Georgia Department of Transportation

Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT)
Agency overview
Formed	1972
Preceding agencies	State Highway Department Georgia State Highway Commission
Jurisdiction	Georgia (U.S. state)
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Employees	6000 (as of 2001)[1]
Annual budget	$1.6 billion (as of 2001)[1]
Agency executive	Vance C. Smith, Jr., Commissioner
Website
http://www.dot.state.ga.us/

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs. GDOT is headquartered in downtown Atlanta and is part of the executive branch of state government.^[2]

GDOT has broken up the state of Georgia into seven districts in order to facilitate regional development. Each district is responsible for the planning, design, construction and maintenance of the state and federal highways in their region.

History

Origins

An act of the Legislature created the State Highway Department on August 16, 1916. Two years later, in 1918, the creation of the State Highway Department was followed by creation of the Georgia State Highway Commission, which made surveys and oversaw plans for road projects in Georgia.^[3] Finally, in 1972, it was followed by the creation of the Georgia Department of Transportation.^[1]

Department management

Georgia DOT is governed by a 13-member State Transportation Board that is elected by the Georgia General Assembly for a five-year^[4] term and is headed by a commissioner chosen from among the board members^[5]. The board's powers include designating which public roads are encompassed within the state highway system; approving long-range transportation plans; overseeing the administration of construction contracts; and authorizing lease agreements. Offices within the board, other than Commissioner, are Deputy Commissioner; Chief Engineer and Treasurer.^[6]

The Georgia Department of Transportation has several different divisions. They include:

• Division of Administration
• Chief Engineer
• Communications Division
• Division of Construction
• Division of Equal Employment Opportunity
• Division of Field Districts
• Division of Information Technology
• Division Legal Services
• Division of Operations
• Division of Planning, Data & Intermodal Development
• Division of Preconstruction
• Special Staff
• Treasurer

Possible reorganization

In February 2009, Governor Sonny Perdue, Lieutenant Governor Casey Cagle, and Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson announced a plan that would remove almost all authority from GDOT and the legislature and put it under themselves in a new State Transportation Authority. This would merge the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) and State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) together, leaving GDOT only to maintain roads. (Eliminating GDOT entirely would require an amendment to the state constitution.) On February 26, the GDOT board retaliated against chairwoman Gena Evans (who had been picked by Perdue) by firing her.

The state previously had a system under the governor rather than the legislature, in which he could (and often did) withhold highway funds from electoral districts represented by his political opponents. This system of political corruption and payback was reformed in 1963.^[7]

References

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