I applaud Gov.-elect Larry Hogan's choice of Pete Rahn to lead the Maryland Department of Transportation ("Hogan names Mitchell adviser," Jan. 14). Mr. Rahn also headed transportation departments in Missouri and New Mexico, two states that like Maryland also have good rail transit systems. As a transportation engineer, I admire both New Mexico's Roadrunner commuter rail line that runs from Santa Fe south through Albuquerque, and Missouri's Translink light rail which links St. Louis and its Illinois suburbs with comfortable modern rail vehicles using the historic Eads Bridge to cross the Mississippi.
Mr. Rahn has a record of getting the most from transportation funds. In Missouri, he employed practical engineers who aimed not to build perfect projects, but instead they built "good projects that give you a good system. Practical design says to start at the bottom of the standards and build up. When you meet the need, you stop."
I think Mr. Rahn is a good choice for meeting the transportation needs of all Marylanders whether they live on the Eastern Shore, in Western Maryland, the Baltimore and D.C. suburbs or urban Baltimore neighborhoods.
Matt Fenton, Baltimore