The Minneapolis City Council on Thursday approved a longtime transportation official to be the city's new public works director.

Timothy Sexton, who previously served as an assistant commissioner with the Minnesota Department of Public Transportation, was nominated by Mayor Jacob Frey last month. On Thursday, the council unanimously ratified the nomination.

Sexton replaces MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher, who was ratified as city operations officer in December.

Sexton most recently served as the assistant commissioner for sustainability, planning and program management for MnDOT, overseeing a staff of 350. He worked at the agency since 2014. Before that, he worked for the Washington State Department of Transportation since 2006, and prior to that he designed and constructed green roofing projects in Germany.

The city's public works department spends some $440 million annually and has more than 1,100 employees whose duties include street repair, plowing, garbage and recycling collection, water and emergency sewer repairs.