Richard N. Roman, a longtime Pennsylvania Department of Transportation official who led PennDOT's District 4 since 2019, has died, the agency said Monday.
Further details were not immediately available.
"Rich was a steady, reliable leader who cared deeply about the people he worked with," District 4 spokeswoman Jessica Ruddy said in a statement Monday afternoon. "The department’s thoughts and prayers are with Rich’s family and his colleagues during this time."
Roman, a Hazleton native, joined PennDOT in 1997 as a transportation construction inspector. He earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Penn State University with a minor in civil engineering. He went on to earn a master's degree in public administration and became a licensed professional engineer in 2002.
Roman held various road program and civil engineering jobs before becoming director of PennDOT's Bureau of Maintenance and Operations in 2014.
He was named District 4's acting director following the January 2019 retirement of George Roberts. He got the job permanently that September.
“Rich is a trusted and respected leader in the department,” then-PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said at the time. “He brings with him a wealth of knowledge from years of experience working for PennDOT in a wide variety of capacities.”
District 4, which covers Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne, and Wyoming counties, has 4,000 miles of roads and 2,100 bridges.
Roman often spoke about the work required to maintain infrastructure in such a large territory, frequently meeting with the media to spotlight upcoming and ongoing projects.
State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna, recalled Roman as "a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly to improve our region's infrastructure and ensure the safety of our roads."
"His professionalism, kindness, and commitment to the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania earned him the respect and admiration of all who worked with him," Flynn wrote in a social media post.
"His loss will be felt across our entire community," Flynn wrote.
