It’s rare in the public sector that a bureaucrat has commercial experience in negotiating more than one large P3 project. Between them Russell Zapalac and Dusty Holcombe have managed the procurement and financing of dozens of major projects. Both have led their state’s megaproject delivery efforts for years without scandal or conflicts of interest. Both have been instrumental in solving some of their state’s worst transportation bottlenecks and far sooner than possible otherwise. And both have recently moved to the private sector, their public sector jobs largely done, and largely unsung.

Taken together, since 1995 the P3/alternative delivery teams in Texas and Virginia have delivered 26 highway projects (design-build and P3) worth $34 billion, split evenly between the two programs.