Shorris announced his resignation, following press reports that Gov. David Paterson planned to replace him.
The New York Times reported that Paterson is considering a number of replacements, including Christopher Ward, who ran New York City's Department of Environmental Protection.
Paterson, who took his job after a sex scandal forced his predecessor Eliot Spitzer to resign last month, has been replacing some of Spitzer's appointees with men and women of his own choosing.
Paterson praised Shorris "'for the significant accomplishments he achieved during his tenure," citing work at the site of the former World Trade Center, "smart investments in mass transit" and the acquisition of Stewart Airport.
Traditionally, the executive director of the bi-state agency is picked by the governor of New York and the governor of New Jersey governor selects the chairman of the agency's board of commissioners.
