Bertram D. Tallamy; Federal Highway Administrator

Bertram D. Tallamy, 87, a one-time consulting engineer who as federal highway administrator and head of the Bureau of Public Roads from 1957 to 1961 supervised billions of dollars in highway construction. As highway administrator under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Tallamy directed the formative years of the 41,000-mile interstate highway system. Before going to Washington, the New York Republican had gained a reputation as a highly competent state public works director. He also was chairman of the New York State Thruway Authority. After leaving the government, he was a consulting engineer in Washington until he retired in 1970. Thursday of kidney failure at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington.