In his four years with the City of Renton, Peter Hahn has overseen several key transportation projects in the city as deputy public works administrator.

One has made life easier for commuters – a wider Duvall Avenue Northeast, which is a key link between Renton and Bellevue for those who want to avoid Interstate 405.

And the City of Renton continues to work with the Washington state Department of Transportation on critical improvements to I-405 through Renton to make the freeway safer and more efficient.

Hahn won’t call them his accomplishments. They’ve all been a team effort, he said, involving city staff, the mayor, City Council and the community.

“It’s what we have done together,” said Hahn, whose responsibilities centered on transportation projects.

Hahn has left Renton to lead up one of the most controvery-ridden departments in Seattle government.

Hahn, 65, started work Tuesday as the new director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, making $155,000 a year. The department was heavily criticized for its snow-removal efforts during last winter’s massive storms, which played a role in Mayor Greg Nickel’s defeat last fall.

Outgoing director Grace Crunican will assist Hahn for a three-week transition period, with Hahn becoming director Feb. 5, according to a City of Seattle press release.

Hahn said he was approached by staff with new Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn about the job before Christmas. Hahn met McGinnn for the first time and after Christmas was offered the job.

Hahn said his familiarity with the Seattle department was based on what he had read in the newspapers and in the mayoral debates. It’s a little hard to say “no” when the mayor calls, he said.

Hahn has lived in Seattle for nearly 30 years. His home is just two miles from the Seattle municipal building. He will, he said, cut down on his “carbon footprint.”

McGinn wants to do the “basics really well,” said Hahn, which includes “the obvious,” such as dealing with emergencies, including snow removal. McGinn’s transportation emphasis is on transit, walking and biking, Hahn said.

“In Peter we have an excellent manager and someone who understands the future of mobility in Seattle and the region,” said McGinn in a press release.

Hahn, 65, calls the job a “professional challenge.” But as a public servant, he said he aspires to serve well the people, mayor and City Council.

Hahn served as Snohomish County’s director of public works from 1992 to 2006. In that position, he managed a department that has more than 650 employees and a 2005 budget of $200 million.

The Seattle Department of Transportation has a workforce of more than 750 employees and a 2010 budget of $310 million.

Public Works Director Gregg Zimmerman said Wednesday he’s reaching out to possible candidates in the region to gauge their interest in the job before he begins a formal search. He’ll assume Hahn’s responsibilities until a replacement is found

More transportation and other public works projects are on Renton’s horizon or continuing, including work on I-405. Bus service to Link Light rail will improve as will bus connections between downtown Renton and The Landing.

He said the I-405 Stage 2 project – widening the freeway, replacing a bridge and adding a new half-diamond interchange – is being done in a “fish bowl.”

The project is going “pretty well,” he said, with the credit going to the Washington state Department of Transportation and the private contractors.

“So far, they have done an awesome job,” he said.