Carlos M. Contreras Aponte is a Puerto Rican civil engineer. He is the

Secretary of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico The secretary of transportation and public works of Puerto Rico () leads the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico and leads all efforts related to transportation and public works in Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), ...

as well as the executive director of the

Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority The Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) (ACT) is the government-owned corporation of Puerto Rico charged with constructing, operating, and maintaining roads, bridges, avenues, highways, tunnels, public parkings, tolls ...

. Contreras Aponte is the first blind person to lead the Department of Transportation. Contreras Aponte was born in

San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico San Lorenzo (, ; Spanish for "''Saint Lawrence"'') is a San Lorenzo barrio-pueblo, town and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality of Puerto Rico located in the eastern central region, north of Patillas, Puerto Rico, Patillas and Yabucoa, Pu ...

. He obtained his Bachelor's and master's degrees in Civil Engineering from the

University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a Public university, public land-grant university in Mayagüez ...

. He also holds various engineering certifications such as Professional Traffic Operations Engineer. In 2012, he was recognized as Distinguished Engineer by the

Institute of Transportation Engineers The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) is an international educational and scientific association of transportation professionals who are responsible for meeting mobility and safety needs. ITE facilitates the application of technology and ...

. He was Chief of the Highway Authority's Office of Traffic Engineering. He is a member of

Phi Sigma Alpha Phi Sigma Alpha (), commonly known as La Sigma, is a Puerto Rican fraternity originally established as the Sigma Delta Alpha Fraternity (Sociedad de Amigos) on October 22, 1928, at the University of Puerto Rico by twelve students and a professor ...

fraternity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Contreras Aponte, Carlos Living people Members of the 17th Cabinet of Puerto Rico People from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican civil engineers Secretaries of Transportation and Public Works of Puerto Rico Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American engineers American blind people University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez people Puerto Rican people with disabilities American scientists with disabilities 21st-century Puerto Rican engineers