Columbia, SC (WLTX, AP) - Governor Nikki Haley has appointed Christy Hall to be the full-time leader of the state's transportation agency.
Haley made the announcement Wednesday morning.
Hall had been serving as the interim secretary since July, when she took over for Janet Oakley, who resigned abruptly. Hall is the chief engineer within the agency.
Over the last few weeks, she's presided over one of the largest reconstruction projects in recent memory, helping coordinate the state's repairs to the roads and bridges damaged by the record flooding. Hall said Wednesday that 72 percent of the closures that were present at the peak of the storm's aftermath have been reopened. but that more work needs to be done, and recovery will be her top priority.
Hall is receiving high marks for her work after the flood.
But South Carolina's road network was crumbling long before the waters rose. Some estimates say roads need $500 million extra a year for decades just to get to fair condition.
The DOT also still has a board, with seven of eight members picked by the Legislature. That leaves the agency director to balance the sometimes competing wishes of the governor and lawmakers.
