation to serve the people of South Carolina," Hall said in a statement. "I am thankful to Governor Haley, Governor McMaster and the SCDOT Commission for the opportunity to serve as the agency head during the past decade when South Carolina has experienced unprecedented levels of road and bridge work in every county of the state. I also want to thank the South Carolina General Assembly for recognizing the need to boost funding for infrastructure and to continuously evaluate those funding levels in order to keep pace with rapidly evolving business, residential and economic development needs.”
Hall is a civil engineering graduate from Clemson and went straight to work at SCDOT after getting her degree.
She may be best known to the public for her leadership in rebuilding the hundreds of roads damaged by the flood of 2015 in South Carolina, as well as the damage caused to state roads and highways from Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. She's also been instrumental in developing the plans to widen Interstate 26 from Columbia to Charleston, construction on I-20 in Lexington County, and the ongoing project at the intersection of I-20, I-26, and I-126 near Columbia.
Hall was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest honor.
“Secretary Hall will be remembered as one of the greatest transportation secretaries in state history," Governor Henry McMaster said. "Her unparalleled expertise and relentless work ethic have allowed SCDOT to flourish under her leadership. Whether responding to natural disasters or spearheading transformative infrastructure projects, she has consistently delivered for the people of South Carolina. She leaves a legacy of excellence and has placed the agency in a position to continue to drive our state forward.”