TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR JOHN WALSH, DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR ENGINEERING FOR THE SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT AFTER MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS OF OUTSTANDING SERVICE, AND TO WISH HIM CONTINUED SUCCESS AND HAPPINESS IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.

Whereas, it is altogether fitting and proper that the South Carolina General Assembly should pause in its deliberations to express gratitude to John Walsh for his significant contributions to the South Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) as he begins a well-deserved retirement in June of 2013; and

Whereas, after he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Clemson University, John Walsh began his engineering career with South Carolina DOT in District One; and

Whereas, later he accepted a position in the preconstruction division and was steadily promoted in the division, serving as the project development engineer for the western part of the State until 2000; and

Whereas, in 2000, he was named director of CRM Operations and managed DOT's accelerated construction program; and

Whereas, Mr. Walsh served for seven years as the deputy state highway engineer before he was appointed to be DOT's deputy secretary in 2010; and

Whereas, his many significant accomplishments as the deputy secretary included the restructuring of the Preconstruction Division completed in 2007, which streamlined the decision-making process and prioritization of resources handled by project teams; and

Whereas, when he created an objective project priority process, a criteria was established consistent with sound engineering principles and the actual condition of each highway or bridge being considered for improvement. Mr. Walsh also had a major role in coordinating, prioritizing, and delivering to construction $463 million of projects funded by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009; and

Whereas, with innovative and frugal ideas and the support of the engineering team, he led numerous successful undertakings during his tenure as deputy secretary: the closure of one direction of I-385 during construction that greatly shortened construction time and saved taxpayers tens of millions of dollars; the purchase and use of three moveable bridges; improvements in the design build process; increased use of recycled asphalt products in pavements; and the expansion of full depth reclamation as a viable and cost-effective roadway repair technique for pavements; and

Whereas, the members of the South Carolina General Assembly are grateful for the years of dedication that John Walsh has devoted to the safety and usefulness of the State's roadways for our citizens through the South Carolina DOT and wish him many years of enjoyment in his well-earned retirement. Now, therefore,

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

That the members of the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina, by this resolution, recognize and honor John Walsh, Deputy Secretary for Engineering for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, upon the occasion of his retirement after more than twenty years of outstanding service, and wish him continued success and happiness in all his future endeavors.

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to John Walsh.