Jason Looper to Serve as Transportation Cabinet Chief Engineer for Highway District 1
Kyle Poat to retire Aug. 31 after eight years as chief engineer
PADUCAH, Ky. (Aug. 31, 2026) – Today, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman announced Mayfield native, Jason Looper, will serve as Chief District Engineer (CDE) for the Department of Highways District 1, headquartered in Paducah, effective Sept. 1, 2026. He will continue to improve the quality of life for Kentuckians through good transportation, succeeding current Chief District Engineer Kyle Poat, who is retiring at the end of August.
“On behalf of Team Kentucky, we’re proud to have a seasoned expert like Jason step into the role,” said Sec. Goodman. “We’re confident Jason will help advance transportation in western Kentucky and build upon the great foundation Kyle laid as chief engineer to maintain safe roads and bridges for travelers.”
A University of Kentucky Mechanical Engineering graduate, and 24-year KYTC employee, Looper most recently served as Branch Manager for Project Delivery & Preservation (PDP) Branch II for seven years overseeing six counties. In that role, he advised the Chief District Engineer and assisted with the district’s day-to-day operations.
District 1’s workforce of roughly 225 employees oversees 2,800 state-maintained miles and inspects 1,800 bridges in its 12-county region: Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg.
“I’m honored to serve our district in this role, and I look forward to strengthening communities and building upon the relationships we have established with local officials across our 12 counties,” said Looper.
Looper replaces Kyle Poat who is retiring after eight years as Chief District Engineer.
Poat, a Paducah native, began his career with the Cabinet in 2002 after graduating from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He started in District 1, rotating through maintenance, construction, design, permits and traffic before becoming Resident Engineer in Paducah in 2005. He later served as Section Engineer and Branch Manager for Project Delivery & Preservation, and in 2018, he was appointed Chief District Engineer. He was named Engineer of the Year by the Kentucky Association of Transportation Engineers (KATE) in 2022.
Poat and the District 1 team, in partnership with Kentucky Emergency Management, spearheaded the Commonwealth’s first-ever sheltering mission to provide safe travel trailer housing to survivors of the devastating December 2021 Western Kentucky tornadoes. Drawing from his experience to build travel trailer sites and install trailers, Poat was instrumental in guiding a similar mission to help families recover from the 2022 flooding event in the far corners of eastern Kentucky. At the peak of the response to both disasters, the team managed more than 350 travel trailers deployed across the Commonwealth, providing temporary housing to families.
“District 1 is made up of dedicated men and women who show up every day with a commitment to public service and a willingness to step up when challenges arise,” Poat said. “I’ve been so blessed to be a part of such a great team, and I will always be an advocate for the important work being done to improve the lives of people across Western Kentucky.”
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To get traffic advisories and alerts for KYTC District 1 counties via email, please go to https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/KYTC/signup/13651. Click on the District 1 counties you regularly drive through, or on any of the specialty corridors you travel. Check your SPAM filtering to ensure Gov Delivery is on your approved list.
Timely traffic advisories for the 12 counties of KYTC Highway District 1 are available by going to www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict1. Please LIKE or FOLLOW District 1. You do not have to be a Facebook member to access this page.
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