CHICAGO - PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama was expected on Friday to add a second Republican to his administration by putting Ray LaHood in charge of a massive spending spree at the Department of Transportation.

Mr LaHood, who is retiring from his House of Representatives seat in Mr Obama's home state of Illinois, was to be nominated as transportation secretary at a news conference on Friday, according to several reports.

The 63-year-old would be the second Republican named to Mr Obama's cabinet after Mr Robert Gates, who is staying on as secretary of defence.

But while Mr Gates does not flaunt his political colors, Mr LaHood was an enthusiastic backer of Mr Obama's defeated presidential rival, Republican John McCain, and oversaw the House impeachment of former president Bill Clinton.

However, he is close to Mr Obama and the incoming White House chief of staff, fellow Illinois congressman Rahm Emanuel, and was among moderate Republicans to have warned President George W. Bush of the political costs of the Iraq war.

At a news conference Tuesday, Mr Obama said he would uphold his campaign vow 'to make sure that this is not only a administration that is diverse ethnically but it's also diverse politically'.

If confirmed by the Senate, Mr LaHood would implement Mr Obama's promise of hundreds of billions of dollars in spending on roads and bridges as part of an economic recovery programme to drag the United States out of recession.

By moving quickly on 'shovel-ready projects' already approved at the state level, Mr Obama is vowing to save or create 2.5 million new jobs and 'start getting on an upward spiral' economically.

The transportation secretary oversees nearly 60,000 employees in an array of agencies managing the safety of US roads, railways, skies and waterways.

Updating the nation's aged air traffic control systems is seen as a particular priority for the next secretary as financially stressed US airlines, and passengers, complain of ever more congestion. -- AFP