ALDOT’s Birmingham District team is defined by their undeniable flexibility.
Every day, hundreds of thousands of motorists pour through Jefferson County’s five interstates and countless other U.S. and Alabama highways.
That level of congestion and traffic flow requires the ability to adapt to adversity on a regular basis.
“There’s no telling how many times their tasks change throughout the day, and they just adjust like it’s just part of life. So, that amazes me,” Birmingham District Administrator Shane Brown said.
Brown is the newest District Administrator in the East Central Region, after previously serving in Anniston.
Living two counties away, he admits the work pace of managing highways in Alabama’s most congested county can be challenging.
“It’s busy, it’s hectic. It takes me an hour and a half to get to work, but when I get here, I love it. So, to me, that makes all the difference in the world,” Brown said.
Brown first came to work for the ALDOT as a Professional Civil Engineer Trainee (PCET) while at Auburn University.
“When I started working with them and I was doing some surveying as a student and I just fell in love with it at that point,” Brown said.
Once hired full-time at ALDOT after college around 2003, he cut his highway management teeth in the Oneonta District.
He later shifted back to Calhoun County, where he grew up, and served the motorists’ needs there.
Then this fall, Brown had the opportunity to manage the busiest ALDOT District in the state.
With multiple arteries handling daily traffic counts exceeding 100,000 vehicles, there is never a routine day on the job.
“The challenge of being around all the different interstate work, traffic, just something different, I guess, just a change of pace. But I always enjoy a challenge,” Brown said.
Since recently taking over as District Administrator, he claims he leans heavily on the incredible experience of his staff.
Superintendent Senior Anthonie McKenzie has solved his share of highway maintenance obstacles during four decades with ALDOT.
“When you’ve got somebody on your staff that’s got 40 years of experience, that’s something you can’t replace,” Brown said.
With veterans like McKenzie and others on his team, Brown believes he has the roster to keep Jefferson County’s traffic system on track.
“It’s my responsibility to make sure that everybody that rides through my district, you know, gets from point A to point B safely, and I need to do whatever I can to help that,” Brown said.
Making that possible starts with learning how to adapt and overcome the district’s unpredictability from the very best.
“They’ve got to be able to roll with the punches. And they do a good job,” Brown said.
