President-elect Barack Obama Friday tapped outgoing Rep. Ray LaHood as the Transportation secretary who will lead an effort to spend billions of dollars rebuilding roads, bridges and railroads.

LaHood, a 63-year-old Illinois Republican, will take the helm as Congress gears up for the biggest overhaul of U.S. transportation policy since the Eisenhower administration. He also will be on the front lines of Obama’s economic recovery package, which will be flush with transportation projects.

While LaHood served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for the first six years after his election in 1994, he has not been closely identified with any major transportation initiatives in recent years.

But the centrist, who would be the second Republican in Obama’s cabinet, brings a reputation for being able to bridge the partisan divide on Capitol Hill. That skill may be crucial for an administration trying to sell an immediate multibillion-dollar surge in infrastructure spending and design a new system for funding transportation projects.

“When I began this appointment process, I said I was committed to finding the best person for the job, regardless of party,” Obama said. “Ray’s appointment reflects that bipartisan spirit – a spirit we need to reclaim in this country to make progress for the American people.”

LaHood’s nomination received mixed reviews from transportation advocates, some of whom had been holding out for an expert in the field such as former Federal Aviation Administration head Jane Garvey or House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar , D-Minn.

“What happened to the A-team?” asked one transportation lobbyist, upon hearing news of the nomination.

But Oberstar praised the nomination, recalling that LaHood was among a handful of leading House Republicans who supported spending more on surface transportation during debate on the 2005 highway bill (PL 109-59).

“He was quite a player for advocating for the larger investment and I know that’s the direction the president-elect is going,” Oberstar said.

Other transportation experts said LaHood’s bipartisanship and recent tenure on the Appropriations Committee should make him an effective liaison between the White House and Congress on infrastructure investment issues.

“When the dust settles he will turn out to be a very good choice,” said one transportation industry insider. “When you’ve got this much major legislation you need someone who can work with Congress and he can certainly do that.”

Ranking Republican on the Transportation panel, John. L. Mica of Florida, said he spoke to LaHood on the phone about future transportation challenges.

“It’s been a while since he’s worked with the issues specifically and he said he would ask me to assist him,” Mica said. “He’s a very intelligent guy. He’s someone who carefully reviews issues before he takes a position. That’s all I ask. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”