After serving KDOT for 30 years Burt Morey retires

Burt Morey, Deputy Secretary and State Transportation Engineer for the Kansas Department of Transportation, is retiring after 30 years of service in transportation.

“I am happy to be ending my career in public service as the State Transportation Engineer,” he said. “It has been a great opportunity.”

Morey graduated from Kansas State University in 1991 with a degree in civil engineering. After four years at a private company, Morey came to KDOT in 1995 as an Engineering Associate III in the bridge section. In 2000, he went to the Douglas County Public Works office, then came back to the bridge section after two years. He served as the Bridge Construction Manual Engineer, “where I got to travel across the state, working in KDOT construction offices and helping people solve real world problems,” he said.

In 2004, Morey transferred to the Lawrence KDOT construction office, then was selected two years later as the Assistant District Construction Engineer. After a short stint, Morey was named the KDOT Metro Engineer in Olathe where he served for five years. In 2012, Morey was selected to be the Project Director for the Johnson County Gateway. He left KDOT in 2015 to work as the City Engineer of Overland Park, where he served until his current appointment to KDOT in 2019.

“It’s been my honor to serve KDOT in multiple capacities throughout my career,” Morey said. “Thanks to our team, we’ve been able to increase highway construction and improve worker safety at the same time, and Kansas is better off because of it.”

Morey’s last day at KDOT is Dec. 23. He plans to take some time off and explore future options. He and his wife, Jan, have two children – Brett, who is an engineer, and Kennedy, who is in medical school.