Kathy Liebler
                        Director of Public Information


    C   O   M   M   I   S   S   I   O   N                N   E   W   S             R   E   L   E   A   S   E

    Contact: Lowman S. Henry                 July 9, 1997
(717) 939-9551, Ext. # 2934

 

ATTENTION RADIO STATIONS:

ACTUALITIES TO ACCOMPANY THIS NEWS

RELEASE CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING TIBS, THE TURNPIKE

INFORMATION BROADCAST SERVICE AT 1-800-563-5425

 

JANSEN TO HEAD TURNPIKE ENGINEERING & MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENTS

Harrisburg, PA -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission today announced the appointment of Alexander R. Jansen as its new Deputy Executive Director for Engineering and Maintenance/Chief Engineer. He will oversee departments which are responsible for all construction and maintenance operations on the 506-mile superhighway.

Jansen recently retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers where he had served since 1995 as Division Commander/Engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Ohio River Division. His served as the Division's Deputy Commander from 1991 to 1995 after having been a NATO Infrastructure Program Manager from 1988 to 1991. Prior to that, he served in numerous positions of increasing responsibility from Project Manager to Battalion Commander.

"The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission faces significant challenges in completing both new construction and major maintenance projects," said Chairman James F. Malone, III. "A professional engineer with over 20 years of experience, he is particularly skilled in bringing together diverse interests and focusing their efforts at completing highly complex projects."

Jansen joins the Turnpike Commission as major construction gets underway on the Mon-Fayette Expressway in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Turnpike Commission also recently adopted a 12-year capital spending and improvement plan that includes a total rebuild of portions of the original Turnpike which extended from Carlisle to Irwin. A wide range of improvements will be made to other portions of the Turnpike and to various interchanges and service plazas.

"I'm pleased to be coming to the Pennsylvania Turnpike at a time when it faces so many engineering and maintenance challenges," said Jansen. "The Mon-Fayette Expressway and Southern Beltway are two of the biggest new highway projects in the country. It is a tremendous professional opportunity for me to join the team working on these projects and to also be involved with making the improvements planned for the existing Turnpike."

Jansen holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois. He obtained his Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy. He also completed ten months of intensive executive development at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. That program is considered to be the equivalent of a Master's Degree.

He is married to the former Helen K. Childers of Columbia, South Carolina. They have two grown children, Deborah and David.

 

###

         P.O. Box 67676, Harrisburg, PA 17106-7676         Phone: (717) 939-9551         Fax: (717) 986-9649