New ARDOT Director Understands ARDOT Culture While Preparing for Future Challenges

Walk into Jared D. Wiley’s office, and it’s clear he values his family and Arkansas’s natural offerings. The wall opposite his large north-facing window is covered with eye-catching photos taken in natural settings like the Arkansas Little Grand Canyon, Cane Creek, and Bird Island, and many contain images of his wife and children exploring the landscape. Wiley quickly pointed out, “We did the 52 Arkansas State Parks Challenge, and I think we hit the right sweet spot, age-wise, with our four kids. They were great and willing participants. We camped at most places, and we really enjoyed the journey. We finished it last year.”

They are now members of State Parks Club 52, and as such, he has firsthand knowledge of the state’s natural diversity and how it impacts the people who live there.

Ten days after the start of the new year, Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) Director Lorie Tudor retired, and the following day, Jan. 11, Wiley stepped into the top spot. As he moves forward, Wiley’s interest in bettering the state extends beyond his family to building a legacy that leaves all Arkansans with a brighter and more economically secure future.

It’s been a fast-paced few months, Wiley recalled, sitting in his 10th-floor office a few weeks ago. He now oversees the state’s third-largest department—its 2024 operating budget was about $953 million—and about 3,900 employees spread out over 75 counties. It’s also the state’s largest employer of civil engineers. Additionally, his job started about the same time as the 2025 Arkansas Legislative Session.

Legislative outreach is essential, and a session was recently held at ARDOT headquarters on Interstate 30. Wiley said, “We discussed the department’s history, its structure, and how decisions are reached. We showcased our staff and our equipment. We discussed the need for long-term program stability and open communication between ARDOT and legislators.”

Easier Said Than Done

Long before visiting the state’s parks, Wiley worked with ARDOT’s 11 regional districts and talked with public and private entities about their varied transportation needs. Those of the rural areas, heavy with farming, are often vastly different from urban areas, heavy with traffic. Even within the agricultural communities, the transportation needs of the hilly and mountainous areas of the state’s western half differ from those of the Delta. The state’s interstates, which often intersect with busy highways and city streets, present their own challenges.

“We must be able to meet the varied demands of all the state’s areas. It must be our focus,” Wiley said recently while sitting in his office. But it’s not a simple task, he countered.

“We have 16,000 miles of highway to take care of. Our system is large, larger (roadway transportation system) than California’s,” Wiley said. He added, “We’re the 12th largest highway system in the country, but we are not the 12th largest in revenues. Historically, ARDOT was severely underfunded, and Wiley said, “Back then, we were doing the best with what we had.”

But that changed with the passage of a 1/2-cent sales tax by 58 percent of the voters in 2012. This tax was then made permanent, also approved by the voters, in 2020. Additional Arkansas Legislative and federal monies helped alleviate ARDOT’s ongoing funding crunch. Today, Wiley said the department is better financially positioned to meet the state’s transportation requirements. ARDOT is able to maintain its highways through what’s called their Preservation Program and has allotted $300 million to it. About $100 million is earmarked for interstate work and another $115 million for bridges. 

Wiley added, “It’s critical that we take care of what we have,” but as demand dictates, new highways or interstates may be built in the future. He believes ARDOT must remain good stewards of the taxpayers’ funding as evidenced by the on-time, on-budget completion of the recent Interstate Rehabilitation (IRP) and Connecting Arkansas (CAP) programs, as well as the early completion of the I-30 bridge and interstate widening project, dubbed 30 Crossing.

“We’ve been faced with some historic inflation that started with COVID-19, but we hope that’s at least plateaued…It’s hard to go anywhere in Arkansas these days and not see fresh asphalt,” Wiley said.

Plays Well with Others

Keith Gibson, AHC Member, said, “There were many qualified candidates, but Jared’s knowledge and the respect he’s earned as a professional set him apart.” In addition to assuming a role as liaison between ARDOT and members of the Arkansas Legislature and Gov. Sarah Sanders, Wiley will work closely with AHC Members. Gibson added, “Jared has the skill and ability to work well with others,” and he believes Wiley has what it takes to have “a long and distinguished career ahead of him at ARDOT.”

Wiley said he follows in the footsteps of great ARDOT Directors, and “each left their mark.” For example, Dan Flowers brought the department into the modern era, while a few years later, Scott Bennett focused on integrating early technology, such as computers, software, and email, into their roadway designs and contractor bid processes. Director Tudor restructured ARDOT’s departments and districts, focusing on employee-and-partner building and on-the-job safety. She also embraced and utilized the latest technologies, many of which reach beyond the office and into the field. Two recent examples include the installation of Wrong-Way Detection Systems on several of the state’s interstate off-ramps around Central Arkansas; and Drivewize, an in-cab traffic management and alert system designed to increase driver safety.

Marie Holder, AHC member, said, “Jared Wiley has the commission’s full support to serve as ARDOT Director. He produced excellent results as Chief Engineer for Pre-construction and he strives for excellence in everything he undertakes. He holds himself accountable for his actions and is responsible and transparent in his role. We are grateful for his service and thrilled to support him in this new role.”

The Future Looms Large

About 20 years ago, when Wiley first signed on with ARDOT, the engineering design process of hand-drawn and calculated blueprints started shifting from paper to computers. Nowadays, a design project often incorporates lidar imaging, drones, maps, real-world photos, and more to create it. This helps predict or minimize problems before construction begins. Wiley said, “Also, we can go to the public or a contractor and, instead of showing them two-dimensional flat plans on paper or an aerial photo, show them a video of what it’s going to look like when it’s built.”

Keith Gibson, an Arkansas Highway Commission member, said it’s impossible to predict the impact AI and other technologies currently under development will have on road design and construction. Gibson added, “It will be a key going forward,” and Wiley agreed.

“It’s hard to see around the next corner,” but Wiley feels he and his staff must be ready for whatever comes over the next few years. He added, “Technology is rapidly changing, and we’re doing our best to encourage our staff to educate themselves on the latest innovations…It’s going to transform the workplace.” He plans to grow the department’s use of the latest technology, whether in design or creating safe roadways for the traveling public, and ARDOT employees and their contractors—who call Arkansas roadways their workspace. Holder believes Wiley has the skills and understanding to implement the new technologies.

The new Director feels the development of this and the next generation of employees is as vital to the department’s long-term success as technology. Wiley said, “We encourage our staff to learn, and we offer continuing education through internal programs we offer. We have to be ready. I believe AI is going to transform our industry. So, it’s critical we keep up.”

Already ARDOT is talking about what it will take to make that shift.

From the Classroom to Construction

As a college engineering student doing a summer internship in Hot Springs, Wiley said ARDOT personnel made a lasting impression on him, adding, “I started as an end-time student and did three summers, and I loved what I saw here—the culture, a shared sense of service, and the goal of shaping a brighter future for our state. That’s why I chose to take a job here when I graduated.”

Wiley graduated Cum Laude from Arkansas State University (ASU) in Jonesboro with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering with an emphasis in civil engineering in 2005, and was offered a job in ARDOT’s Planning and Research Division. Wiley recalled, “It was a good fit.” While in the department’s Planning Branch in Little Rock, he oversaw traffic count and roadway inventory programs. He advanced until he was promoted to Consultant Coordinator in the office of the Deputy Director and Chief Engineer in 2013, and the following year, he was promoted to Assistant Division Head of the Transportation Planning and Policy Division.

About 16 months later, he became the division head of program management, and in 2020, he was named Assistant Chief Engineer for Planning under Tudor. In April 2023, he was promoted to Chief Engineer for Pre-construction, a role he held until he was appointed Director. Wiley has about two decades of experience in transportation planning and programming, project management, and leadership. He said he’s “passionate about leading teams, streamlining processes, and delivering quality.”

Accolades To-Date

Wiley is a Registered Professional Engineer and an active member of A-State’s College of Engineering and Computer Science Alumni Academy. He was awarded the Director’s Diamond Arkansas Department of Transportation Award in 2019, and in 2022, he was named Transportation Vanguard Award Nominee by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). 

The same year, ASU’s College of Engineering and Computer Science named him an Alumni Academy Member. He is also a member of AASHTO and is involved in funding and finance, active transportation, and planning committees.

Wiley and his wife, Jessica, live near Benton and have four children and three dogs. He enjoys outdoor activities with his family such as hunting, fishing, and camping. He is also an avid collector of lapel pins and grows ficus trees.