Hall County resident Russell McMurry has been named the Georgia Department of Transportation's engineering division director.

McMurry, a former district engineer in the DOT's Gainesville office, had been serving as assistant engineering division director.

The promotion, which took effect Monday, was announced Tuesday morning.

"Russell is an excellent employee," said DOT Commissioner Vance C. Smith Jr.

"His engineering acumen, combined with his people skills and experience in preconstruction and construction, make Russell the best person to oversee our Division of Engineering.

"I am proud to have him as a member of our Executive Management Team. I'm certain that he will do a fine job."

McMurry, who couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday, began his career with the DOT in 1990 as a civil engineer trainee.

He became a construction project manager in 1991 and was named area engineer for Clarke, Jackson, Oconee and Walton counties in 1998. He later became district construction engineer and district preconstruction engineer.

In 2004, McMurry was named Northeast Georgia's district engineer. He served in that role for five years before becoming assistant engineering division director, based at the DOT's Atlanta headquarters.

In his new post, he will oversee much of the preconstruction work statewide for bridges and roadway projects.

A Hart County native, McMurry graduated from Georgia Southern University and earned his Georgia professional engineer's license in 2001. He and his family are members of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch.

McMurry is the second Gainesville-based district engineer in recent years to reach top levels of the DOT.

Todd Long is serving as the agency's director of planning, appointed to that post by former Gov. Sonny Perdue. He is overseeing the state's plans for a statewide referendum in 2012 on a 1-percent sales tax for transportation.