Pioneering the 'future of transportation'

As a child, Omer Osman dreamed of becoming an engineer. He not only made that vision a reality, but earlier this year it came full circle when Gov. J.B. Pritzker appointed Osman acting secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). 

Such acknowledgment is quite the feat for any civil engineer, but it was even sweeter for Osman, whose father only had a fourth-grade level education but made sure Osman and all nine of his siblings earned college degrees.

“I have been lucky in so many ways,” said Osman, who grew up in Kerma ― a village in northern Sudan. “It’s almost a dream.”

Even prouder of his accomplishment are his wife, Magda, sons Khalid (16) and Walid (14), and his “little girl” Nadeen (12).

Osman, who received a bachelor’s at Southern University (Baton Rouge, La.) and a master’s at Bradley University in civil engineering, now leads 5,100 “strong employees.”

At the top of Osman’s to-do list as acting secretary is ensuring the day-to-day work gets accomplished.

“Obviously, you can’t do it alone,” he said. “The 5,100 or so employees I have, I’m extremely proud of them ― from management all the way down. They do a terrific job.”

“They try and stay safe,” Osman added, “and their No. 1 priority is to always ensure that we’re providing a safe transportation system that’s reliable, that’s upgraded, that’s helping the population of Illinois move from point A to point B in a safe manner.”

IDOT has the third largest interstate system in the U.S., according to the transportation agency’s 2017 annual report. With that in mind, Osman’s attention is focused on existing transportation infrastructure.

“(It’s) so complex and so massive,” he said. “It requires our attention on a daily basis, and the resources we are providing for our assets are lagging behind. So our No. 1 priority ought to be to figure out how we could fund maintaining and repairing our transportation system to the level that’s acceptable, whether they are bridges or roadways or transit facilities.”

Perhaps the most exciting of Osman’s goals is putting Illinois on the autonomous vehicle and testing facility map.

“We think the state of Illinois ought to be a leader in that segment,” Osman said. “The department and the state of Illinois in general must be involved in this and must not be left behind.”

For Osman, autonomous and connected vehicles are the “future of transportation.”

“That’s where the support comes in,” Osman said. “Research and a testing facility ― anything that (could) advance autonomous vehicles in general, whether it’s on the software side, whether it’s on the security side, whether it’s on the physical development of truck platooning, or otherwise, I’m supportive of that.”

Hoping to turn another of Osman’s dreams into reality is ICT Director Imad Al-Qadi, who aims to build the Illinois Automated and Connected Track (I-ACT) ― an automated and connected vehicle test track based in Rantoul ― by 2021.

Osman sees IDOT’s role in autonomous vehicle development as more regulatory.

“There’s a lot of policy that needs to be reviewed for best application,” he said, “so that’s where the state comes in.”

Make no mistake, though, Osman wants his team in on the fun, too.

“We do have some of our engineers who are really, really capable of handling this type of issue when it comes to autonomous vehicles and connected vehicles,” Osman said, “so they will be involved at some point in time with ICT on this project.”

As for the future?

Osman only sees that relationship “growing” and “getting better.”

“The University of Illinois is a flagship for the state and specifically the (department of) civil (and environmental) engineering ― they’re a leader nationwide,” Osman said. “We do rely on the university to take the lead and help us advance our transportation system. I see it (the relationship) only growing.”

While the acting secretary may have multitudinous goals in mind, he’s no stranger to hard work and determination.

Osman, who started with IDOT in 1989, served as a deputy director from 2016 until his appointment as acting secretary a mere three months ago.

“My favorite part is getting to know other directors of other state agencies at this level and seeing what they do,” he said. “(It’s) getting to meet them and getting to know them and getting to see their issues, and maybe it’s even getting to think about how the department issues relate to another agency’s issues. At the end of the day, there’s quite the linkage between what all of us do collectively.”

The IDOT acting secretary, who calls himself a Civil War and World War II-era history buff, said while it’s a “complex” role he fills, it’s one he feels confident in leaving a lasting impression.

“I’d like to be known as someone who tried to be fair, who tried to bring fairness to our human processes, tried to be inclusive,” Osman said. “I’d like to be known as someone who earned the respect of the staff.”