RALEIGH — Governor Josh Stein announced that N.C. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary and General Counsel Daniel Johnson will replace the agency’s current Secretary Joey Hopkins, who is retiring on Oct. 1. “Secretary Hopkins has served at the Department of Transportation for more than 30 years and was planning for his retirement until Hurricane Helene struck our state,” Stein said in a press release. “I asked him to delay his retirement to help steer us through the early phases of recovery and rebuilding. Roy Cooper Hopkins appointed Hopkins to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) post in October 2023 and Stein kept him in that role when he was elected governor. “Secretary Hopkins leaves a legacy of leadership that I can only hope to continue,” said Johnson.