As expected, Ed Reiskin was named the head of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency on Thursday.

Reiskin, formerly the director of The City’s Department of Public Works, was heavily favored to succeed the recently departed Nat Ford as chief of the SFMTA, which manages Muni, traffic, taxis, pedestrians and cyclists.

Reiskin’s first day with the agency will be Aug. 15. His contract has yet to be finalized, but is expected to go for approval by the SFMTA’s board of directors on Aug. 2.

The SFMTA board, a seven-person body that governs the agency, opted for Reiskin over Debra Johnson, the agency’s current interim executive director.

“Ed is a talented leader and a skilled manager who has extensive experience balancing budges, finding efficiencies and making strategic capital investments,” said Tom Nolan, chair of the SFMTA board.

wreisman@sfexaminer.com