Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced his long-awaited decision on the person who will guide the state’s transportation projects, picking the former head of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport and the D.C. Metro system to be transportation secretary.

Paul J. Wiedefeld, who has decades of experience in transportation, was the Democratic governor’s pick for the high-profile job in the new administration.

Moore and Wiedefeld will face numerous difficult decisions on thorny projects, including completing the long-delayed Purple Line Metro extension in the D.C. suburbs, deciding whether to continue former Gov. Larry Hogan’s plan to address traffic on some suburban D.C. highways with toll lanes and fulfilling Moore’s campaign promise to revive the proposed Red Line, an east-west transit project in Baltimore.

During a news conference at the State House, neither Moore nor Wiedefeld offered insights into how they’ll handle those decisions. The governor said he’d work “in partnership” with his new transportation secretary, state lawmakers, local officials and stakeholders.

Asked about priorities, Moore answered: “The priority is that as a state, we’re going to get busy” on addressing highway congestion and improving mass transit in Baltimore.

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