Now that funding is coming in from both state and federal sources, the Georgia Department of Transportation expects construction and maintenance projects to ramp up quickly across the state.
In fact, Georgia Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry told an audience at the University of North Georgia's Gainesville campus that 2016 will be the "year of the orange barrel."
"This time last year we didn't know where we were going to be exactly, but we knew transportation [funding] was an issue," McMurry said.
He then credited state leaders, including Governor Nathan Deal, with making a successful push for the Transportation Funding Act of 2015.
"Coupled with the FAST Act on the federal level, I would suggest to you that it's the single biggest...infrastructure decision made last year except for the creation of excise tax...to fund transportation - that's how big what happened last year is," McMurry said.
McMurry said that the extra dollars will mean new transportation projects will move forward, but first, he wants to see major improvements along existing roads.
"Our focus on taking care of our existing infrastructure is fundamental," said McMurry. "We have to take care of what we have first...we've slid way past where we need to be with overall conditions of the roads."
What that means, according to McMurry, is doubling the investment in mowing grass and picking up litter along state roadsides. He said interstate roadsides will be mowed four times a year instead of three and all the state routes will be mowed three times per year instead of two.
"Patching roads, filling cracks, cleaning ditches out, cutting trees and overhanging growth back...we're doing over double the investment of what we've done in the past," said McMurry.
McMurry also acknowledged that bridge repair and replacement is key to shoring up Georgia's economy, noting that the bridges over Lake Lanier are a vital part of Hall County's infrastructure.
McMurry, along with other state and local transportation officials, spoke to about 200 people at the Annual Transportation Forum sponsored by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce.
Looks for related stories on the Annual Transportation Forum on AccessWDUN this weekend.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/3/376457/extra-money-from-state-federal-governments-to-speed-along-transportation-projects