Stay Informed
News Articles
New transportation bill make a good start at least
April 23, 2010
AJC - In impassioned remarks Wednesday night, House Speaker David Ralston told colleagues that it was time to stop thinking and talking about “the two Georgias” — metro Atlanta and the rest of the state —and refocus on one Georgia. more »
Cobb lawmakers laud new transportation bill
April 23, 2010
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Sixteen of the 19 lawmakers who represent Cobb in the General Assembly voted for a transportation funding bill on Wednesday that would allow voters to decide in 2012 whether to increase the sales tax by one percent for 10 years. more »
Make the deal
April 22, 2010
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - The legislative conference committee hammering out a compromise on a transportation sales tax in Georgia should not let side issues torpedo a measure that could transform the way communities finance road construction. more »
Reed: Transportation bill will help city, Beltline
April 22, 2010
AJC - Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said Thursday that money generated from the transportation bill passed by state lawmakers late Wednesday will help the city pay for some infrastructure projects and speed up work on the Atlanta Beltline. more »
House, Senate pass transportation bill
April 21, 2010
AJC - Breaking a legislative traffic jam that has endured for more than three years, the Georgia General Assembly on Wednesday voted to allow referendums throughout the state on transportation funding. more »
Road tax bill passes: Ethics reform, residential sprinklers among issues settled by the General Assembly
April 21, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - Transportation funding responsibility in Georgia just went regional. more »
Your morning jolt: The traffic jam resumes over a transportation bill
April 21, 2010
AJC - The state Capitol is full of workaholics. So when conference committees don’t work beyond rush-hour – this is a sign that the conferees are at an impasse. more »
Deal near on transportation funding
April 20, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The General Assembly Tuesday was on the brink of breaking a logjam on transportation funding that has dragged on for three years. more »
Transit Cuts Are Protested in Atlanta
April 20, 2010
THE NEW YORK TIMES - When Danielle White boarded her bus to go to work on Tuesday morning, it was emblazoned from top to bottom with a giant, painted red X. Ms. White knew what that meant. more »
T-SPLOST agreement on tap in House, Senate
April 20, 2010
ROME NEWS -TRIBUNE - A joint House and Senate conference committee is expected to sign off today on provisions for a regional transportation sales tax. more »
MARTA supporters make last-minute plea for state assistance
April 20, 2010
AJC - Light rain and heavy odds did not stop some 300 MARTA supporters and employees from marching on the state Capitol on Tuesday morning in a plea for financial assistance for the metro area’s beleaguered transit system. more »
Transportation funding proposal clears a roadblock, still faces bumps
April 20, 2010
AJC - A bill to allow regions in Georgia to vote for transportation funding has cleared a major roadblock, as state House and Senate negotiators met publicly Tuesday and said they had struck a deal with Gov. Sonny Perdue to resolve one of their biggest disagreements. more »
Deal on transportation funding clears roadblock
April 20, 2010
AJC - A bill to allow regions in Georgia to vote for transportation funding has cleared a major roadblock, as state House and Senate negotiators met publicly Tuesday and said they had struck a deal with Gov. Sonny Perdue to resolve one of their biggest disagreements. more »
State leaders play a cruel, disrespectful game with MARTA
April 20, 2010
AJC - It is, at some level, a test of basic respect. It’s also a test that the leadership of Georgia is failing, at least so far. Their refusal to date to lend a helping hand to MARTA in its moment of great need — a gesture that would not cost state taxpayers a single penny — comes across as callous and even oddly vindictive. more »
Red "X" on MARTA buses and trains shows impending cuts
April 19, 2010
AJC - MARTA and its local union kicked off a publicity campaign Tuesday, holding rallies and putting red X’s on a third of their buses and trains, to denote the ones that won’t be running after budget cuts go into effect later this year. In addition, starting probably Wednesday, the national branch of the union is planning a radio ad campaign. more »
Republicans return to a GOP-only plan for a transportation sales tax
April 19, 2010
AJC - Gov. Sonny Perdue and Republican leaders of the House and Senate over the weekend cut a deal for a transportation bill that will probably come out of a conference committee on Tuesday, according to my AJC colleague Ariel Hart. more »
Metro ATL's top traffic bottlenecks, according to 1 group
April 19, 2010
AJC - For anyone who didn't know, "Georgia's quality of life and economic productivity are being reduced by [transportation] choke points" -- and the worst ones in Georgia are all in metro Atlanta. That's according to TRIP, The Road Information Program, an organization that's come out with a new list of bottlenecks. more »
State Transportation Board asks legislators not to sell millions in bonds
April 16, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - The State Transportation Board wants the Georgia General Assembly to kill the planned sale of $300 million in bonds slated to fund road improvements in the upcoming fiscal year. more »
Democrats need a seat at the table to pass a state transportation funding bill
April 16, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - As we wind down to the last couple of weeks of the legislative session, it feels like déjà vu, all over again, when it comes to a transportation funding bill. more »
Ga. road budget so squeezed, DOT can't afford to borrow
April 15, 2010
AJC - Georgia’s transportation budget is so squeezed that the state Department of Transportation has asked the governor and the Legislature to cancel -- for now -- $300 million the state plans to borrow for road projects, because the DOT will be hard-pressed to make the debt payments. more »
Time to close the deal on Georgia transportation
April 14, 2010
AJC - Once again, we find ourselves in the waning days of the state legislative session with transportation funding still unresolved. On a hopeful note, our state leadership has repeatedly voiced its commitment to rectifying the decades-long underinvestment in Georgia’s vital transportation infrastructure — and to do it this year. more »
Bill to restore transit status at DOT, help MARTA passes House committee
April 13, 2010
AJC - A bill (SB 520) that sponsors say would help public transit statewide, including MARTA, passed the House Transportation Committee Tuesday. more »
House committee passes Sen. bill to allow DOT accounting change
April 13, 2010
AJC - The House Transportation Committee on Tuesday passed a measure (SR 821) for a constitutional amendment that its sponsor and a lobbyist for road contractors said would free up hundreds of millions of state dollars for road projects. more »
Opt-out back in roads proposal
April 13, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - House and Senate conference committee members are inching closer to a compromise on a transportation funding mechanism in the works for the past three years. more »
Transportation funding bill slowed by budget work
April 13, 2010
AJC - Lawmakers tasked with hammering out a deal on transportation funding say they’re trying. But the mammoth task of fixing the state budget is sucking some of the air out of the room. more »
MARAN: Work needs to be done on transportation
April 11, 2010
GWINNETT DAILY POST - Jobs. The need is greater than ever before. New transportation funding is critical to creating those jobs. Once again, the General Assembly has a chance to pass new transportation funding legislation that could generate 320,000 new jobs for Georgia. more »
Business Leaders Urge Passage of Transportation Funding
April 9, 2010
GPB NEWS - Lawmakers have just seven legislative days left to pass a transportation funding plan to relieve traffic congestion in the state. Business leaders are urging them to come to an agreement as they work with a bill that’s been amended beyond what the governor says he’d sign. more »
Can our state leaders finally work out details on transportation funding?
April 9, 2010
TIMES-HERALD - There has been much political maneuvering at the state Capitol this week. Lawmakers have been in recess before returning next week for the final seven days of the General Assembly session. The big reason to recess was to work on details of the state budget. more »
Amid transportation talks, Jackson criticizes funding
April 9, 2010
AJC - If anyone's accomplishing anything with the legislative push for new transportation funding, it's happening behind the scenes. more »
Transportation's future lies within city, planners say
April 8, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - A city hemmed in by mountains with a major river flowing through the middle of it poses a transportation challenge, officials say. more »
High-speed rail could define North Georgia future
April 8, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - Northwest Georgia could be defined in coming years based upon whether high-speed rail comes through the area, transportation officials say. more »
House and Senate leaders meet on transportation bill impasse
April 8, 2010
AJC - House and Senate negotiators met for the first time shortly after 10 a.m. on the impasse on transportation legislation. more »
Bumpy home stretch for transportation funding
April 6, 2010
AJC - Legislators may not be sure how to pass a big transportation funding proposal as the session winds down, but advocates aren't ready to give up. more »
To the contrary — business community does support MARTA, transit
April 4, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - A recent SaportaReport column accused the business community of neglecting transit. Nothing could be further from the truth. The fact is, no one has pushed harder for improving transportation – including transit – than the business community. more »
Legislative leaders keep transportation tax alive through conference committee
March 31, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - State Sen. Preston Smith, R-Rome, has been appointed to the House-Senate conference committee that is charged with finalizing provisions of a proposed transportation sales tax. more »
Transportation funding: From fast track to iffy
March 31, 2010
AJC - On Feb. 11, Gov. Sonny Perdue, House Speaker David Ralston and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle stood side by side in the governor's office, united behind referendums for a regional transportation tax. After three years of battle over the idea, it looked as if a deal on new transportation funding in Georgia was all but inevitable. more »
Stalled transit bill needs a push
March 29, 2010
AJC - When Georgia’s governor and legislative leaders lined up to support a transportation funding bill this year, the business community was encouraged that this would be the year that legislation to address our critical transportation needs would finally move forward. more »
Transportation planners look ahead 25 years
March 28, 2010
DALTON DAILY CITIZEN - Whitfield County’s latest 25-year transportation plans looks a bit like the one local planners produced five years ago. more »
Road money likely to remain tight: Lawmakers still divided about raising money for transportation
March 26, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - State funding for transportation projects has essentially dried up, and lawmakers are still trying to nail down a fix. Gov. Sonny Perdue is backing legislation that would create a regional transportation sales tax, but House Bill 1218 has yet to be scheduled for vote. more »
Lawmakers rally support for transit-funding bill
March 25, 2010
CLAYTON NEWS DAILY - On the eve of a crucial deadline for a bill that could provide a long-term funding source for public transportation in Clayton County, State Rep. Roberta Abdul-Salaam (D-Riverdale), accompanied by past, and current, state lawmakers, rallied supporters of the legislation. more »
Transportation, budget loom over Legislature
March 25, 2010
DOUGLAS COUNTY SENTINEL - The 2011 state budget and a transportation bill are the major issues looming over the General Assembly as Friday’s “Crossover Day” nears, according to Rep. Bill Hembree (R-Winston). more »
Transportation funding still alive at Capitol
March 25, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Top leaders in the General Assembly have reappointed a 2009 legislative conference committee on transportation funding as a fallback position in case lawmakers fail to pass a funding bill introduced this year. more »
Transit legislation faces hurdles before crossover day
March 24, 2010
CLAYTON NEWS DAILY - With today marking day 29 of the 2010 Georgia legislative session, two House bills designed to enable a public transportation tax in Clayton County face uphill battles on their way to the Senate floor. more »
DeKalb wants control over transit tax
March 23, 2010
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - DeKalb County commissioners said they are willing to tax residents another penny for transportation, but only if they can control how it is spent. more »
Transportation funding bill may fail again
March 19, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Metro Atlanta’s hopes for a way to fund gridlock-easing transportation improvements may be about to die in the General Assembly for a third straight year. more »
Transportation tax proposal in jeopardy
March 19, 2010
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Will traffic relief be roadblocked in the General Assembly for the third year in a row, this time by an opt-out clause? Some Cobb lawmakers say it looks that way. more »
Why MARTA matters to Atlanta
March 18, 2010
AJC - I have now served on the MARTA board as a DeKalb County representative for about five months and have a profound concern that, come July 1, MARTA will have to make service cuts that will be devastating to many of its patrons, that will increase the level of congestion on our roads, and that will prolong the economic recovery we so desperately need. Through no fault of its own, MARTA is in crisis and needs assistance, and you should care. Let me explain. more »
House OKs tax exemption for road projects
March 17, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - One of the few tax breaks with a good shot of winning approval in a budget-conscious General Assembly this year easily passed the House on Wednesday. more »
GA high-speed rail picks up momentum
March 17, 2010
WTVM - In a strategic meeting held this past month by members of the newly formed Southeastern High Speed Rail Coalition, key goals and objectives were outlined as the Coalition set forth the current course of high-speed rail in the Southeast. more »
Ralston urges transportation action
March 17, 2010
AJC - The man who oversees the Georgia House of Representatives urged lawmakers Wednesday to not get bogged down on provincial transportation issues as they work to improve the way the state funds highway projects. more »
Go much past I-285, and transportation bill’s road is bumpy
March 13, 2010
AJC - It turns out that you still can’t spell “transportation” in Georgia without T-R-U-S-T. Honk, spelling champs among us, if you see a problem. more »
Bill using sales taxes for road projects may not fly politically
March 11, 2010
GAINESVILLE TIMES - A bill that would fund transportation projects through sales taxes is a moving target, lawmakers say. House Bill 1218 would give residents of 12 districts in the state the opportunity to vote for a 1 percent sales tax to fund regional transportation projects, which would be determined at the time of a referendum. more »
State Senators upset with GDOT’s lack of progress on alternative transportation
March 10, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - A pretty amazing resolution was introduced this week that basically describes the Georgia Department of Transportation as incompetent when it comes to developing anything other than highways, roads and bridges. more »
House committee votes to reduce DOT board terms
March 9, 2010
AJC - The House Transportation Committee has passed a bill that would reduce Transportation Board members’ terms from five years to two. more »
Transit plan must be equitable
March 9, 2010
AJC - For years, Georgia’s economy has been starved of the transportation funding necessary for growth. Now, after years of legislative infighting, Gov. Sonny Perdue and his leadership have introduced the Transportation Investment Act of 2010. Although our region is desperate for more transportation investment, we should insist on a bill that supports the whole system. more »
Lawmakers take issue with transportation funding bill
March 9, 2010
AJC - Gov. Sonny Perdue’s proposal for transportation funding is running into serious issues in the House Transportation Committee, where the proposal was debated again Tuesday. more »
O'Neal: Not sure that's Constitutional
March 8, 2010
LUCID IDIOCY - One of the big hurdles for the governor's plan to find more transportation funding, besides the fact that the bill currently includes language he's promised to veto, is the likelihood of a constitutional challenge. more »
Atlanta can recreate the great transit system it once had
March 7, 2010
SAPORTA BLOG - Georgia built a world class public transportation system. Georgia destroyed a world class transportation system. Georgia can build a world class transit system again. more »
Georgia transportation money still elusive
March 7, 2010
MACON TELEGRAPH - The push to find new funding for state transportation projects, now in its third year, is on the rocks again as rural leaders grapple with Gov. Sonny Perdue. more »
Tax plan for roads, rail under scrutiny
March 5, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - Some state lawmakers on Thursday questioned the constitutionality of a bill setting up regional planning and funding for transportation projects. more »
Revamped bill favors local control over transportation funds
March 4, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Georgia lawmakers got a first look Thursday at a new version of a transportation funding bill that would give local governments more control than the original proposal backed by Gov. Sonny Perdue. more »
Concerns flow about transportation funding bill
March 2, 2010
AJC - A staid subcommittee meeting at the Capitol on Tuesday morphed into a local uprising against the heavy hand of the state, as interest groups poured out their concerns to legislators about Gov. Sonny Perdue’s transportation funding bill. more »
Little support seen for SPLOST
March 1, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - Whitfield County officials said even if the governor's transportation plan passes the Legislature, area residents may not approve it. more »
Lawmakers mull new plan to fund transportation
February 24, 2010
GPB NEWS - The Governor’s transportation funding plan got its first round of scrutiny from lawmakers today. A subcommittee reviewed the bill that would let voters of each of the 12 transportation districts decide whether they want a one percent sales tax for projects in their areas. more »
Transportation bill makes debut
February 24, 2010
AJC - The big transportation bill proposed by Gov. Sonny Perdue could end up raising more than $700 million a year for metro Atlanta projects if the Legislature and metro voters approve it. But even if the new sales tax never comes to pass, millions more in transportation dollars could end up staying in the Atlanta area. more »
Transportation funding bill prompts praise and concerns
February 23, 2010
AJC - On Wednesday, Gov. Sonny Perdue’s transportation funding proposal -- a bill to put a project list and penny sales tax to voters in a referendum -- is scheduled to get its first official hearing at the Capitol. more »
Stephens: Georgia must fund mass transit
February 18, 2010
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - That's why transit is important to the state's tourism and convention business. To maintain Georgia's competitive edge in attracting tourists and conventions, we must invest in mass transit, not just in Atlanta but across the state. more »
Metro Atlanta Chamber leaders pleased with progress at the state legislature
February 18, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - The executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber was relatively upbeat about this year’s legislative session. more »
Chatham County, Georgia denied federal stimulus dollars for transportation
February 18, 2010
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday the recipients of $1.5 billion in transportation grants. Neither Chatham County nor any other Georgia applicant made the cut, to the chagrin of government, business and advocacy-group leaders. more »
Atlanta loses streetcar grant
February 18, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Atlanta’s bid for federal funding for a streetcar line along Peachtree Street failed to make a list of transit projects announced by the Obama administration Wednesday. more »
Atlanta comes up short on federal funds for a streetcar
February 17, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - It’s not looking good for Atlanta winning federal funds for its streetcar proposal. Atlanta had applied for up to $300 million for its streetcar proposal as part of U.S. Department of Transportation $1.5 billion stimulus program. more »
Kidd: Georgia stuck on slow train
February 16, 2010
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - When it comes to transportation, Georgia and its leaders might as well still be living in 2002, because under the past seven years of Republican control, we have yet to see any progress on resolving our transportation crisis. more »
Potholes in the road
February 16, 2010
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - That old junker clanking down the taxation highway spewing smoke is Gov. Sonny Perdue’s newest miracle fix to the state’s transportation needs. The only miracle is that it’s still running and that so many folks actually think it will get them somewhere. more »
State road funding flirts with 'pay to play' formula
February 14, 2010
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER - Georgia’s long-stymied effort to enact a new transportation funding plan got a major boost this past week … maybe. more »
Georgia in midst of transit crisis; stabilization needed; state leaders look the other way
February 14, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT BLOG - Let me paint you a picture. MARTA is facing a potential $120 million operating shortfall come July 1, a situation that will cause drastic decreases in transit service. more »
Ga. GOP leaders strike transportation deal
February 12, 2010
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Georgians voting in the 2012 presidential primary will be able to decide whether to increase the sales tax by one penny to pay for transportation projects, under a deal announced Thursday by Gov. Sonny Perdue and legislative leaders. more »
Perdue backs flexible funding for MARTA
February 11, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Gov. Sonny Perdue threw his support Thursday behind a proposal to give cash-strapped MARTA more flexibility with its sales tax revenue. more »
Bill could bring more federal road money
February 11, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - The Georgia Senate on Wednesday passed a bill by Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, that he said may help the state qualify for more federal transportation funds. more »
Governor, legislative leaders unite behind transportation plan
February 11, 2010
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - In a deliberate, unusual display of unity on the issue of transportation funding, the three heads of state government on Thursday stood together in backing a proposal to allow a region's voters to raise a 1-cent sales tax for projects in that region. more »
ARC to discuss transportation plans in Marietta
February 10, 2010
AJC - The Atlanta Regional Commission will hold a public meeting about transportation services for the elderly and those with disabilities and limited incomes Feb. 24 at the Cobb County Central Library in Marietta. more »
Cobb legislator proposes transit funding minus tax hike
February 10, 2010
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - State Rep. Ed Setzler (R-Acworth) is proposing a long-term funding mechanism he said would eventually generate about $1.5 billion a year for transportation purposes without raising taxes. Setzler filed the legislation on Tuesday as House Resolution 1358. more »
Lawmakers say voters could decide regional SPLOSTs
February 10, 2010
DALTON DAILY CITIZEN - Local lawmakers say the General Assembly could approve plans for regional Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes (SPLOSTs) this year. more »
House members propose long-term transportation funding
February 9, 2010
AJC - A bi-partisan group of House members on Tuesday proposed a bill that they said would complement transportation funding plans that are being worked up at the state Capitol. In contrast to other plans under discussion, it would increase the amount of money set aside for transportation statewide over the long term, and be permanent, assuming the economy continued to grow. more »
Georgia DOT praises stimulus, asks for more
February 9, 2010
AJC - As the year-old federal transportation stimulus winds down, Georgia Department of Transportation leaders on Tuesday praised its accomplishments and called for more. more »
Atlanta Forward / Another View: Rail funding loss no surprise
February 5, 2010
AJC - Last June, Joe Biden invited a group of Southern governors to the White House to talk about $8 billion in federal stimulus funds to be allocated to high-speed rail projects as a preliminary step toward a nationwide network. more »
Democrats lambaste Perdue, introduce transportation plan
February 5, 2010
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Unveiling their proposal to solve Georgia's traffic problems on Thursday, state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna) and his Democratic colleagues ripped Gov. Sonny Perdue for being "missing in action" on the transportation issue during his tenure. more »
Editorial: Political fight is good for transportation
February 5, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Sometimes, a little election-year politicking can be a good thing. Take, for instance, the Thursday announcement by the Democratic caucuses in the state House and Senate regarding their proposal for transportation funding. more »
Atlanta Forward / Another View: Georgia must run fast to catch this train
February 5, 2010
AJC - Because of its investment in transportation, Georgia was a leader in our region 20 years ago, but today it has fallen behind because it has not advanced a comprehensive statewide and regional transportation plan. Lately, Georgia has not demonstrated that it understands transportation’s potential to create jobs, heighten commercial advantages and increase livability. It has fumbled opportunities and advanced no clear vision of a transportation future. more »
Senators slam road planner's funding
February 5, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE NEWS - Members of the Senate Transportation Committee said Thursday that the State Transportation Board made a huge mistake changing its accounting system so it can spend money it doesn't have on highway projects. more »
DOT: Interstate expansion plan is on fast track
February 5, 2010
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - In an effort to relieve traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is planning to add reversible lanes on sections of all local interstates as they pass through Cobb. more »
Transportation: Jobs, growth riding on high-speed rail
February 5, 2010
AJC - Atlanta Forward / The Editorial Board's Opinion: Georgians are paying for their share of federal funds going to states that planned for passenger trains. They're just not benefiting from it. more »
Senators meet on DOT accounting, DOT board may re-think
February 4, 2010
AJC - As the Senate Transportation Committee prepared to meet Thursday afternoon, with the DOT board’s controversial accounting decisions on the agenda, some DOT board members were re-thinking their decision. Forty minutes before the committee meeting was to start, a notice went out that the DOT board will be meeting Friday to re-think its decision officially. more »
Dems propose tax bill
February 4, 2010
ROCKDALE CITIZEN - Rockdale County was included in a proposed special sales tax district to fund transportation projects that was announced Thursday by members of the Democratic House and Senate caucuses at the Georgia General Assembly. more »
More federal transit money bypasses Georgia
February 3, 2010
AJC - As the ground settles from Georgia’s loss of a major grant from President Barack Obama’s $8 billion high-speed rail stimulus Thursday, a little aftershock arrived this week. more »
High-speed rail lines bypass Georgia
February 2, 2010
AJC - Atlanta is a region with a history of strong leadership that takes bold, forward-thinking steps to improve the lives of its residents and businesses. more »
Grassroot initiatives for rail and transit provide hope that Georgia is not a lost cause
February 1, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - Just when I’m ready to give up on Georgia, something gives me hope. In this case, it’s two budding initiatives aimed at making the case for passenger rail travel and public transit throughout our state. more »
Editorial: True regional funding needed for Ga. 316
February 1, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - One might be excused for wondering what might be the point of a Georgia Department of Transportation meeting scheduled for Thursday in Barrow County to talk about replacing three at-grade intersections along Georgia Highway 316 with interstate-style interchanges. After all, the agency hasn't even allocated any money toward the acquisition of land around the sites. more »
Georgia gets small piece of $8B for high-speed rail
January 30, 2010
MACON TELEGRAPH - The Federal Railroad Administration announced this week the recipients for the $8 billion that President Obama pledged for boosting high-speed rail. Georgia▓s grant was so small it didn▓t even make the list distributed with the news release. more »
North Perimeter: MARTA is a key to growth
January 29, 2010
AJC - The planned North Springs MARTA extension was one of the factors that had an impact on UPS’ decision, according to UPS Vice President Chuck Altimari, who served on the real estate team that picked the headquarters site. more »
Editorial: Georgia's rail loss comes as no surprise
January 29, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Last June, Vice President Joe Biden invited a group of Southern governors to the White House to talk about the $8 billion in federal stimulus funds that would be allocated to rail transportation projects as a preliminary step toward establishing a nationwide high-speed rail network. more »
North Carolina invests, wins rail money; Georgia doesn't
January 28, 2010
AJC - North Carolina has spent more than $300 million since 1992 to bolster its passenger rail service. On Thursday, it saw a return on that investment: a $545 million slice of President Barack Obama's $8 billion high-speed rail stimulus. more »
Only $750,000 for Georgia on high-speed rail
January 27, 2010
AJC - Georgia has won just $750,000 from the $8 billion pool of high-speed rail grants that President Obama was scheduled to announce this week. more »
Is metro commute nearing a change?
January 27, 2010
AJC - If metro Atlanta someday wakes up with regional mass transit, tolerable traffic and less sprawl, historians may point back to this month as a turning point. more »
On the record: Legislature ignores transit
January 26, 2010
AJC - Fulton, DeKalb voters won’t support more sales tax for transportation without pledge for mass transit. Georgia falling behind neighboring states. more »
A new push for rail travel
January 23, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - When Doc Eldridge was elected mayor of Athens-Clarke County in 1998, he thought the next mayor would be riding a new Athens-to-Atlanta passenger rail line. more »
DOT board opens road project pipeline
January 21, 2010
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The State Transportation Board agreed Thursday to loosen up funding of highway projects that has slowed significantly since the state changed its budgetary practices nearly two years ago following a critical audit. more »
DOT board defies state auditor, votes to spend set aside money
January 21, 2010
AJC - The state Transportation Board, defying the state auditor, voted 10-1 Thursday to spend money the department had set aside for future road work payments. more »
Perdue adds fuel to debate on transportation funding
January 18, 2010
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Almost since the state's gasoline tax was first imposed, there have been some people calling for it to be raised. more »
Atlanta Forward/Another View: Transit solution vital to Georgia
January 17, 2010
AJC - My stewardship as chairman of MARTA’s board of directors comes as we’re facing severe threats to the survival of quality transit services that benefit metro Atlanta and all of Georgia. more »
Thompson: Governor dithering on transportation
January 17, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - After two years of inaction by the state legislature, Gov. Sonny Perdue is finally getting serious about transportation. more »
Atlanta Forward/Another View: Arterial street system needed
January 17, 2010
AJC - Atlanta is known for many things. It has been the developed world’s fastest-growing large metropolitan area for three decades. Its cultural diversity is the envy of urban areas around the nation. And then there is the intense traffic congestion. more »
Tea parties and the fight over roads and rail
January 16, 2010
AJC - Without fanfare, without even a mention, the tea party movement scored its first major victory in Georgia last week. And as a result, you may be sitting in traffic just a little bit longer. more »
Perdue seeks $300 million in bonds for road projects
January 15, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - Gov. Sonny Perdue said Thursday he will recommend putting $300 million in general obligation bonds in the 2011 budget for a statewide transportation plan and will push regional planning districts with local taxing authority to fund road projects. more »
Perdue seeks $300M for transportation projects
January 15, 2010
MACON TELEGRAPH - Gov. Sonny Perdue said Thursday he will recommend an extra $300 million for transportation projects this year, then push for regional votes in 2012 to add another penny to local sales taxes for more roads, bridges and mass transit. more »
Perdue favors building up DOT coffers
January 15, 2010
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Georgia motorists could see a boost in transportation funding soon with Gov. Sonny Perdue's announcement Thursday that he supports adding $300 million a year over the next decade and letting voters decide by regions if they want a sales tax to supply even more money. more »
Governor backs regional transportation tax
January 14, 2010
AJC - The three-year push for transportation funding got big-time backing Thursday, as Gov. Sonny Perdue announced his support for a referendum on a regional sales tax, and said he would also ask the Legislature to approve $300 million in borrowing for transportation projects statewide. more »
Your morning jolt: GOP lawmakers abandon November vote on transportation sales tax
January 13, 2010
AJC - Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and other Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday confirmed that they have abandoned plans to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would have paved the way for a sales tax directed at roads and rail. more »
Administration Loosens Purse Strings for Transit Projects
January 13, 2010
NEW YORK TIMES - The Obama administration will make it easier for cities and states to spend federal money on public transit projects, and particularly on the light-rail systems that have become popular in recent years, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday. more »
If we can’t do it right, maybe we should put the brakes on new transportation funding
January 11, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - This could be the year when the Georgia General Assembly agrees to allow the Atlanta region to put a referendum before voters on a penny sales tax for transportation improvements. more »
If we can’t do it right, maybe we should put the brakes on new transportation funding
January 11, 2010
SAPORTA REPORT - This could be the year when the Georgia General Assembly agrees to allow the Atlanta region to put a referendum before voters on a penny sales tax for transportation improvements. more »
Time to move on transportation plan
January 6, 2010
AJC - Lawmakers return to the Gold Dome next week with public expectations for producing, among other hat-dwelling rabbits, a plan to ease traffic jams without Georgians noticing we’re paying for it. more »
Georgia transit will worsen unless funding expands
January 6, 2010
JACKSONVILLE NEWS - The first report from the state's new transportation planning director warns Georgia's cities will get more congested and that moving freight from the ports will get harder unless new funding sources are found soon. more »
DOT: Atlanta opposition to tunnel does not kill idea
January 6, 2010
AJC - State Department of Transportation leaders said this week that city opposition to a proposed road tunnel under east Atlanta does not kill the idea, at least not yet. more »
Editorial: State plan is good template for transportation
January 5, 2010
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - As required under the Transforming Transportation Investment Act - a massive reorganization of state transportation planning and funding approved in last year's legislative session - Georgia's director of transportation planning recently presented a draft of a statewide strategic transportation plan. more »
DeKalb: No extra local money for MARTA
January 5, 2010
AJC - DeKalb County residents will not have to pay any more taxes to fund MARTA, county commissioners pledged Tuesday. more »
Atlanta business leaders discuss economic recovery
January 4, 2010
WABE - For many in Atlanta, especially those in the business community, the big question for 2010 is when will we see significant economic recovery. more »
Officials wait for maglev funding
January 3, 2010
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - The Georgia Department of Transportation hasn't yet received matching funds needed soon to secure federal money for development of a high-speed rail system between Atlanta and Chattanooga. more »
Atlanta Forward/ Another View: Building bridges in 2010
December 27, 2009
AJC - We must find new sources of transportation funds and we must diversify our portfolio of options. Each region in the state needs the flexibility to determine the right mix of transit, roads, sidewalks and bike lanes to meet its needs. more »
Power struggle blocks Georgia road building
December 26, 2009
AJC - Gov. Sonny Perdue offered long-suffering commuters a glimmer of hope five years ago when he announced a mammoth building program aimed at speeding up improvements to metro Atlanta’s overburdened road system. more »
Rapid rail stressed in transit plan
December 21, 2009
ROCKDALE CITIZEN - The latest update of Rockdale County’s transportation plan will include a new emphasis on preparing for rapid transit service that would connect Atlanta with Augusta. more »
Deficit will test MARTA's new chairman
December 20, 2009
AJC - Michael Tyler, the newly elected chairman of the MARTA board, is taking over an agency with quaking revenues, a massive funding hole, and strained relations with the only body that might be able to make it solvent. more »
Rep. John Lewis says MARTA needs region, state support
December 19, 2009
SAPORTA REPORT - U.S. Congressman John Lewis (D-Atlanta) made one thing perfectly clear Friday evening — MARTA is near and dear to his heart. more »
Governor discusses key issues
December 19, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Gov. Sonny Perdue spoke to Leadership Augusta and city officials during a lunchtime gathering of more than 200 people in downtown Augusta on Friday. Here is Mr. Perdue's take on various local issues. more »
Chamber to legislators: Find transportation funds
December 17, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - While the last two sessions of the General Assembly have failed to create a mechanism to help ease metro Atlanta's traffic congestion, the stakes are much higher with the 2010 governor's race, business leaders say. more »
Florida Governor Signs Bill to Expand Rail Service
December 16, 2009
NEW YORK TIMES - Gov. Charlie Crist signed a package of legislation into law on Wednesday that seeks to shore up commuter rail service in South Florida, add service in the state’s center and win billions of dollars in federal money for a bullet train linking Tampa and Orlando. more »
Transit leaders: Don't overlook buses, trains
December 12, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - When lawmakers talk transportation, they should be talking buses and trains, not just highways, Georgia transit officials said Friday. more »
The time for rail is now
December 11, 2009
TAMPA BAY ONLINE - Transportation, moving people and freight, is an essential ingredient for a strong economy. The time has come to recognize that we must complement our existing road systems with rail alternatives. This is vital as we seek to renew our urban industrial centers and build a stronger future for Florida. more »
Gwinnett CID study shows interest in sales tax for light rail
December 10, 2009
AJC - Gwinnett County residents are opening up to light rail, and most would support sales tax dollars going to its development, a survey released Thursday showed. more »
Rail legislation will put economy back on track
December 10, 2009
TAMPA BAY ONLINE - The Florida Legislature, with the support of most Tampa Bay area lawmakers, has made it possible for the state to build a modern rail transit system. Good job. more »
Gwinnett CID study shows interest in sales tax for light rail
December 10, 2009
AJC - Gwinnett County residents are opening up to light rail, and most would support sales tax dollars going to its development, a survey released Thursday showed. more »
State lifts ban on tolling regular lanes
December 10, 2009
AJC - The state Department of Transportation has lifted a ban on projects that place tolls on existing regular traffic lanes. The DOT board lifted the ban as it approved a Managed Lane System Plan, a proposed network of optional toll lanes that would span the far-flung Atlanta metro area. more »
Transportation Funding Pits Metro-Atlanta Against the State
December 9, 2009
GPB News - Money for transportation funding will again be a hot topic when lawmakers meet next month. And already battle lines are being defined over how to fund new projects. more »
Lawmakers: Road tax a tough sell
December 8, 2009
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - There’s little hope of new money to fix Georgia’s ailing transportation network, according to the district’s representative to the State Transportation Board. more »
Georgia and Atlanta moving towards transit, inch by inch
December 4, 2009
Hope tinged with realism marked Friday’s Sustainable Roundtable on the future of transit in Atlanta held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Midtown. Or was it realism softened ever so slightly by a bit of a hope? more »
Rural transit funding expected
December 4, 2009
CARROLLTON TIMES - A contractor leading an effort to begin a rural transit program in Carroll County says the necessary funding may be in place as early as January, with a portion of the state and federal funds already secured. more »
Editorial: Transportation funding may be on right track
December 3, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - With the second half of the 2009-10 legislative session still several weeks away from its Jan. 11 opening gavel, state Rep. Jerry Keen, R-St. Simons, the House majority leader, "said that legislators are moving toward a 'consensus' " on transportation funding, according to a Tuesday report from The Associated Press. more »
New transportation funding plan floated
December 1, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Georgia General Assembly leaders are working on a new plan letting voters in metro Atlanta decide whether to tax themselves to pay for needed transportation improvements, House Majority Leader Jerry Keen said Tuesday. more »
Maglev matching funds due soon
November 29, 2009
CHATTANOOGA TIMES - North Georgia, Chattanooga and Atlanta must put up matching funds soon if the Georgia Department of Transportation can get its hands on federal money designated for the maglev project from Atlanta to Chattanooga. more »
State planning more carefully for public-private toll roads
November 29, 2009
AJC - It’s a meeting in late fall of Georgia Department of Transportation board members who deal with public-private partnerships, and from all appearances the world is about to change. more »
Transit orgs to speak with one voice
November 20, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Four state and regional agencies that have been pushing separately for desperately needed transit funding soon may bring a united front to that effort. more »
Stephens: High-speed rail could bring jobs
November 18, 2009
DALTON DAILY CITIZEN - Ninth District congressional candidate Bill Stephens said the Dalton-Chatsworth metro area would benefit from an Atlanta-to-Chattanooga high-speed rail line. more »
Before moving on transit, we need to know where we’re going
November 13, 2009
AJC - I like transit. Transit is not a liberal or conservative thing, per se, in places like New York City or London. Or in Brussels, where I used to take a streetcar to work every day. more »
Counties worried about MARTA takeover
November 12, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Officials from Fulton and DeKalb counties don’t want the state taking over MARTA without some financial guarantees. more »
GDOT will not recommend interstate
November 10, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - Matthew Fowler, assistant state transportation planning administrator for the Georgia Department of Transportation, says the state will not recommend that a new interstate be constructed in Southwest Georgia. more »
Fran Millar: Georgia needs real Department of Transportation
November 6, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Many people in our growing 10-county Atlanta metropolitan area have witnessed with frustration the failure of our state government to deal with transportation and congestion issues in a comprehensive manner. more »
Transportation bill to be reconsidered
November 5, 2009
CHEROKEE TRIBUNE - A bill to help Cherokee County address transportation improvements will be back on the table during the 2010 session of the Georgia General Assembly. more »
DOT to hold final hearing on HOV lane
November 4, 2009
GAINESVILLE TIMES - The Georgia Department of Transportation has set a final round of public hearings on plans to allow solo commuters to ride — for a fee — in Interstate 85 car-pool lanes in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. more »
I-75/I-575, I-285, Ga. 400, "Gwinnett Connector" toll projects proposed
November 4, 2009
AJC - As the state Department of Transportation restarts its 6-year-old program for building toll roads with private investment, the staff’s priorities include projects on huge stretches of I-285, as well as parts of I-20, Ga. 400, northern I-75 and I-575, and an extension of Sugarloaf Parkway in Gwinnett County. more »
DOT changes course on I-75/I-575 toll proposal
November 2, 2009
AJC - The state Department of Transportation is ditching its only active privately-funded toll road partnership, according to state and county officials. That completes a 0-for-5 record for proposals in the program so far -- or, DOT officials say, lays the groundwork for its rebirth. more »
Senator to make push on highway
October 30, 2009
CHATTANOOGA TIMES - State Sen. Jeff Mullis acknowledged Catoosa County's concerns about a road-widening project near the county's industrial park, the day after a commissioner urged him to "step up to the plate." more »
Gooch named to Georgia transportation board
October 29, 2009
CHATTANOOGA TIMES - Steve Gooch, past chairman of the Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners, was named Wednesday to succeed Dalton attorney Steve Farrow as 9th District representative on the Georgia Department of Transportation board. more »
DOT board adds former Lumpkin commissioner
October 28, 2009
AJC - Former Lumpkin County Commission Chairman Steve Gooch on Wednesday won the state Transportation Board seat for the 9th Congressional District, which includes Cumming and Gainesville. Gooch said he would help cities and counties that are struggling to maintain local roads, and work for new transportation funding. more »
No interstate for Albany
October 24, 2009
The Georgia Department of Transportation says that Southwest ALBANY HERALD - Georgia leaders should focus on expanding existing corridors such as highways 133 or 27 rather than focus on the possibility of expanding an interstate through the region. more »
McGinty: MARTA could be key to viable state rail system
October 24, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Perhaps U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood ought to sit down with state Rep. Fran Millar, R-Dunwoody, the next time he swings through Georgia. more »
Chamber members discuss education, transportation, water with gubernatorial candidate
October 23, 2009
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - Questions about water use, education and economic development were on the agenda Thursday afternoon as members of the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate DuBose Porter. more »
Roadway plan eyes growth
October 23, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - While local government officials aren't holding their collective breath awaiting funding for the 28 capital roadway projects on the newly updated 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan put together utilizing data from the Dougherty Area Regional Transportation Study, the list was devised with just that in mind. more »
MARTA proposal deserves debate
October 23, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The state of Georgia and metro Atlanta need to get serious about whether mass transit is important enough to our state and region to actually support it. That’s why I’m encouraged that state Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody) will introduce legislation this year that calls for dedicated state funding and a new business model for transit. more »
State lacks the skill to run MARTA
October 22, 2009
AJC - Should the state run MARTA, as suggested by Rep. Fran Millar (R-Dunwoody). more »
Counties seek to expedite Ga. 140 widening
October 21, 2009
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - Three counties have been putting their heads together to bump up the timeline for widening Ga. 140, creating a mainline for industrial traffic and clearing up safety concerns in the tri-county area. more »
Help Atlanta by looking beyond I-285
October 21, 2009
AJC OP-ED - I’m one of us, but today I’m writing as one of them. I’m not talking about the conservative/liberal split. I mean the two Georgias split: metro Atlanta, and the rest of the state. more »
Officials approve bus cuts
October 21, 2009
GWINNETT DAILY POST - Commissioners cut Saturday local bus service and a route to Buford, saving thousands on transit service. more »
Toll project for Savannah port?
October 21, 2009
AJC - The state Department of Transportation hopes by June 2010 to propose a toll road project under the state’s new transportation law, a DOT lawyer told a legislative committee meeting Tuesday. more »
Transportation Head Pushes Private Funding Option
October 20, 2009
GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING NEWS - The head of the state’s transportation department is pushing an option to fund transportation projects without using tax-payers' dollars. DOT Commissioner Vance Smith spoke to lawmakers at the state capital today about the public-private partnerships program or P3. more »
Put MARTA under state control now
October 20, 2009
AJC - For the past few years I have watched the frustration build with my neighbors and the metropolitan business community on the failure of our state government to deal with our transportation issues in a comprehensive manner. more »
Fulford: Brainstorming on roads
October 17, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - When the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes in January, an important topic of debate will be how to fund the effort to revitalize our transportation network. more »
Georgia gas-tax slump could cost federal road dollars
October 16, 2009
AJC - The battle to fix Atlanta traffic and meet Georgia's road needs is steadily losing ammunition this year, according to discussions at the state Transportation Board's meeting Wednesday and Thursday. more »
Politics: Traction For A Road Deal?
October 15, 2009
GEORGIA TREND - As a legislative study committee on transportation funding was wrapping up its hearings two years ago, House Speaker Glenn Richardson said in no uncertain terms it was time to do something about the state’s stifling traffic congestion. more »
Macon Transit Authority Wants Help from Legislators
October 15, 2009
Bibb Commissioners spoke to legislators about the importance of keeping communication with each other. They also discussed approaching concerns as a region, not just as counties, to present a united front during the 2010 session in Atlanta. more »
Reorganization of GDOT diminishes role of transit, rail and intermodal programs
October 15, 2009
SAPORTA REPORT - Leave it to Georgia to put the train in reverse while the rest of the country is moving forward. Vance Smith, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation, distributed a memo on Thursday, Oct. 15 announcing proposed “organizational changes” in his department. more »
Clayton looks to Legislature to save bus service
October 14, 2009
AJC - The only options to save Clayton County’s bus system are federal funding or if the state Legislature allows the sales tax to be raised, commissioners said. more »
Clayton County to end bus service
October 13, 2009
AJC - Bus service in Clayton County will end March 31, 2010. more »
Riding Public Transit Saves Individuals $9,062 Annually
October 6, 2009
Individuals who ride public transportation can save on average $9,062 annually based on the October 5, 2009 national average gas price and the national unreserved monthly parking rate. more »
Atlanta Forward, Another View: Georgia needs to get its act together
September 28, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood flew into Atlanta Monday to talk about new directions in transportation at the federal level. By the time he left, eyes had been opened to possibilities on the horizon. more »
Atlanta Forward, Another View: Mobility needed more than livability
September 28, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Gridlocked Georgians hoping for movement on transportation policy were sorely disappointed by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s Atlanta visit. He brought pie in the sky: solar panels for the roof of MARTA’s garage and promises that high-speed rail will come “if Georgia gets its act together.” Worse, he brought a way for locals to get hooked on federal funds. more »
Atlanta Forward, Our View: Transit is a track to metro’s prosperity
September 28, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The crossroads or the bypass. Georgians must choose between those transportation concepts in coming months. Where we land may well determine how we both dovetail into the Southeast’s growing economy and move around metro Atlanta in years to come. more »
No smooth road ahead for transportation bill
September 27, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - It is supposed to be the biggest overhaul in recent history to the nation’s transportation system, a $500 billion package that would add new lanes to the most congested highways, launch new mass-transit projects and totally reorganize how America manages how it moves around. more »
Charlotte Light Rail Line Exceeds First-Year Ridership Goals
September 25, 2009
SMART GROWTH NEWS - Opened in November 2007, the 9.6-mile Lynx light-rail line between Charlotte's Uptown and suburban South End has easily exceeded its first-year ridership target of 9,100 weekday boardings, consistently recording more than 16,000 last summer and almost 15,000 a day this June, a slight drop due to higher unemployment and lower gas prices, reports Charlotte Observer writer Steve Harrison, with a recent survey finding 72 percent of the riders new to mass transit, and large majorities better educated and more affluent than bus passengers. more »
Funding limited for transit plan
September 24, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - A North Oconee River Greenway extension is the only major project included in an Athens regional transportation plan that is scheduled for construction next year. more »
Rail will come ‘when Georgia gets its act together’
September 21, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Ray LaHood, the U.S. secretary of transportation, was asked Monday whether high-speed rail would ever come to Atlanta. “It’ll come to Atlanta if Georgia gets its act together,” LaHood said, using words that came across more blunt in person than they do on the page. more »
State seeking stimulus funds for commuter rail projects
September 20, 2009
CLAYTON NEWS DAILY - Georgia Department of Transportation officials are hoping to learn by December whether they will receive a federal grant to help defray the cost of proposed commuter rail projects. more »
Widening of 133 back on map
September 20, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - Southwest Georgia got some good news Thursday when the Georgia Department of Transportation's governing board voted unanimously to resume planning and engineering work for the widening of Georgia Highway 133 from Albany to Valdosta. more »
Hancock pleased with Highway 133 progress
September 19, 2009
THE MOULTRIE OBSERVER - A former Colquitt County commission chairman who has worked to have Ga. Hwy. 133 four-laned from Albany to Valdosta is encouraged by the announcement of restored funding. more »
Newton to get millions from stimulus
September 19, 2009
NEWTON CITIZEN - Newton County is getting a big chunk of stimulus dollars for transportation projects. The county will receive more than $21 million for road improvements, according to a press release from Gov. Sonny Perdue's office and County Engineer Kevin Walter. more »
Rockdale gets $1.7M for roads
September 19, 2009
ROCKDALE CITIZEN - An additional $1.7 million will go toward road resurfacing in Rockdale County, thanks to federal stimulus dollars. The Georgia Department of Transportation released the county projects to receive American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds after Gov. Sonny Perdue announced the certified list Tuesday. more »
State seeking stimulus funds for commuter rail projects
September 19, 2009
HENRY DAILY HERALD - Georgia Department of Transportation officials are hoping to learn by December whether they will receive a federal grant to help defray the cost of proposed commuter rail projects. more »
Morrow, county get $4 million for transportation
September 17, 2009
CLAYTON NEWS DAILY ONLINE - Gov. Sonny Perdue announced this week that he has certified $331 million in transportation projects across the state, the funding for which will come through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. more »
Henry to get funds for road projects
September 17, 2009
HENRY DAILY HEARLD-ONLINE - Henry County is expected to receive more than $2.7 million in federal stimulus funds to finance road projects and assist homeowners with energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. more »
The Road Ahead
September 17, 2009
GEORGIA TREND - Vance Smith is the kind of guy who could crack jokes in the middle of a hurricane. On a recent summer morning as I sat down to chat with him in the Department of Trans-portation headquarters in Atlanta, he was able to find some humor in talking about the massive challenges he faced during his first weeks as commissioner of the embattled agency. more »
$72 million headed to midstate for road work
September 17, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - More than $72 million in federal stimulus money will help repave roads across Middle Georgia, including major work across Macon and along Interstate 16 that could begin in a few months. more »
Georgia DOT spending cuts not sustainable, treasurer says
September 16, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The state Department of Transportation cannot continue to operate long term with the spending cuts it has made, its treasurer said Wednesday, as she gave the DOT board dismal news about the next fiscal year. more »
Stimulus helps $331M in transportation projects
September 15, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - Gov. Sonny Perdue on Tuesday announced that he had approved an estimated $331 million in new transportation projects to be funded by the federal stimulus more »
Highway 133 delay lamented
September 15, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - County Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard remained hopeful Monday that a proposed project to widen Highway 133 from Albany to Valdosta would one day be funded, despite a recent move by state officials to back away from the project's table. more »
Oxendine confuses vision with delusion
September 15, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - To ease congestion on the Downtown Connector, Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine proposes construction of what he calls a “parallel connector.” more »
Dear Neighbors to the North: We are ignoring your progress
September 14, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Hey, not so fast Tennessee. Did you really think we Georgians would not notice that you gave every region of your state the tools to build first-class public transit systems? more »
Editorial: Rail study could bring good news for Athens area
September 12, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - In an indirect - though decidedly not inconsequential - way, there's some good news for this area in a recent report that the federal government will spend more than $14 million to pay for studies in connection with a proposed high-speed rail line in Georgia, even though the line wouldn't run through this part of the state. more »
Atlanta-Chattanooga maglev rail gets a dose of cash
September 11, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Plans for a modern, high-speed Chattanooga Choo-Choo picked up steam Thursday when federal officials agreed to fund a more detailed study of a proposed rail line between Atlanta and Chattanooga. more »
Oxendine drives transit debate
September 9, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - John Oxendine isn’t just leading the GOP gubernatorial field in opinion polls. He’s also framing the debate for Republicans on perhaps the key issue in next year’s election, transportation. more »
Race Is On to Grab Stake in Rail Effort
September 8, 2009
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - The Obama administration is poised to spend $8 billion in stimulus funds on high-speed-rail projects, kicking off a scramble among states and railroads, train makers, construction firms and other companies angling to profit from the unprecedented stream of federal funding. more »
Congress Will Most Likely Extend the Existing Transportation Authorization
September 8, 2009
INNOVATION NEWS BRIEF - Among the pressing legislative priorities facing Congress this autumn– besides the highly visible health care and climate change bills–is an extension of the federal surface transportation program.
Dear state leaders: Half a penny for metro transportation just not worth the trouble
September 7, 2009
SAPORTA REPORT - Just when you think it can’t get any worse… For years, metro Atlanta has been seeking new funding for transportation. The last couple of years, the Atlanta region has been begging the state legislature for the right to pass a one-cent sales tax on itself to tackle its transportation problems. more »
Deal brewing on transportation funding?
September 1, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH BLOG - It looks like the House and Senate have the basics of a potential compromise deal in place on transportation funding. more »
Atlanta traffic rated 3rd worst in nation
July 8, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The report showed the average Atlanta-area commuter wasting 57 hours a year going nowhere in traffic jams. more »
Surprise! Georgia’s transportation stimulus spending better than other states
July 1, 2009
CREATIVE LOAFING - Gov. Sonny Perdue, flanked by newly elected Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith and U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari, made the smoggy skies rain with Obamabucks on Tuesday as he kicked off the Peach State’s first foray into stimulus spending. more »
Dobbins: Create a one state solution for transportation
June 21, 2009
SAPORTA REPORT - The long way around might turn out to be the shortest – and the best. Maybe the state’s transportation program ought to first be based on a statewide strategy more »
Smith can bring order to DOT
June 21, 2009
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER - This is the guy the Georgia Department of Transportation should have had in charge two years ago. Some members of the DOT Board tried; he lost by one vote, and pretty much the whole state has had reason to regret it ever since. more »
Vance Smith likely next GDOT commissioner
June 2, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - All signs point to Vance Smith becoming the next commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation. more »
Editorial: Road to nowhere
April 9, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Georgians might expect their elected state representatives and senators to provide for the state's transportation needs. That is what taxpayers pay taxes for and the federal government makes grants for. It is a primary responsibility of the state government. more »
Transportation failure angers Cobb leaders
April 7, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Citizens should thank Georgia's House and Senate members next time they are stuck in traffic: For a second year in a row, financing for road improvements failed to pass in the General Assembly. more »
Transportation funding still an explosive issue
April 6, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The most telling moment of the 2009 session of the Legislature came late Friday, during a fifth round of House-Senate negotiations over a sales tax that would sink more cash into the roads you drive and the rails you’d like to ride. more »
Lawmakers adjourn without transportation funding solution
April 6, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The Georgia General Assembly ended its 2009 session Friday night without acting on transportation funding, an issue business leaders in metro Atlanta and across the state had labeled their top priority. more »
Big issues get bogged down on final day
April 5, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Lawmakers had vowed to pass a way for voters to approve a sales tax increase to fund more roadwork and mass transit, recognizing public displeasure over traffic congestion and aging roads. more »
Transportation funding dies last day of session
April 4, 2009
GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING NEWS - State lawmakers ended the 2009 legislative session without any penny tax for transportation. All evening house and senate negotiators tried to compromise between a statewide plan and regional plan. more »
Surprise tax cut, but no transportation deal
April 4, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUION - Lawmakers approved a surprise tax cut for investors Friday, but failed for a second straight year to reach a deal on new funding for transportation. more »
Analysis: Transportation funding gridlock remains
April 4, 2009
FORT MILL TIMES - The 2009 legislative session careened to a close at midnight on Friday with a familiar ending. Like the year before, there was a frantic, 11th hour scramble for a solution to the state's transportation funding shortfall. And, also like the year before, the effort stalled in the final hour. more »
A walk-out at the transportation negotiations — by the lobbyists
April 3, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Three-quarters of the way through the fifth gathering of House-Senate negotiators over a sales tax for transportation, frustration resulted in a walkout on Friday afternoon. more »
Cagle to Senate: Go forth and lobby for transportation
April 3, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle has just put the Senate in recess until 6:30 p.m. with a charge for Senators to go press House members on transportation funding. more »
Transportation power shift needs standards, openness
March 31, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - It’s likely not to be particularly noticed, but the most revolutionary change Republicans will have wrought under the Gold Dome is on the verge of becoming law. It’s the shift of power from the Department of Transportation to elected officials. If successful, it is truly the end of an era that was in its heyday under the legendary highway czar Jim Gillis, a former Treutlen County commissioner who served in both houses of the General Assembly and who reigned from 1948 to 1955 and again from 1959 to 1970 as state highway commissioner. more »
Georgia Legislature, are you listening? Get Georgia Moving!
March 31, 2009
TERMINAL STATION BLOG - Our state legislature only meets for 40 days a year, and they put off such a critical issue until the last minute. What is even more ridiculous is that they got to the same point last year, and adjourned without passing anything. more »
Transportation still at impasse
March 31, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Georgia lawmakers speeding toward the end of another legislative session without a deal on transportation funding got an extra push Monday from business leaders, environmentalists and other advocates eager to help the legislators break the impasse. more »
Road tax vote crucial
March 31, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Once again, we stand at a critical crossroads. A year ago this week, lawmakers in the state House and Senate were just steps away from giving the people of Georgia an unprecedented say in the future of our state. more »
Coalition makes call for action
March 31, 2009
Atlanta Journal-Constitution - Georgia lawmakers took the tiniest of steps toward creating a long-term plan for transportation funding on Monday, but have miles to go to find a consensus. more »
Again, on transportation: A more definite connection between ‘governance’ and a sales tax
March 31, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Last week, at a press conference designed to show the enthusiasm of Casey Cagle and the state Senate for a measure that could lead to increased funding for transportation, the lieutenant governor declared the push for a sales tax to be absolutely, completely sequestered from the reorganization of the transportation bureaucracy championed by Gov. Sonny Perdue. more »
Georgia comes to fork in the road
March 30, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - The most important long-term decision that the Georgia General Assembly will make this session comes down to today: How will the state provide for our transportation future? more »
Critics: Will DOT reform help improve roads?
March 28, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Few motorists stuck in traffic ponder the organization of the Department of Transportation, but that's been on state leaders' minds this legislative session. more »
Transportation hits a gridlock
March 28, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - Transportation is one of the biggest issues in Georgia. It affects every area of the state, from the bumper-to-bumper traffic that crawls around sprawling Atlanta during what is incresingingly ironically called “rush hour” to the need for a four-lane connector from Albany to Valdosta on our end of the state. more »
DOT may see major shift in how it spends
March 28, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Negotiations between Gov. Sonny Perdue and House Speaker Glenn Richardson on Friday produced a compromise that would give the governor unprecedented control over transportation policy in Georgia, but would also hand the Legislature new authority over more than $2 billion in spending. more »
House has own ideas on transportation
March 27, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - A Georgia House committee Friday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would reverse much of Gov. Sonny Perdue’s planned overhaul of the state’s transportation bureaucracy. more »
Proposed transportation bill to be unveiled today
March 27, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - A heavily scaled-back version of one of the most contentious bills of this legislative session will be revealed today as the governor, House and Senate continue their back-and-forth over the control of billions in transportation dollars. more »
House offers new version of tax bill
March 26, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Georgia House of Representatives made a concession Wednesday in the ongoing debate about how to pay for transportation improvements. more »
No compromise on transportation bill
March 26, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - The state's two chambers still are butting heads over an effort to allow Georgia voters to decide whether to impose a 1-cent sales tax to fund transportation improvements. more »
Still no real negotiations on transportation tax
March 26, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Georgia Senate Thursday ignored a concession from the House on how to pay for transportation improvements in the state. more »
Competing plans, demands
March 25, 2009
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER - Vance Smith and Jeff Mullis have worked together for a long time, amicably and for the most part effectively, as chairmen of their respective legislative chambers’ transportation committees. more »
House, Senate still split on roads funds
March 24, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - House and Senate leaders are playing a high-stakes game of chicken on new transportation funding programs, waiting to see which side blinks, or whether compromise can be found as the final days tick away from the 2009 Georgia General Assembly. more »
Legislature still split on road bills
March 24, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Prospects for a new sales tax to pay for roads, bridges, rail and other transportation improvements have hit a barrier as the legislative session nears an end. more »
Atlanta: Senate adopts Mullis’ road-funding plan
March 24, 2009
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - The state Senate on Monday scrapped a 1 percent statewide sales tax proposal to fund transportation projects in favor of a county-by-county tax supporters say will prevent projects from improperly falling prey to politics. more »
Tax here, spend here
March 23, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - General Assembly should approve a plan to put regional transportation sales taxes up for public referendum. more »
House, Senate pit state vs. regions in transportation sales tax
March 23, 2009
GAINESVILLE TIMES - The members of the state House and Senate agree there is a need for an additional sales tax to pay for transportation projects. How that happens has the two chambers on different roads. more »
Tax here, spend here
March 23, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - State lawmakers in the Georgia House are expected vote this week - possibly as early as today - on a proposal that would let voters decide whether they wanted to pay an additional sales tax to help build new roads where they live. more »
Time to move and agree with the Senate’s transportation bill
March 22, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - As the 2009 legislative session rolls quickly toward a close there is an issue that remains unresolved: Transportation. more »
Our Views: Capitol Avenue gridlock
March 8, 2009
GAINESVILLE TIMES - If you think traffic in Northeast Georgia is a snarled, hopeless mess, get a load of the proposed solutions coming from the state Capitol. When it comes to fixing Georgia's highways, there always are routes running in different directions with a wide median in-between. more »
Transportation signals mixed
March 8, 2009
LEDGER-ENQUIRER.COM - The editorial board writes, there's a lot going on lately with the Georgia Department of Transportation — some of it good, some of it not so good and some of it just plain strange. First the icing: Georgia stands to get some $932 million in federal stimulus money for transportation, infrastructure and creation of jobs related to those projects. Then there’s the cake: One way or another, Georgia voters will almost certainly get to decide on a 1 percent sales tax for long overdue transportation improvements. more »
Money and Power: No road hogs
March 7, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - The Senate version of a transportation sales tax is a better offset to the removal of local voices from the proposed state Transportation Authority. more »
Editorial: Regional plan still best bet in transportation
March 7, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - A little more than a month ago, as the legislative battle over how transportation projects might be funded and administered in the state was just beginning, this newspaper editorialized that a regional approach, in which contiguous counties could band together and assess a 1 percent sales tax for transportation projects, appeared to be the best option (Editorial, "Transportation best handled at regional level," Feb. 1). more »
Transportation revamp rolls on
March 6, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Georgia Senate on Thursday approved the biggest reorganization of state transportation spending in more than 40 years. more »
County chamber praises transportation tax vote
March 5, 2009
GWINNETT DAILY POST - A Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce official praised legislators this week for passing a sales tax plan to fund transportation. more »
House votes to pass transportation bill
March 4, 2009
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER - Pine Mountain Republican Vance Smith was front and center on the floor of the Georgia House Tuesday afternoon. more »
House, Senate set to battle over tax for transportation funding
March 4, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - A new statewide penny tax for transportation projects passed the Georgia House of Representatives on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with the Senate, which has its own transportation game plan. more »
Follow the road signs
March 4, 2009
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - The way to look at the State Transportation Board’s firing of Commissioner Gena Evans is that it removed a roadblock. That doesn’t mean the highway ahead won’t be bumpy, to say the least. more »
House, Senate set to battle over tax for transportation funding
March 4, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - A new statewide penny tax for transportation projects passed the Georgia House of Representatives on Tuesday, setting up a showdown with the Senate, which has its own transportation game plan. more »
Lawmakers not on same transit track
March 4, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The state House of Representatives on Tuesday agreed to ask voters to approve a new 1-cent sales tax to pay for statewide transportation projects. more »
House passes legislation for new statewide penny tax
March 3, 2009
The Georgia House of Representatives has passed legislation calling for a new statewide penny tax to raise $25 billion over 10 years for new transportation projects. more »
House plan lets voters decide sales tax issue
March 3, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - The AP's Greg Bluestein reports that both chambers of the Georgia General Assembly have adopted separate plans to allow voters to decide whether to charge a sales tax to pay for transportation improvements. The House plan passed overwhelmingly yesterday, setting up a showdown with the Senate. more »
Keep it local
March 3, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - A House bill that would send locally collected road money to Atlanta is bad for Savannah and the rest of the state. more »
House passes transportation funding measure
March 3, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The Georgia House overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment Tuesday calling for a statewide sales tax increase to pay for a series of transportation improvements. more »
Ga. lawmakers inch toward transportation tax hike
March 3, 2009
FORBES.COM - Republican legislative leaders have been reluctant to back tax hikes to help Georgia fill a $2.6 billion deficit, but both chambers of the state Legislature have now adopted separate plans to allow voters to decide whether to adopt a 1-percent sales tax increase for transportation improvements. more »
Sinyard: 133 vital to local stability
March 2, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - Dougherty County Commission Chairman Jeff Sinyard is attempting to breathe new life into a road project left comatose by a lack of state funding. more »
Transportation bills are on deck
March 1, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - This week, the House is expected to consider separate proposals on how to raise additional taxes for transportation while the Senate votes on replacing the main transportation agency. more »
Plan to shift transportation funding clears Senate panel
February 26, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Gov. Sonny Perdue’s plan to reorganize transportation spending passed the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, six days after the plan was unveiled for the public. more »
Reading material for your drive home
February 25, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Get Georgia Moving, a coalition pushing the increased funding for roads and rail, is trying to make sure the need for more funding doesn’t get lost in the congestion — with green-and-white billboards posted above some of metro Atlanta’s most reliable traffic bottlenecks. more »
The speedy but rocky first vote on Gov. Sonny Perdue’s transportation bill
February 25, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Senate Transportation Committee late Wednesday passed out Gov. Sonny Perdue’s legislation to reorganize the state’s transportation agencies — which allowed S.B. 200 to keep moving at breakneck speed despite serious questions raised by both Democrats and Republicans. more »
Get Georgia Moving message hits streets
February 25, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The Get Georgia Moving coalition has put up billboards in five metro Atlanta area with the aim of pushing voters to make their voices heard on transportation issues through the group’s Web site. more »
Smith urging statewide sales tax to fund transportation
February 23, 2009
LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS - At the halfway point of the legislative session, Rep Vance Smith of Pine Mountain is leading a House push for a statewide 1-cent sales tax to raise funds for transportation projects. more »
ISSUE IN-DEPTH: TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Working together, we can find smart solutions to our traffic woes
February 22, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Atlanta traffic is unbearable, if not downright dangerous, on roads choked with cars driven by frustrated, tired and angry commuters. We are so vexed by traffic that a large percentage of us are staying home, according to a May 2008 study. Of the 4,000 drivers surveyed in 10 U.S. major metropolitan areas, Atlanta drivers experienced the second-highest level of commuting difficulties, behind only Los Angeles. more »
ISSUE IN-DEPTH: TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Now is the time to get plans in gear
February 22, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Over the last six years, Georgia has invested heavily in transportation improvements, yet commuters are still stuck in traffic and economic development corridors still have not been expanded. As frustrating as it is to acknowledge, we have not achieved the value that we believe Georgians deserve because of a lack of focus, transparency and accountability at the Georgia Department of Transportation. more »
TRANSPORTATION PLAN: Asphalt and money
February 22, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The editorial board writes, For weeks if not months, the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House have been in secret negotiations to find a way to fix Georgia’s dysfunctional transportation system. Last week, they finally emerged with their proposal. Not surprisingly, it would give the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker a lot more power over billions of dollars in transportation funding. more »
Transportation plan a power shift over funds
February 22, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - At Thursday’s state Transportation Board meeting, everyone at the Department of Transportation offices in Midtown knew the biggest issue was not on the agenda: They were facing the greatest threat to their power in almost a half century. more »
Political Insider: Perdue: No more reliance on ‘13 gerrymandered districts’
February 20, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Political Insider writes that with Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson in tow, Gov. Sonny Perdue this afternoon unveiled, not the details, but the theory behind his proposed creation of a State Transportation Authority. The membership of the authority has changed to 11 members, up from seven, with five appointments going to the governor, who also gets to name the Secretary of Transportation. The constitutionally created state Department of Transportation would be reduced to a hand-servant. more »
Plan to overhaul transportation unveiled for GA
February 20, 2009
CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS - Calling Georgia’s transportation bureaucracy “broken,” the state’s Republican leaders on Thursday proposed a sweeping reorganization that would alter the way money flows to road, transit and bridge projects. more »
New transportation plan unveiled by Governor Perdue
February 20, 2009
CORDELE DISPATCH - Governor Sonny Perdue this week unveiled plans to take much of the control for the state’s transportation and road projects from the Department of Transportation board and put it in the hands of three individuals -- the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the House. more »
LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOK: Perdue talks transportation
February 20, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - Gov. Sonny Perdue on Thursday confirmed the details of a plan to essentially replace the Georgia Department of Transportation with another body over which the governor’s office would have more control. more »
New agency to replace DOT?
February 20, 2009
GEORGIA TIMES UNION - Walter C. Jones reports that, in a major shift of power away from the Department of Transportation board, Gov. Sonny Perdue proposed moving highway funds to a new agency he, the House speaker and lieutenant governor would control. Flanked by Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and House Speaker Glenn Richardson, Perdue announced he is supporting legislation that would strip the DOT of the gasoline-tax revenues and direct the money instead to a new State Transportation Authority. The three officials would appoint the 11-member board, and the governor would select its chairman and a secretary of transportation. more »
New transit agency would bypass DOT
February 16, 2009
Top senators outlined legislation they hope to introduce this week to bypass the state Department of Transportation and pave the way for a new agency to construct roads and passenger-rail systems. more »
Gwinnett Chamber lobbies for transportation tax
February 13, 2009
GWINNETT DAILY NEWS - Gwinnett leaders are so concerned about the traffic that may be keeping business away that they decided to brave the congestion Thursday to tell legislators about it. more »
Keeping Georgia Moving: Is this the year we break the gridlock?
February 9, 2009
GEORGIA TREND - Atlanta’s epic, daily traffic congestion, and the hapless drivers who grow old as they creep sluggishly from place to place, have long been the fodder of jokes and ridicule. But as leadership talked much and did very little to loosen up the stagnant parade of auto-addicted commuters, the situation has morphed back and forth between laughable and nightmarish. more »
DOT seeking new funding
February 8, 2009
ALBANY HERALD - Danny Carter writes, I am among those who believe that transportation improvements are among the critical keys to revitalizing the metro Albany area. Ideally, we would see the extension of Interstate 185 linking Columbus and Tallahassee and coming through our city. Unfortunately, the dismal fiscal condition of the Georgia Department of Transportation makes any of those projects listed above unlikely in the near future. more »
Voters unlikely to take House’s transportation route
February 5, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - House and Senate leaders are racing down separate train tracks toward the same destination: a new tax mechanism for funding Georgia’s transportation needs. more »
Senate OKs optional transportation tax
February 4, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The Georgia Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Tuesday that could let voters decide to pay a penny sales tax in metro Atlanta for new roads, rail and other transportation projects. The measure would allow other counties in the rest of the state to band together to tax themselves, or go it alone, if they chose. more »
T-SPLOST heads to Senate
February 3, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - The Georgia Senate's transportation funding proposal heads to the Senate floor today, said state Sen. Chip Rogers (R- N. Cobb). more »
Georgia: Mullis’ transportation tax option heads for vote
February 3, 2009
NORTH GEORGIA - Sen. Jeff Mullis’ proposal to let voters approve a 1 percent sales tax to fund regional transportation projects is expected to come up for a key vote in the Senate today. more »
Sales tax plan would fund transportation
February 3, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Commuter trains, expanded highway freight routes, bigger highways skirting Atlanta and possibly new toll lanes could all be paid for by a statewide tax proposal announced in the Georgia House of Representatives on Monday. more »
House leaders propose sales tax to fund transport
February 3, 2009
Georgia House leaders revived an effort Monday for a 1 percent statewide sales tax that would funnel $25 billion into transportation projects over the next decade across Georgia. more »
House's proposed penny tax would bypass DOT, fund I-16/I-75
February 3, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - A new penny tax would raise $25 billion over 10 years for transportation projects if voters approve the plan in a statewide referendum, according to legislation filed Monday by the chairman of the House of Representatives’ Transportation Committee. more »
Cobb lawmakers hopeful for traffic solution
January 28, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - The Georgia Senate's T-SPLOST proposal is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee today and may be headed to the floor for a vote as early as Friday, said state Sen. Doug Stoner (D-Smyrna). more »
Under the DOME
January 28, 2009
CHEROKEE TRIBUNE - The state budget shortfall could lead to the delay of several major transportation improvement programs in Cherokee County. more »
GEORGIA LEGISLATURE: Counties could team on transit
January 27, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - The Senate Transportation Committee took up legislation Monday that would allow multicounty regions to levy themselves a 1-cent sales tax for transportation projects in their regions. more »
Ga. Senate unveils plan to provide relief to roads
January 27, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Georgia lawmakers are again pressing for a one-cent sales tax to help provide relief for the state's clogged roadways. more »
Georgia: Mullis revives plan to provide relief on roads
January 27, 2009
NORTH GEORGIA - Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, again is pressing for a 1 percent sales tax to help provide relief for the state’s clogged roads. more »
Lawmaker criticizes cutting state aid to local highways
January 22, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The Georgia Department of Transportation’s decision to slash state aid for local highway improvements rather than lay off DOT workers came under fire Thursday. more »
Address: Transportation dollars in short supply
January 21, 2009
CHEROKEE TRIBUNE - The state of Cherokee County is good when it comes to funding for parks, but not so for transportation. more »
Commission halts roadwork projects
January 21, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - The Columbia County Commission scaled back some proposed road improvement projects during a meeting Tuesday. more »
Why can't we reduce congestion here?
January 21, 2009
We can probably all agree that traffic is bad all over the Atlanta Region. Over the years, we have heard about spectacular proposals for monorails, light rail, adding to MARTA, adding lanes to I-75, double-decking I-285, tunnels under Atlanta, truck lanes, the Outer Loop, the Northern Arc. more »
Local tax would go to roads
January 17, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Georgia lawmakers are taking another shot at tackling the state's clogged roads. A state senator on Friday took the wraps off a bill that would permit regions -- including one that would encompass 10 metro-Atlanta counties -- to band together to charge a 1-cent sales tax to fund transportation projects. more »
TRANSPORTATION: DOT holds out hope for stimulus funding
January 16, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Local governments have inundated the state Department of Transportation with long wish lists for federal stimulus funding —- lists that the program is unlikely to satisfy, DOT officials said Thursday. more »
Funding sought for projects
January 16, 2009
State and area officials are looking for new ways to pay for transportation projects. The Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to start just one new area project this year. more »
DOT considers toll lanes on I-75 in Cobb
January 15, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - The state Transportation Board on Wednesday considered toll lanes for parts of I-75 in Cobb County. One regular lane in each direction would be turned into a toll lane, under one of two plans a state Department of Transportation contractor has proposed. DOT is paying Georgia Transportation Partners to develop plans to add toll lanes alongside I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties. more »
Traffic Improvements: Pave the way
January 14, 2009
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - Last year's General Assembly was gaveled to a close in Atlanta before lawmakers passed a bill to allow multiple-county regions to band together to levy a transportation sales tax. more »
Transportation solutions
January 14, 2009
LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS - If we are to continue Georgia’s growth and prosperity, we must solve our transportation issues for the entire state. Adding a lane along a busy interstate, extending a rail line by a couple of miles or simply allowing Metro Atlanta to tax itself won’t solve our problems. more »
ISSUE IN-DEPTH: TRANSPORTATION: Tax vital to area economy
January 11, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - At a time when the economy dominates every conversation —- from boardrooms to kitchen tables —- can you name the No. 1 threat to Atlanta’s ability to create jobs? It’s traffic. more »
Transit initiative backer runs into delay —- Atlanta traffic
January 9, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Starting Monday, business looks to the legislature to see if a bill will pass letting voters decide whether to tax themselves to fund local transportation improvements. Regions Bank executive and Get Georgia Moving co-chairman Bill Linginfelter hopes it will. more »
Poll: Voters want a say on transportation funds
January 9, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Even in the midst of a head-splitting economy, Georgia voters across the board want the chance to vote on transportation funding, according to a poll released Thursday by a coalition that is seeking money for projects. more »
Walker: Interstate project being scaled back
January 9, 2009
MACON TELEGRAPH - State transportation planners are scaling back a long-planned overhaul of the interchange between Interstates 75 and 16 in Macon, said Larry Walker, Middle Georgia’s representative to the state Department of Transportation board. more »
GDOT to make tough decisions
January 8, 2009
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL - Tackling the state's transportation woes with a clear, united plan was the theme Wednesday during a summit meeting in Atlanta of the state's various transportation boards. And so was a sense of urgency. more »
New Georgia Poll Shows Support for Vote on Transportation Funding
January 8, 2009
MyFOX ATLANTA – A new Georgia poll shows overwhelming support for a public vote on transportation funding. The poll comes as the General Assembly prepares to convene and pressure mounts for legislators to act on transportation problems. more »
Poll: Ga. voters want state to solve traffic woes
January 8, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Voters statewide are fed up with Georgia’s transportation system and they want the General Assembly to do something about it, now, according to a new poll released Wednesday. more »
Editorial: Transportation planning makes economic sense
January 8, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - According to a study commissioned by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and released late last year, this state stands to lose an opportunity to attract as many as 320,000 jobs during the next 20 years, and as much as $515 billion in economic benefits during the next 30 years, unless there are significant changes in the way transportation issues are addressed. more »
Transportation officials talk funding
January 8, 2009
GWINNETT DAILY POST - Less than a decade ago, officials from the state's transportation agencies not only competed, but they often refused to share a room or a podium. But with a dire funding crunch in the billions, more than 100 officials came together Wednesday for a summit intent on finally working together to get traffic moving. more »
Poll: 74 percent of Georgians want to vote on a penny sales tax for traffic fixes
January 8, 2009
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Five days before the start of the 2009 session of the Legislature, a coalition aimed at boosting funds for transportation came out with a poll that it hopes will put the issue beyond politics. more »
Ga. transportation leaders paint an ugly picture
January 7, 2009
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Georgia will lose millions of badly needed federal economic stimulus dollars for transportation, if it does not act with one voice. more »
Georgia leaders try to set transportation strategy
January 7, 2009
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Georgia transportation leaders are seeking to rally around a clear strategy of renovating existing roadways and squashing congestion in the state's economic hubs. more »
Editorial: Transportation best handled at regional level
January 1, 2009
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - State transportation funding initiatives, which were hung up in the legislature last year, are moving full speed ahead in the early going of the current legislative session. As a result, lawmakers and, ultimately, the state's voters, could have some interesting choices to make in the near future. more »
I-75/I-16 interchange project pushed back to 2018
December 18, 2008
MACON TELEGRAPH - Travis Fain reports that the timetable for Macon’s new interchange at Interstates 75 and 16 has been pushed back, with construction now slated to begin in 2018. The project’s price tag has gone up as well, topping $320 million, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans said Wednesday. more »
DOT hits funding roadblock
December 17, 2008
VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES - Kay Harris reports that straight talking DOT Commissioner Gena Evans visited Valdosta Tuesday for a frank discussion with The Times’ editorial board concerning the status of the department and of a new statewide transportation plan. Evans said the department has been working hard over the past year to get a handle on the funding shortfalls it faces, and noted that many projects have been canceled and /or shelved until the funding becomes available. more »
OUR OPINION: Running on empty
December 16, 2008
VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES - The Times’ editorial board had the unique opportunity Tuesday to ask straight-talking Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans questions about the state of the state’s infrastructure and projects. more »
Breaking up the traffic jam
December 11, 2008
LEDGER-ENQUIRER - In the midst of an economic crisis that forecasters say could be especially harsh and prolonged in Georgia, transportation officials were in Athens this week trying to make the case to state lawmakers that they need to spend more. more »
Traffic, transportation, key Henry legislative concerns
December 10, 2008
HENRY DAILY HERALD - Lawmakers in Georgia are slated to address a number of issues, when their next legislative session begins in a matter of weeks. For legislators representing Henry County, one of the primary discussions which must be undertaken revolves around gridlock in the area. more »
Legislators urged to handle worsening road congestion
December 9, 2008
ATHENS BANNER-HERALD - Other states and even countries such as China are miles ahead of Georgia in building new roads and mass transit to handle traffic, transportation officials said Tuesday at a University of Georgia conference. more »
Lawmakers: T-SPLOST a likely option for state budget issues
December 7, 2008
ROME NEWS-TRIBUNE - Local legislators expect a sharp focus on transportation when the Georgia General Assembly reconvenes Jan. 12, but finances will determine any policy that emerges from the 40-day session. more »
30-year transit plan approved for region
December 6, 2008
HENRY DAILY HERALD - The Atlanta Regional Commission has adopted a new transportation plan. Tentatively called "Concept 3," it urges a $26.8-billion, region-wide web of public transit: Bus lines, commuter rail lines and trolley cars. The plan is being incorporated into the ARC's long-range vision and, eventually, into short-range implementation projects. more »
Political notebook: Transportation vote could come soon
November 30, 2008
GWINNETT DAILY POST - With tolls the most recent talk of transportation funding in Gwinnett, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said progress has been made to fulfill the multi-billion road funding gap. more »
Less congestion, at a price
November 26, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUION - A $110 million federal grant headed to Georgia to create a toll lane along I-85 would guarantee a free-flowing lane of traffic on a heavily traveled thoroughfare in Atlanta, the second-most-congested urban area in the nation. more »
I-85 HOV lanes to charge toll
November 26, 2008
GWINNETT DAILY POST - Interstate 85's carpool lanes will be converted to toll lanes, as U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters on Tuesday announced a $110 million grant to get Gwinnett's traffic moving. more »
TRANSPORTATION TAX: Cagle: Consensus must pave the way
November 25, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said Monday that the Legislature could consider a bill in the first week of the legislative session that starts in January to address transportation funding shortfalls —- if interest groups could come to a consensus first. more »
Feds approve grant for I-85 HOT lanes
November 25, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Georgia’s next experiment with toll lanes will come along a heavily traveled 14-mile stretch of Interstate 85 northeast of I-285, state and federal officials said Tuesday. more »
Region taxing plan is back
November 25, 2008
GEORGIA TIMES UNION - A push to allow counties to band together and charge a regional sales tax to fund transportation projects would help communities across the state meet their road-building and mass transit needs, state leaders said Monday. more »
Tired of Sitting in Traffic?
November 24, 2008
WSB RADIO - Tired of sitting in traffic? State lawmakers are hoping long commutes will prompt Georgians to support a regional sales tax to fund transportation projects. more »
Coalition kicks off next round of transportation funding push
November 24, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Transportation funding legislation will be introduced during the first week of the 2009 General Assembly session if business and political leaders can agree on the details, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle said Monday. more »
Lt. Governor Speaks on Metro Atlanta Traffic
November 24, 2008
WABE RADIO - Today, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle promised swift action on a bill aimed at giving local governments the means to solve their transportation problems. more »
No widening for 41; No funding for project right now
November 21, 2008
VALDOSTA DAILY TIMES - Old U.S. Highway 41 will remain just that — the same old road that the Georgia Department of Transportation proposed widening but many residents wanted left unchanged. more »
State road construction funds weighed
November 20, 2008
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - Transportation officials could get tens of billions of dollars for construction by increasing the sales tax, taking over the car tax and raising new fees for driving in metro Atlanta, a consultant told the Department of Transportation board Wednesday. more »
Study: How state can invest in transit
November 20, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Georgia’s shortfall in transportation financing could be solved with a combination of funding, from a new odometer tax to redirecting car registration and parking fees that currently go to general government coffers, a consulting company said Wednesday. more »
Politics, paltry funding wreck transportation
November 20, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION - Georgia’s transportation system, once the state’s chief competitive advantage over its Sun Belt neighbors, has been in a long decline traceable to two big mistakes. more »
Ga. 316 upgrades: Public to comment on project
November 20, 2008
GWINNETT DAILY POST - A long-awaited project to create an interchange on Ga. Highway 316 at the entrance to Georgia Gwinnett College is back before the public in a meeting tonight. more »
DOT chief talks about shortfall
November 19, 2008
LAGRANGE DAILY NEWS - Gena Evans, commissioner of the state Department of Transportation, talked about the state and federal financial shortfalls – and made no promises for road projects until her departments finish their planning. more »
Study: GA needs $100B for transportation
November 18, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - A gap of about $100 billion exists to fulfill Georgia’s transportation needs in the next 20 years, according to the first part of a study commissioned by Gov. Sonny Perdue and his transportation agencies. more »
State DOT may give local officials more input on projects
November 12, 2008
GAINESVILLE TIMES - The state Department of Transportation board is starting to consider giving local governments more say-so in the road projects they deem worthy as part of a state effort to reprioritize construction efforts. more »
Audit: State roads financial trouble real
November 12, 2008
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS- A sweeping audit of the Georgia Department of Transportation found that the agency overstated its federal funding by nearly $2.4 billion before the last fiscal year, leading to a massive deficit. more »
State audit finds sloppy accounting at DOT
November 11, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Poor bookkeeping leading to a host of errors was responsible for a shortfall that forced the Georgia Department of Transportation to cut millions of dollars from highway construction, according to an audit released Monday. more »
Audit finds huge deficit costing jobs
November 11, 2008
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - A sweeping audit of the Georgia Department of Transportation found the agency overstated its federal funding by nearly $2.4 billion before the past fiscal year, leading to a massive deficit that has shut down local road construction aid and threatens the jobs of hundreds of state employees. more »
DOT Commissioner Gena Evans Makes Visit to Laurens County
November 1, 2008
COURIER HERALD ONLINE - Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans visited Laurens County Friday to talk about the state-wide transportation plan mandated by the legislature, local road projects, the need for increasing rail infrastructure across the state and to garner support for the DOT to be able to take politics out of its projects and to make every dollar count for those who pay state taxes. more »
A National Mobility Project
October 31, 2008
NEW YORK TIMES - Government spending is growing at an astounding pace. Congress and the president have thrown hundreds of billions into stimulus packages, domestic programs, military spending and other initiatives. Total federal spending is growing at a 13.8 percent annual rate. more »
Transportation tops agenda in District 22
October 29, 2008
CHEROKEE TRIBUNE - Transportation is a key issue for the two candidates in the race for Georgia State House District 22. Rep. Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs) in his bid for a second two-year term faces a challenge from Democrat Bill Brown of Woodstock. more »
Road Cuts bypass Isles
October 24, 2008
BRUNSWICK NEWS - The state Department of Transportation is not delaying any road projects in Glynn County despite a $456 million budget deficit that has caused the department to halt 61 projects statewide, including 11 in Atlanta. more »
DOT discusses tolls, sales tax
October 24, 2008
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - A drive to Atlanta might cost more in the future. State transportation officials said Thursday they're considering toll roads, mostly in the Atlanta area, as a revenue source. Extra sales taxes were also among funding possibilities discussed Thursday at a Georgia Department of Transportation meeting at the Columbia County Library. more »
In job losses, Georgia is #2
October 22, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - Thanks to long commutes, Georgia has also been a bit more vulnerable to high gas prices. more »
State kills Ga. 400 toll lane proposal
October 21, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - A state committee Monday killed a private consortium’s $1.6 billion proposal to build optional toll lanes along Ga. 400. more »
DOT suspends Ga. 142 widening
October 21, 2008
NEWTON CITIZEN - The widening of a stretch of Ga. Highway 142 has been suspended by the Georgia Department of Transportation due to financial troubles. more »
DOT hits the brakes on 11 road projects
October 18, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - If the road project you’ve been waiting on seems to have ground to a halt, yours may be one of dozens of projects statewide that officially have been suspended. Eleven have been halted in metro Atlanta. more »
Olens talks metro vs. state, transportation
October 15, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Commission and of the Atlanta Regional Commission, spoke of the “State of the Region” to Gwinnett business and government leaders. Olens spoke of the need to have state support in solving metro Atlanta’s transportation problems, more specifically helping the region build public transit with rail rather than buses. more »
Leaders see I-75 as priority construction in 2009
October 15, 2008
HENRY DAILY HERALD - Transportation tops the list of priorities for the Henry County Board of Commissioners. The Board is currently working on a list of priorities to send to Capitol Hill in order to get federal funding for much-needed road projects within Henry County, namely along Henry County's Interstate 75 corridor. more »
DOT: Funding for local projects may be restored
October 11, 2008
GAINESVILLE TIMES - The 9th District member of the State Transportation Board said Friday he is hopeful that funds for county and city road projects across the state could be restored later in the fiscal year. more »
Jackson County to go ahead with talks of I-85 interchange
October 8, 2008
GAINESVILLE TIMES - As part of the county's development of an updated comprehensive plan, Jackson County officials will be working with consultants to study Interstate 85 and to create a transportation plan. more »
DOT'S BUDGET: Deficit drops if road plans suspended
October 8, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION - The state Transportation Board on Tuesday voted to ask the Legislature to suspend funding through next summer for two programs for local roads. more »
Georgia DOT avoids layoffs
October 8, 2008
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE - The State Transportation Board voted Tuesday to yank millions of dollars from road construction and maintenance rather than lay off state workers to balance a $190 million deficit. more »
Solution to DOT deficit divisive
October 8, 2008
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE - Hours after the state Department of Transportation board settled on a plan to resolve a massive deficit in the state's road-building program, a top lawmaker told DOT Commissioner Gena Evans the proposal wouldn't pass the General Assembly. more »
Taking a toll
October 4, 2008
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - LT. GOV. Casey Cagle was in town this week, touting two ideas for funding improved transportation infrastructure. Both merit serious consideration by the General Assembly. more »
Connecticut firm pays $22 million for Columbus area rail line
October 4, 2008
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER - A Northeastern short line and regional freight railroad has gobbled up Georgia Southwestern Railroad in a deal worth nearly $22 million. more »
Cagle pushes toll lanes, penny tax to fund road needs
October 2, 2008
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS - At least $50 billion in Georgia road projects need to be addressed in the next 15 to 20 years, said Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. more »
Cagle endorses regional approach to transportation funding
September 22, 2008
Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle committed himself Monday to pushing for passage next year of transportation funding legislation that failed in the General Assembly this year. more »
Cagle: Consider Passing T-SPLOST as a bill, with Perdue's support
September 22, 2008
This morning, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle met with the membership of Get Georgia Moving, a business-oriented group devoted to moving public officials off the dime when it comes to transportation. more »
DOT may have $1.2 billion in road project overruns
September 6, 2008
Harris Blackwood reports that Steve Farrow, the new 9th District member of the State Transportation Board, told government and business leaders on Friday in Gainesville that outside auditors have not determined the exact amount the Georgia Department of Transportation has overspent in road projects. "I’m thinking that before it’s all over with, it will be more than $1.2 billion," Farrow said. more »
133 Coalition makes noise
August 19, 2008
The economic success of a community rests with its access to transportation. That’s why the widening of Georgia Highway 133 from Albany to Valdosta is vital to all the communities that the 65-mile stretch of road connects. more »
Road projects in limbo as DOT struggles with funding
June 8, 2008
Funding shortfalls, rising construction costs and the urgent need to reform DOT's accounting are coming home to roost, and a lot less dirt is getting turned. more »
Transportation still a local priority
April 14, 2008
A new sales tax could be the Holy Grail for solving Athens' transportation woes, and state lawmakers came closer than ever to passing one this month. more »
DOT fears $1 billion shortfall
April 11, 2008
Just days after the defeat of transportation legislation in the Georgia General Assembly, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced that projects across the state will be cut for lack of funds. more »
Life in the 'Burbs: Heavy Costs for Families, Climate
March 31, 2008
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: The average Atlanta resident with a job drives 66 miles every day. In fact, people here drive so much that if you added up every commute and every trip to a store or soccer practice on just one day, you'd get a number that's larger than the distance between the Earth and the sun. more »
House OKs transit-tax referendums
March 28, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: The state House on Thursday approved a measure to allow regions in Georgia to seek voter consent to a penny sales tax for transportation projects. more »
House approves vote on tax for regional transportation
March 28, 2008
COLUMBUS LEDGER-ENQUIRER: Casting traffic congestion as a family values issue, the House voted on Thursday to give local governments the option of levying a 1-cent sales tax hike to fund regional transportation projects. more »
Solve the transportation funding crisis
March 27, 2008
AUGUSTA CHRONICLE: Over the past year, Georgians everywhere have heard the painful truth that our state is suffering from a massive transportation funding shortfall -- a deficit that has led to the death or postponement of hundreds of local projects, some of them right here in Augusta. more »
Kessel Stelling: New sales tax would help relieve traffic congestion
March 27, 2008
MARIETTA DAILY JOURNAL: Traffic down Interstate 75 is bad and getting worse. And while counties across Georgia are doing their best to ease traffic within their county limits, their hands are tied when it comes to big projects that connect the region. more »
Overextended DOT plans to ax projects
March 25, 2008
ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Georgia is about to undertake some painful project-cutting to fit its transportation program to its budget, state Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Abraham told her board Monday as they met at a retreat in Macon. more »
Board supports HOV tolls for solo drivers
March 21, 2008
Metro Atlanta cars with one or two people could be paying tolls to drive the area's HOV lanes in as little as two years, state officials said. The state Transportation Board on Thursday passed a resolution to push the plan forward. While the measure does not give final approval to convert metro Atlanta's 45 miles of Interstate HOV lanes into a comprehensive system of "high occupancy toll" lanes, that is the direction the state is headed, board leaders said. more »
Transportation Funding Bill Gets Boost From Public Transit Advocates
March 17, 2008
INSIDER ADVANTAGE: The local option transportation funding bill that’s making its way through the Georgia General Assembly drew fresh support at a rally Monday of public transportation advocates who hailed it as a potential source of new funds for bus systems and commuter rail lines. The proposal already has strong support from a coalition of key Georgia business leaders and from those who look to it as a way to fix a backlog of problems with the highway network. more »
Roads by region
March 16, 2008
SAVANNAH MORNING NEWS: This new concept - a transportation special purpose sales tax, or TSPLOST - would provide a needed funding source for Georgia's counties. more »
EPA tightens ozone limits; 14 Ga. counties in violation
March 13, 2008
Already struggling to meet the old ozone standards, the state will now have to find ways to meet the new directive. These Georgia counties are in violation of the new EPA standards: Bibb, Athens-Clarke, Cobb, Coweta, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Murray, Paulding, Richmond, Rockdale. more »
House Panel Moves Ball Forward On Possible Transportation Funding Compromise
March 13, 2008
INSIDER ADVANTAGE: After a debate that ran for more than three and a half hours, the House Transportation Committee got the ball rolling Wednesday towards a proposed compromise on how to raise funds to meet the state’s massive backlog of transportation needs. more »
Transportation committees near consensus on transportation funding proposal
March 7, 2008
Rep. Vance Smith (R-Pine Mountain) and Sen. Jeff Mullis (R-Chickamauga) spoke at a press conference held by Get Georgia Moving, a coalition of a broad spectrum of interest groups that are pushing for some kind of transportation funding. more »
Getting somewhere: House, Senate can meet in the middle with regional approach to transportation funding
March 6, 2008
To their credit, leaders in both the House and Senate have gotten serious about meeting the state's transportation funding crisis, with each chamber proposing workable approaches that would put a dent in the problem. more »
Transportation Coalition Ramps Up Effort To Get Something Moving On Taxes
March 6, 2008
“Before we leave this session, we hope we come up with a package that will be beneficial to 9.5 million people in the state of Georgia,” said Rep. Vance Smith, chairman of the House Transportation Committee. more »
With the GREAT plan gone, it’s time to talk roads
March 6, 2008
... Leaders of the House and Senate announced this morning that they’ve got their eyes on a compromise plan to inject more money into Georgia roads, bridges and, perhaps, other forms of transit. more »
GOP stuck in tenuous position
March 3, 2008
Spurred by the newly formed Get Georgia Moving, a coalition of businesses, local governments and environmental groups, House and Senate Republican leaders are pushing competing proposals to raise funds for a backlog of needed highway and transit projects. more »
DOT to ax 150 road projects next week
February 29, 2008
AJC: We’re picking up word that the state Department of Transportation, in an effort to reconcile the reality of funding with an overpromised list of projects, is preparing to issue stop-work orders on 150 current road projects contained within 70 contracts. more »
State representative says tax still sought for transportation
February 29, 2008
A plan that would create a statewide transportation sales tax appears to be short on votes in the House of Representatives said Smith, R-Pine Mountain. As a result, he and others have started work on a second plan which would allow regional development commissions the chance to put particular projects up to a funding vote. more »
Govs target transportation funding
February 28, 2008
The nation’s governors are ratcheting up pressure on Congress and the White House to fix the country’s crumbling roads, bridges, dams and sewers, an investment some governors tout would serve a dual purpose by boosting the slumping economy. more »
The Nation In Numbers; America’s aging and congested road, rail, and air networks are threatening its economic health.
February 26, 2008
Transportation spending is spread around the United States like peanut butter, and while it’s spread pretty thick—nearly $50 billion last year in federal dollars for surface transportation alone—the places that are most critical to the country’s economic competitiveness don’t get what they need. more »
Insider Advantage: Cagle Pushing 1-Cent Local Option Sales Tax For Transportation; Counter-Proposal Dropped In House
February 8, 2008
The local option approach has long been favored by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and has consistently enjoyed Cagle’s support. Other business groups favor a 1 percent statewide tax increase, and House Speaker Glenn Richardson said several weeks ago he believes transportation solutions “should be statewide.” more »
Atlanta Business Chronicle--Cagle backs regional transportation tax with major twist
February 7, 2008
That's similar to a plan endorsed by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other business interests. "This development is a huge step forward in the transportation funding debate," said Charles Tarbutton, chairman of the Georgia chamber. "Now state leaders can dig in and find a consensus transportation solution," said Joe Leonard, chairman of AirTran Airways and the metro chamber's point man on transportation. more »
Albany Herald--Road funding plan mulled
February 3, 2008
As envisioned in a bill introduced last year, it would allow two or more adjacent counties to band together and ask their voters to approve a 1 percent regional sales tax for transportation projects. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce led the fight for the legislation in 2007 and backs it again this year. It is modeled after the highly successful special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST) votes that have become a fixture in counties and school districts across Georgia. more »
Florida Times Union—Transportation funding desired for all of Georgia
February 3, 2008
Charles Tarbutton, chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, which supports the plan, said some of the projects would be in the Governor's Road Improvement Program. That plan is meant to widen highways in rural Georgia to give more state residents access to multilane highways. "It's way behind schedule," said Tarbutton, from Sandersville. "It is very important to rural communities that that program be completed." Another example, he said, are the "last mile" projects at the Port of Savannah, roads meant to relieve congestion caused by trucks bringing the cargo from the rest of the state and the nation to ships for export. "Those have strategic importance to the state of Georgia despite the fact that the money gets invested in Chatham County," Tarbutton said. more »
Transportation funding desired for all of Georgia
February 2, 2008
The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that it is $7.7 billion short of having the funds it needs to make necessary improvements to the state's transportation system in the current six-year period. more »
Albany Herald: Lawmakers still face numerous transportation funding choices
January 31, 2008
…But Charles Tarbutton, chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Get Georgia Moving Coalition, said the state has the wherewithal to overhaul the DOT and pursue new transportation funding sources at the same time. "We understand the challenges facing (DOT)," said Tarbutton, assistant vice president of the Sandersville Railroad Co. "But we feel very confident that reform and funding can and should be addressed concurrently, so that 18 to 24 months from now, an improved DOT will have the resources needed to move forward with the infrastructure projects this state needs." more »
Marietta Daily Journal: Committee recommends two tax plans
January 31, 2008
…Charles Tarbutton, who chairs the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, said the report boils down to one conclusion: "Georgia needs new and innovative funding solutions for transportation." more »
Savannah Morning News: Two transit-funding formulas offered
January 31, 2008
…"Once those reforms are fully in place ... the money would be immediately available for their deployment," said Charles Tarbutton, incoming chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. more »
Athens Banner-Herald: New approach to transportation holds promise
January 31, 2008
Comments from the co-chairmen of a legislative study committee that spent last year looking at state transportation funding are a welcome indication that at least a part of this state's leadership is beginning to recognize roads are simply one component of transportation infrastructure. more »
Chattanooga Times-Free Press: Highway funding may be legislative tussle
January 31, 2008
…“We recognize the need for additional (transportation) funding,” said Charles K. Tarbutton, chairman for the Chamber. “The people of Georgia will have to decide whether they want a statewide or regional funding mechanism.” more »
Insider Advantage: Transportation Panel Unveils Recommendations For Funding Improvements, Other Steps
January 30, 2008
…The "Get Georgia Moving Coalition," which represents more than 50 groups across the state, lauded the recommendations. …"Today's recommendations from the study committee are the result of months of hard work and it all comes down to one conclusion - Georgia needs new and innovative funding solutions for transportation," said Charles Tarbutton, chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the coalition. more »
Associated Press: Transportation committee's report recommends two tax plans
January 30, 2008
… If business groups were upset lawmakers didn't endorse a specific tax plan, they didn't show it. "We have to spend money on transportation. We're very encouraged the committee has said a transportation funding bill will be passed," said Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. "The key question is: Will voters pay to fund transportation improvements? and I think they will.” more »
Atlanta Business Chronicle: Legislative task force backs regional penny for congestion
January 30, 2008
…The report also endorses legislation backed by the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and other groups for a regional penny sales tax to combat congestion in the Atlanta region, where traffic is second-worst in the nation. more »
