Home Donny Necessary Jr. named new VDOT Bristol District administrator
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Donny Necessary Jr. named new VDOT Bristol District administrator

Chris Graham

Donny NecessaryDonny Necessary, Jr. has been named as the new VDOT Bristol District administrator.

Necessary brings over 33 years of transportation expertise to the position, including service as Bristol’s acting district administrator for the past six months.

“Donny’s years of sound program leadership, vast planning experience and invaluable regional partnerships provide a strong foundation for continued success in the Bristol District,” said VDOT Chief Deputy Commissioner Chief Deputy Commissioner Robert H. Cary, P.E., L.S.

Necessary will be responsible for the construction, maintenance and operations of nearly 16,000 lane miles of roads in the Bristol District’s 12 counties: Bland, Buchanan, Dickenson, Grayson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe.

He joined VDOT in 1986 as a highway engineering technician, and has also served as an assistant district traffic engineer, a transportation operations analysis and enhancement engineer, and, since 2010, served as the Bristol District planner.

As the lead planner for the district, Necessary managed Bristol’s project prioritization program, SMART SCALE, and built vital local and regional partnerships through collaboration with planning district commissions and metropolitan planning organizations. His steady leadership and expertise has been integral to providing smooth short- and long-range planning processes.

Necessary holds an associate’s degree in design drafting from Virginia Highlands Community College and a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology from East Tennessee State University.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].