The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) announced that it has awarded 10 road projects across the state totaling $118 million in Dec.
Out of the 10 road projects, the largest award was approximately $62 million. The project is located in Fulton County where crews plan to widen and reconstruct over three miles of State Route 9. The project accounts for over half of the money GDOT awarded in Dec.
According to a news release from GDOT, in fiscal year 2024, GDOT awarded over $1 billion in projects.
Last week, the House Transportation Committee approved House Bill 516, changing the maximum amount allowed to be spent on a project "when the public interest requires that the work be done without the delay of advertising for public bids."
The measure increases the amount GDOT can spend on an emergency construction or maintenance project under the agency's Quick Response Project Program fromm $200,000 to $500,000. Lawmakers said this change was needed due to increasing costs. The program allows GDOT to identify and initiate smaller traffic projects onm state roads without waiting for full transportation board approval.
"We just do three bids, but we can get it started in a couple [of] weeks," state Rep. Derrick McCollum said during a House Transportation Committee hearing. "So that's something that is needed."
The committee also advanced HB 617, which codifies the statewide freight and logistics implementation plan.
"Across our state, freight and logistics issues are critical," state Rep. Rick Jasperse said during a committee hearing. "How we go about putting money behind those is [what] this bill does."
"We don't wave magic wands," Jasperse said. "They're all long-term plans, but this will help everybody know where they're at. It will allow planning for the increase of not just the roadside, but also on [the] economic development side."
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Source: TheCenterSquare.com
