Year of the Interstates 
1978 . 1979 
 
  Table of Contents 1- Organization 2- Summary 3- Systems Development 4- Personnel 5- Public Relations & Information 6- Engineering Services 7- Planning & Programming 8- Preconstruction 9- Construction 
a. General Office b. The Districts 10- Operations 11- Administration 12- History 13- Statistics & Charts 
2 
 
 THOMAS D. MORELAND 
COMMISSIONER STATE HIGHWAY ENGINEER 
EMORY C. PARRISH 
DEPUTY COMMISSIONER 
 
~cpartmcut of <Qrrausportatiou 
~tate of eorgm 
~o. Z Qla)ritol ~qmtre 
J\tlanta, eorgia 30334 
 
HAL RIVES 
ASST STATE HIGHWAY ENGINEER 
DANIEL 0. KELLY 
TREASURER 
 
Honorable George Busbee, Governor State of Georgia State Capitol Atlanta, Georgia 30334 
Dear Governor Busbee: 
I am pleased to present the Annual Report for the Georgia ~epartment of Transportation for Fiscal Year 1978. 
The Report is titled 11 1977-1978, the Year of the Interstates, 11 because the Department feels this was the major thrust of the DOT and one of the prime accomplish~ents for transportation in Georgia. 
As the Executive and Legislative branches are aware, Georgias original interstate system is now completed and open to traffic. It was completed earlier than anticipated because the Executive anrl Legislative branches displayed foresight and wisdom in providin~ advance funding for many segments of this tremendous highway system. 
Not only was Fiscal 1978 the year of the interstates, but a great year for all highways in Georgia. Immeasurable progress was made in restoring the State Highway System to a higher level of service and rehabilitating many miles of off-system roads and bridges. In fact, it was a fine year for all transportation activities of the DnT. 
Our appreciation to you and members of the reneral Assembly for your support and confidence, because of which we have one of the finest transportation systems in the United States. 
Yours truly, 
Thomas !':'. '1oreland 
 
3 
 
 Georgia Department of Transportation Organizational Chart 
People 
 
I 
Governor 
 
State Transportation 
Board 
I 
Commissioner 
& St<"JI(' H1ghw<'!y Engm{'er 
 
I General Assembly 
 
I 
Secretary Treasurer 
 
I 
I Deputy 
Commissioner 
 
I 
Offtn of Systems Dewlopm<:'nt 
 
I 
Personnel Office 
 
I 
I Assistant State I Highway Engineer 
I 
Information Office 
 
I Engineering 
Services 
 
I 
Planning & Programming 
Division I 
H Office of Programming 
-1 Office of Policy Planning 
 
I 
Pre-Construction Division I 
H Office of Road & Airport DPsign 
HOffice of Urban & MultiModal DesiCJn 
 
Construction Division 
I 
 
~ 
 
Office of Construction 
 
HOffice of Materials & Research 
 
-1 
 
Planning Data 
I Services Section 
 
--1 Office of Bridge & Structural Design 
 
H Office of Contract Administration 
 
- 
 
Urban Systems 
I PlanninCJ S<:'ction 
 
State Wtde Systems -i Planning Section 
 
-1 OfficP of Location 
 
y 
 
Office of Right of Wily 
 
1 Bureau of Public Transportation 
 
f1urf'11U of 
Aeronautics 
 
Sl'Vl'n Dis! rict 
Offices 
Dist. 1 Gainesville 
- Dist. 2 Tennille Dist. :l Thom,lston Dtsl. ~Tifton Dist. 5 Jesup Dist (, C'.Hiersvill<' Dtst. 7 Atlanta 
 
I 
Operations Division 
I 
 
~ 
 
Office of Maintenance 
 
H 
 
Office of Utilities 
 
I 
Administration Division 
(Secretar~'  Treasurer) 
1 
-1 Office of General Accounting 
1Office of Audits~:J Fiscal Procedur~s 
 
I_, Office of Traffic Engineering & Safety 
 
l 
 
Office of General Support Services 
 
I~ I ~ Office of Permits & Enforcem<'nt 
 
Office of Air Trilnsportation 
 
y Office of State Aid 
 
4 
 
 Organization 
 
Responsible for providing the people of Georgia with the most efficient transportation systems possible, the Georgia Department of Transportation does more than plan, design and build highways. It plans for mass transportation, rail and air transportation needs in the state and serves as an avenue for funding these means of moving people and their goods. 
State law under Title 95A (The Georgia Code of Public Transportation) states that the Department of Transportation shall consist of the State Transportation Board, the commissioner, a deputy commissioner, a state highway engineer, a treasurer and "such subordinate employees as may be deemed necessary by the commissioner." This law also provides that the commissioner or deputy commissioner may serve as the state highway engineer as long as he is a "professional engineer registered in accordance with the provisions (of the Ia w) and who (is) experienced in highway engineering." 
In order to meet the challenge of providing more than five million Georgians and more than a million annual visitors with the best transportation system available, the DOT is organized into five division: Planning/ Programming, Pre-construction, Construction, Operations and Administration and the four support offices: Systems Development, Personnel, Public Relations and Information and Engineering Services. 
In the process of changing transportation needs into realities, projects move from the Planning and Programming Division, through the stages of the Preconstruction Division to the Construction Division. Afterwards, the Operations Division takes over. This simplified flow assures the essential steps in making an idea into concrete and asphalt. However, it doesn't convey the whole picture. 
Considered by some to be the Department's creative center, the Planning and Programming Division, after careful consideration, programs the transportation needs into the state's overall plan in order to have these needs identified when funds become available. Due to the economic situation for the past five years, the Department has had a "low road" and a "high road" program, with the "low road" needs having the higher priority. When more money becomes available to the DOT, those needs 
on the "high road" program will be considered for implementation. 
 
Subdivisions of Planning/ Programming include the Office of Programming, the Office of Policy Planning, Planning Data Services, Urban Systems Planning, State wide Systems Planning, the Bureau of Public Transportation and the Bureau of Aeronautics. 
Responsible for the design, location and right-of-way acquisition phases of any transportation project, the Preconstruction Division takes up where long range planning leaves off. It conducts all those activities necessary to bring the project to the letting stage and moves the project closer to construction. 
There are five offices under this division: the Office of Road and Airport Design, the Office of Urban and Multi-Modal Design, the Office of Bridge and Structural Design, the Office of Location and Office of Right of Way. 
The Construction Division includes the Office of Construction, responsible for evaluating construction operation needs and assuring that construction is done according to specifications. The Office of Materials and Research provides technical advice on quality control of construction materials, geotechnical engineering service, transportation related research and maintenance. The Office of Contract Administration places all DOT construction projects under contract and authorizes payments to the contractors for continuing construction. 
The Department's seven district offices located at Gainesville, Tennille, Thomaston, Tifton, Jesup, Cartersville and Atlanta are under this division, and they are responsible for design, maintenance and construction projects within their own territories. 
Assigned the broad tasks of maintaining and managing the State Highway System, the Operations Division's primary duty is to insure that the system is operated and maintained at the highest level. This involves continuous re-evaluation of the condition of the system as well as improving upon it to make the roads safer and more serviceable. Under this division are the Offices of Maintenance, Utilities, Traffic and Safety, Permits and Enforcement, and State Aid. 
Fiscal management responsibility is assigned to the Division of Administration with its Offices of General Accounting, Audits and Fiscal Procedures and General Support Services. 
 
5 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
'[-OF 
C, G' ITA ~ }f~'1~~1/c-J~ j_ { ( rl ~j 
OUTLINE MAP SHOWING 
.. COUNTIES 
BOARD MEMBERS 
WITH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS 
< 
6 
 
 The Office of Air Transportation is also under this division. As a part of the supporting arm of the Department, the offices 
of Systems Development, Personnel, Public Relations and Information, and Engineering Support Services provide specialized knowledge in computer operations, personnel management, media and public relations, and cost estimations, as well as reviewing and developing plans and specifications. 
Formed to meet the DOT's need for an internal unit to handle the Depar.tment's data processing matters, the Office of Systems Deve lopment develops computer programs and serves as a liaison with the Department of Administrative Services' computer operations. 
To administer personnel need s of the DOT the Office of Personnel has many specialists whose skills include employee trammg, equal employment opportunity, perso nnel management and organizational studies among others. 
In an organization as diverse, complex and publicly oriented as the DOT, there must be an office that can communicate with the citizenry and public media . This is the task of the Public Relations and Information Office. 
Engineering Services has the tasks of reviewing projects, estimating their costs before they go to contract and developing specifications. The principal function of this unit is to administer the Certification Acceptance (CA) process to the Federal Highwa y Ad ministration and review plans for cost effectiveness. 
Transportation Board 
A discussion of the DOT's organization would not be complete without an understanding of its governing bod y, the State Transportation Board which has a member from each of Georgia's Congressional districts. 
Created to provide general control and supervision over the Department , the Board designates the roads to be on the State Highway System, approves negotiated construction contracts, elects the commissioner, confirms the appointment of the deputy commissioner, the state highway engineer, the treasurer and the assistant treasurer and approves all long-range plans and programs of the Department. 
Members are elected by a majority of a General Assembly caucus from each of the I0 congressional districts. Each member serves a five-year term , with the terms staggered so that two members are chosen each year. 
A majority of the Board constitutes a quorum for conducting business, including the election or removal of the commissioner. Any power of the Board (except where restricted by law) can be exercised by a majority vote of a quorum. This majority elects its own chairman , vice-chairman and treasurer. The first two officers must be Board members, but the treasurer may be a nonmember. All officers serve at the Board's pleasure. 
 
Board members during Fiscal Year 1978 were: 
 
District One- J . 0 . Bacon 
 
District Six- Young Longino 
 
District Two- Hugh Broome District Seven -Tom Mitchell 
 
District Three - Frank Morast District Eight - Jimmy Conner 
 
District Four- Bill Evans 
 
District Nine -Troy Simpson 
 
District Five- Peyton Hawes District Ten- Tom Carr 
 
7 
 
 Summary 
 
The past Fiscal Year (July I, 1977 to June 30, 1978) saw great progress on the interstate system in Georgia. For the largest state east of the Mississippi, it was "The Year of the Interstate." 
Between November 22 and December 23, 1977, the Georgia Department of Transportation opened in their entireties Interstate 20, 75, 85 and 95. On September 22, 1978, the Department opened the final segment of Interstate 16 to complete the original interstate system in Georgia. Also more than seven miles were opened on I-185 in the western part of the state in August of 1978. 
After lengthy consideration, the DOT selected line B - the westernmost route - for the construction of I-675 in southeast Atlanta. Projects were let for work on I-575 going toward Tate and work on I-520 in Augusta continued. The Georgia Transportation Plan, also approved during this time, projects September 1982 as the completion date for I-520. Completion dates for I-420, I-575, and I-675 have not been projected.  
Even as the interstate system in Georgia was being completed, extensive work was begun to rehabilitate and reconstruct the older segments which were beginning to wear under traffic volumes far exceeding design predictions. Additional work was begun to improve safety and capacity, with the major portion of this reconstruction and rehabilitation taking place in the metro Atlanta area. 
Sections of I-285, the Atlanta Perimeter Highway, and 1-20 east and west of the city, are being widened to six and eight lanes. Sections of I-75 south and northwest of Atlanta are being widened to six, eight and 10 lanes. These projects, implemented in FY'78, are the preludes to the widening of Interstates 20, 75 and 85 within the City of Atlanta and the eventual widening of all of I-285 to eight lanes. 
All told, Fiscal Year 1978 was the beginning of what could be the largest reconstruction and rehabilitation effort in a major metropolitan area in the United States. 
In addition to its reconstruction program, the Department has begun a concerted effort to rehabilitate its concrete freeways. This program, initially financed 100 per cent with state funds, is under way on I-475 and I-75 in central Georgia, with grinding and slab adjustment as the major efforts. In other areas, asphalt overlays are being applied following grinding and adjustment. 
One of the Department's most successful and highly accepted programs, the Local Assistance Road Program (LARP), was continued last year with $31 million spent on 259 projects covering more than 2,100 miles of resurfacing. LARP projects help cities and counties alleviate serious road maintenance problems, largely caused by severe winters and the lack of attention due to insufficient funds and expertise. 
During Fiscal Year 1978, more than $14 million was spent on LARP's companion, the Local Assistance Bridge Program 
 
(LAB), to replace more than 200 off-system bridges. Another $10.5 million in federal aid money was obtained for additional bridge replacements or repairs. To expedite LAB projects, the DOT used the innovative approach of developing plans for four standard types of superstructures with a minimum roadway width of 28 feet. Contractors could develop their own plans if they wished, but many of them found that the standard plans accommodated a large variety of spans and hastened project completions. 
In other modes of transportation over the past year, the Department evolved an Airport Operational Improvement Plan and produced the first State Rail Plan and received approval of the Georgia Transportation Plan to the year 2000. 
The Airport Operational Improvement Plan is designed to assist local airports with maintenance but not with new construction. It is funded from state general funds, with $500,000 appropriated in July 1977 and the same amount in January 1978. These funds cover 75 per cent of the cost to resurface and mark 15 runways, I0 taxiways and eight aircraft parking aprons and to re-mark 30 airports. For Fiscal Year '79, $1 million dollars was appropriated to continue the program. 
The new State Rail Plan was produced in March 1978 and enabled the DOT to determine which of the 2,600 miles of branch lines in the state are most critical to the state's transportation needs and to set priorities for preserving them against abandonment. The new plan could result in financial assistance to railroads to improve these lines or to underwrite their losses until line use can be increased. 
To streamline the preconstruction and construction processes in Georgia, the DOT last year began simplifying prequa1ifications of contractors, enabling and encouraging more of them to bid on projects. Requirements for subcontractors have been revised to allow more, and smaller, subcontractors to participate. The simplification of requirements abets competitive bidding and better bid prices. 
To aid the Division of Construction in scheduling work under traffic, a new system of projecting traffic volumes was begun in FY'78. The new system indicates days when work under traffic can be done with minimum traffic delay and at the same time alerts the general public to possible congestion on major travelways during holiday periods. 
During this time, the Georgia DOT continued its program of economy efficiency by keeping its personnel forces below the 7,000 mark,down more than 2,000 since the 1974 energy crisisenabling the DOT to place more than 60 per cent of its expenditures into actual construction projects. 
The Department made payments to commercial contractors of more than $237.4 million and assisted cities and counties with more than $20 million. Payments of more than $24.9 million went to utility relocation and right-of-way. 
 
8 
 
 Primary System contracts let during FY'78 totaled 6,919 miles for $178,699,771.54. Secondary System contracts during this period totaled 8 ,599 miles for $44,184,614.97. State-aid totaled 12,860 miles for $82 ,566,764 .96 , and Authority projects totaled 93 miles for $2,018,636.10. APD funds totaled $1,306,876.68. 
In an effort to help local governments help themselves with their road maintenance, the Department developed a free , fiveday Road Maintenance Training Program for Maintenance Foremen of Cities and Counties. Last year 105 cities and 79 counties sent a total of 394 maintenance people through the week-long program in seven districts received international. This attention because of its uniqueness and economic importance. Major topics covered were pavement and shoulder maintenance, drainage, ditching and roadside maintenance, detecting bridge maintenance needs, and traffic control through construction or maintenance sites. 
Importa.nt legislation affecting the DOT was passed in Fiscal Year 1978. The Department was given the authority to license all publicly and privately owned airports used by the general public. Licenses must be held by all airports operating after September 30 , 1979 . 
Legislation was written to prevent truck drivers from avoiding overweight fines by adjusting air axles to equalize weight after they had been weighed by DOT enforcement officers. 
 
Relative to truck weight enforcement, the DOT opened its first permanent weighing station in east-central Georgia, featuring two sets of scales. The first allows trucks to be weighed while in motion; suspected weight violators are directed to a second scale for static weighing. This method allows weighing 100 per cent of the truck traffic on that road with considerable speed and accuracy. 
In addition to legislation concerning trucks themselves, a new law now enables operators who have received citations a 15-day period to pay fines, rather than having to pay them on site. 
DOT enforcement officers last year were given the power to direct traffic around construction and maintenance work areas or at accident sites until other law-enforcement officers arrive. Enforcement officers now may enforce titter laws and other laws authorized by the governor or where circumstances demand immediate action. 
Fiscal Year '78 legislation enabled the DOT to provide technical aid to private industries in setting up ride-sharing programs for employees. The DOT previously could assist only government agencies and private companies which are in the transportation business. 
 
9 
 
  Office of Systems Development 
II 
 
 The Office of Systems Development was established in 1972 to direct the development of data processing services within the Department. Since the state government reorganization in 1972, the OSD has served as liaison between DOT computers users and the Department of Administrative Services' computer operations. 
In 1977, the DOT acquired a minicomputer to provide departmental users with convenient and efficient data processing in a direct-access, time-sharing environment. The minicomputer data center operated by the OSD now includes off-line plotting equipment, digitizers, and a graphics terminal. Since the installation of the minicomputer, terminals have been installed in six downtown offices and in three remote locations around Atlanta- the Aerial Survey Lab, Forest Park Lab and in the Planning Data Services Section on New Peachtree Road. 
The ready availability of such ready access to data processing services has stimulated computer use in the DOT. 
Major accomplishments of the Office of Systems Development during Fiscal Year 1978 were: 
1. Installation of a HASP Remote Job (RJE) connection from the minicomputer to a large mainframe computer; 2. Specification and installation of equipment on the minicomputer required for operating the automatic Traffic Polling System; 3. Installation of several major engineering applications on the minicomputer; 4. Installation of Summagraphic digitzers and associated equipment; 5. Expansion of the capability of the minicomputer to handle additional users and applications by tripling the disc storage capacity of the system; 6. Updating the DOT Electronic Data Processing (EDP) Plan to FY 79, 80 and 81; 7. Establishment of controls over expenditures for modification and maintenance of systems and programs on DOAS computers, in cooperation with an appropriate DOAS liaison group. The HASP RJE connection from the DOT minicomputer to an IBM 370/158 mainframe provides the DOT users with access to that computer using the minicomputer's tape drives, card reader, disk drives and printers. This arrangement was installed mainly to allow convenient processing of programs written in BAL, the IBM assembly language, and in nonFORTRAN compiler languages without requiring the rewriting of the programs. It also allows for processing very large and complex systems such as the Integrated Civil Engineering System (ICES) and the Road Design System (RDS) on the mainframe through the minicomputer. The transfer of the traffic polling operation to the minicomputer will result in significant savings to the DOT and to the DOAS. The major polling sequences will then be scheduled to occur during off-hours and consequently will not affect minicomputer availability to other users. Complete conversion is scheduled for the end of January, 1979. Among the major engineering applications converted to the minicomputer during this period were a COGO (Coordinate Geometry) system to provide the capability for highway design and drawing and the CUG AR 2 program for analyzing and designing curved girders in bridges. The Bridge Inventory and Bridge Inspection Systems were also converted from the DOAS IBM computer. The improved controls on data processing costs for maintenance and modofication of system in DOAS computers are ensuring that DOT users making these requests are aware of the costs and can justify them. These controls are the culmination of the DOT's efforts to reduce costs while maximizing benefits obtained by using DOAS computer facilities. This emphasis will continue. 
12 
 
 Office of Personnel 
13 
 
 14 
 
 Personnel 
 
It is the responsibility of the Office of Personnel to serve the varied manpower needs of the Department. To this end, the staff of the Office of Personnel provides assistance to the offices of the DOT in such areas as personnel management, staffing, employee relations, organizational studies and equal employment opportunities. It also provides services to the employees, such as training, employee safety and accident prevention, career counseling, alcoholism and drug abuse rehabilitation and, others. In addition, this office is responsible for the general office mail services, office equipment transfer and miscellaneous services. 
A major activity of this office during FY 1978 was negotiating with the State Merit System to alleviate the adverse effects of the statewide reclassification (Hay) study on the department. Although many problems were resolved in FY 1977, the Department began FY'78 with approximately I ,150 of its employees slated to be downgraded when the survey took effect. The office staff, working closely with departmental managment, reduced the number of adversely affected employees to approximately 120 out of 4,463 employees scheduled to experience a reduction in position. 
During this period, the Personnel Office worked with the Federal Highway Administration in conducting comprehensive review of several other offices in the DOT to assure that these offices were in compliance with Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In addition, 69 compliance reviews of contracting firms were conducted in FY'78 to determine that EEO regulations were being met. Also, two city planning agencies that contract with the DOT were reviewed for EEO compliance. 
It is significant that as of June 30, 1978, the makeup of the Department's total workforce showed a 3.1 per cent increase in minority employees compared to June 30, 1977. 
One of the responsibilities of the Office of Personnel is to carefully evaluate all requests for employee promotions. Only employees who have shown they are well qualified are promoted, provided their responsibilities are appropriate to the classification being requested and that the Department has a genuine need for those duties and responsibilities. During FY -78 the Personnel Office staff completed reviews on 483 promotion requests. 
 
This office conducts a department-wide employee safety and accident prevention program aimed at reducing and/ or eliminating job-related accidents by DOT employees. During FY'78 the Department almost completed the year without a fatal accident. It closed out the fiscal year with only one death due to a job-related accident. This was a 50 per cent reduction over FY77. 
During this fiscal year, employees had 47 fewer motor vehicle accidents than in FY-77 and 887 fewer man-days of work were lost as the result of serious accidents. These figures indicate that the safety program has been a success and has saved the Department thousands of dollars in fewer man-days lost and in less damage to DOT equipment. In all probability it has saved the lives of some of its employees. 
The Personnel Office sponsored a wide variety of both general and specialized training programs for the Department's employees. During this past year, 415 training programs were conducted with 5,796 DOT people participating. Several new training programs were implemented. The most significant of these was the Maintenance Foremen Academy, a two week inhouse program that stresses supervisory skills and technical training for first-line roadway maintenance supervisors, and the Equipment Operators' School, a one-week in-house program designed to improve operating skills as well as operator maintenance abilities for DOT equipment operators. 
An additional grant of approximately one-half million dollars was received by this office from the Comprehensive Employment Training Act (CET A). This grant enabled the Department to hire some 70 employees statewide who are paid in total from federal funds. This allowed the Department to use its state revenues for other transportation purposes. 
A hot line to the Personnel Office was established during this fiscal year, allowing employees to call in questions concerning employment matters. It also continued its very successful Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Program. This program seeks to rehabilitate those employees who have drinking or drug problems so that they can again become productive employees instead of liabilities to the Department and the taxpayers of Georgia. 
 
15 
 
 16 
 
 Office of Public Information 
17 
 
 With the final completion of Georgia's original Interstates- I-16, I-20, I-75, I-85 and I-95, the Office of Information and Public Relations found itself in a flurry of activities preparing for the Department's part in the festive openings, particularly in December 1977 when three openings happened in one week. 
But highway openings were just a part of the activities the PI/ PR Office participated in or initiated. In addition to the usual news release, (some 150 were written during this period) this office continued publishing the TRANSLATOR, the monthly news magazine, and its news clipping service, Transformation, which keeps Department management informed on coverage by the press. 
Two brochures on Georgia's romantic covered brioges were added to the office's standard brochure and pamphlet inventory. These new brochures proved so popular that requests have nearly depleted the second printing. 
Possibly the most sustained publicity drive during this fiscal year concerned the Road Maintenance Training Program for Cities and Counties. Coyerage in state and national publications, such as Public Works Magazine and the AASHTO Quarterly generated requests for information about the program from as far away as Canada and California. 
Another PR campaign was auto-emissions testing, conducted by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources. Shopping centers, cooperating with the state, allowed testing crews to set up in their parking lots to test customer's cars on a voluntary basis. This cooperation required the coordinating efforts of the PI/ PR Office, which also arranged news media coverage._ 
The PI/ PR Office continued to maintain its good relationship with the state's news media, which is absolutely essential if the Department is to get its message to the public. This rapport is reinforced by the Department's top managers, who are cooperative whenever the press calls for information 
One of the regular news releases that receives a lot of attention from the news media is the traffic count report, which is furnished by Planning Data Services to the PR/ PI Office. These reports get a good bit of coverage during the holiday periods. Although designed for predicting good times to do construction work under traffic, the forecasts have proven useful to travelers during peak traffic periods. 
During the past year over 160 radio reports were made each weekend which radio stations used as a service to the motoring public. This involved 30-second announcements used every hour beginning on Fridays and running through the weekends. 
Other tasks performed by this office during FY 1978 included writing some 50 speeches for top Department management and Board members, delivering some 30 to 35 speeches by PI/ PR officers, answering an estimated 175 telephone calls a day and responding to various and sundry letters. the PI/ PR Office developed another award-winning display which was used by the districts as well, and it coordinated the National Transportation Week activities among the several transportation organizations in Georgia. 
The public continues to call404-656-5267 for the daily road condition report that this office provides. This is one of the more heavily used services of this office. During normal working hours this number is the main phone for the PI/ PR Offic-e, but after hours a recording is provided. In inclement weather, this has proven to be a real boon to the public. 
During this fiscal year, four new slide programs were developed, ranging in subject from the history of the transportation in Georgia to Atlanta expressways. 
This office provides publicity or printing assistance to other offices within the Department as requested. During the past year it helped several other sections of the DOT. An example of this isthe help the PI/ PR Office gave the Employees' Safety Coordinator in promoting safety by publishing a weekly SAFE T MAN brochure, which went to maintenance people working on ,the state's highways. 
18 
 
 Office of Enginnering Services 
 
 Engineering Services 
Created in 1974, the Office of Engineering Services periodically reviews each federal-aid project to insure that all federal and state procedures are followed . Its primary function is to administer the Certification Acceptance (CA) plan to the Federal Highway Administration. 
In 1974, Georgia was the first state in the nation to obtain FHWA approval of a CAplan which allows the state DOT to approve in-house many of the procedures on federal-aid projects which had previously required FHW A approval. 
During Fiscal Year 1978 , Engineering Services published a new Standard Specifications Book for the Department which went into effect in Aprill978. The previous one was printed in 1972 . 
This office reviewed the 926 projects let to contract by the DOT during FY'78 and performed 125 field inspections. The Cost Estimating Section of this office estimated the cost of these 926 projects to be $410 ,138 ,794.50 , and the average bids received were8.54 per cent higher than the estimates, which is well within an acceptable range. However, some of the increased cost is d irectly attributable to an unusually high inflation rate during 1978. 
20 
 
  Division of Planning & Programming 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Planning and Programming Division are: 
+ Steps taken to decrease preconstruction time and efforts on local government projects; + Search continued for non-gasoline tax revenues for transportation; + Statewide Transportation Plan adopted; + Five corridor studies, six regional studies and three site studies for the construction work program completed; + Transportation plans adopted for the urban and urbanized areas of Albany, Columbus, Savannah, Dalton, LaGrange, Rome and Waycross. + Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP) were prepared or updated for all urbanized transportation studies; + Inventory made of off-system bridges; + Monthly traffic trends published; + Georgia Rail Plan completed and adopted; + Atlanta Ridesharing/ Carpooling program begun; + Eleven capital airport assistance projects funded; + One and one-third million dollars let for 19 Airport Operational Improvement Program projects. 
23 
 
 During the period July I, 1977 to June 30, 1978, the Office of Programming continued its chief responsibility of managing the Construction Work Program to ensure that cost effective projets are in the program to use anticipated revenue over the next five years. Further, the office has completed the paper work necessary for federal funding on projects for implementation during this time, and it maintained fund balances in all federalaid categories. 
The Office of Programming coordinated project selection with the Office of State Aid, the seven district offices and the local governments to use the funds appropriated by the General Assembly, for the Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) and Local Assistance Bridge (LAB) projects. 
A great step was taken this year to improve the coordination between the Department and local governments as a means to reduce future preconstruction time and effort. A procedure was implemented whereby the Office of Programming contacts the local governments when a project on a local road or a low volume state highway is considered for addition to the Construction Work Program. The contact is to determine the local government's support for the project and to obtain its written agreements to undertake the right-of-way acquisition and/ or utility relocation for the project. This process should minimize the number of projects in the program, especially where the local government will not accept its responsibility in project implementation before preconstruction activities begin. 
Another highlight was the continued effort by this office in seeking non-gasoline tax federal dollars to be used for transportation. This effort was started several years ago and during this period this office, in coordination with local governments, was successful in acquiring more than $20 million for Georgia. 
This period also saw much progress in this office's efforts in field evaluations of candidate projects for addition to the Construction Work Program. Through this effort, the office is insuring that only good, cost-effective projects are being added to the program. 
The Policy Planning section provided technical assistance to Gov. George Busbee as a member of the National Governor's Association Transportation Committee, technical assistance to the Commissioner and the Board on federal and state legislation. Also composed and monitored the annual departmental goals and coordinated the Policy Committee which addressed the energy policy, and the 1978 U.S. Surface Transportation Act. 
The Office of Statewide Planning has responsibility for three important functions. First is the development and maintenance of a comprehensive statewide 20-year transportation plan. Second, the office is responsible for identifying transportation 
 
improvement projects for the Department's construction work program. The third duty is the designation of state-aid and federal-aid routes and urban area boundaries throughout the state. 
As of January I, 1978, Georgia had more than 102,000 miles of public roads. Nearly 18 per cent (18.344 miles) composed the officially designated State Highway System. This system is composed of the existing roadways improved and maintained by the Department. Designating this system, along with the federalaid routes and urban boundaries, is necessary to make clear the funding sources for construction and maintenance. Administering the U.S. numbered routes on the other hand, serves a different-though no less important-purpose. By designating and numbering these routes, travel on the main interstate corridors is made easier for the motorist. 
Identifying improvement projects for the construction work program is a job that involves a series of regional, corridor and site-specific studies, using as a guide the needs identified in the statewide transportation plan. This in turn requires detailed analysis of local travel characteristics, roadway design, local land use patterns, and projected development. Projects identified in these studies are furnished to the Department's Office of Programming for the annual update to the Construction Work Program. Five corridor studies were completed in the second half of FY'78, along with six regional studies and three site-specific studies. 
High among the notable milestone achievements of the Department in Fiscal Year 1978 was the adoption of a statewide transportation plan. Outlining broad goals and programs for Georgia's extensive transportation system through the year 2000, it includes $12.4 billion in recommendations for improving the state's highways. In 
formulating the plan, the office considered such important factors as the expected 21 per cent increase in population by 1990 and the estimated 57.8 per cent increase in vehicle miles traveled. The enormous growth in personal income (380 per cent) since 1950 and the tripling of the state's gross output over this same perid were taken as impressive signs pointing to a bright future for Georgia. A big sustainer of the future growth will continue to be the state's extensive transportation system as Georgia assumes a stronger economic role with the approach of the 21st century. 
During FY'78, the Urban Planning Section had transportation plans adopted by the local governments and the State Transportation Board for the urbanized areas of Albany, Columbus and Savannah, and for the urban areas of Dalton, LaGrange, Rome and Waycross. In addition, work was completed for transportation studies in the urbanized areas of 
 
24 
 
 Atlanta, Augusta and Macon, and the urban area of Brunswick. These plans are in the process of being adopted. 
Certification reviews of the transportation planning process for the urbanized areas were conducted by the regional and division offices of the Federal Highway Administration and the regional offices of the Urban Mass Transit Administration. The subsequent certification of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Planning Process is especially noteworthy, because it is one of only a few major studies in this nation that has received unconditional certification of its process and resulting regional transportation plan. 
Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP) were prepared and/ or updated for all of the urbanized transportation studies. 
Transportation studies were begun for the urban areas of Thomasville and Dublin. These are being accomplished by a shortened transportation planning process which takes approximately 180 days and which has been developed primarily by DOT personnel over a period of several years. 
Computer software and processing procedures were developed for the electronic digitizer to enhance automatic plotting capabilities for graphically displaying planning information. 
In cooperation with the Department's Environmental Anal_'Jis Bureau, the Atlanta Regional Commission and the Environmental Protection Division of the Department of Natural Resources, the testing of the Transportation System Management type projects was begun in an effort to determine their potential for improving air quality. The results will become a part of the revised State Implementation Plan for air quality. 
The duties of Planning Data Services are to document the locations, length and characteristics of existing roads to measure the system's usage and to provide general maps and various transportation statistics. 
Traffic data plays an increasingly important role in many areas of the Department. A State Traffic Flow Map is published annually. Short-term traffic projections are provided on the state's Interstate highways to assist in planning construction and maintenance activities. Monthly traffic trends are distributed. Excepting MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority), ridership surveys are conducted annually on all of the state's major public transit systems. In several of Georgia's major urban areas, surveys were conducted to determine auto emission levels. 
An inventory of all off-system bridges, including the generation of a data base that contains inspection information provided by the Office of Maintenance, has been completed. For 
 
the first time, information to compute engineering sufficiency ratings for this category of bridges will be available. 
The Department's official state highway map was completely redesigned for the 1978 - 79 issue. Strip maps of the state's Interstate system are prominently featured and include numbering of the interchange access and exits. The 1978 - 79 State Aeronautical Chart was completed. With the cooperation and assistance of the Bureau of Aeronautics, the chart was prepared completely in-house for the first time. 
The Bureau of Public Transportation carries out the DOT's public transportation program for both the urban and rural areas of the state. This program includes short-and long-range planning, marketing, developing a transit data base, transit surveys, fiscal assistance to local areas for technical capital and demonstration programs, statewide transit planning efforts, transportation programs for the elderly and handicapped, and rural transportation programs. 
In the area of railroad transportation planning, FY'78 saw significant steps taken. The Georgia Rail Plan, which identified the critically needed branch rail lines in the state, was adopted. Also, the initial survey of these lines for a safety inventory was completed and the relocation study of a railroad in Valdosta was finished. Satisfactory progress was made on railroad relocation projects in LaGrange, Waycross and Augusta. 
The bureau is currently administering and providing technical assistance to the "147 Program" in the 10-county Athens area. This program is an FHWA Rural Public Transportation Project designed to coordinate a public transportation system around Athens. In another public transit area, the bureau has delivered 42 vehicles to 42 counties under the "16 (b) (2)" program, which provides vehicles to private, non-profit organizations for transporting the elderly and handicapped in rural counties. 
Project FARE, (Financial Accounting, Reporting and Evaulation) was implemented. This provides a method of presenting to the federal government a compilation of the financial and operating costs of eight of Georgia's urban mass transit operations. These eight are Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Rome and Savannah. Other information was compiled in the Georgia Transit Fact Book during this FY'78 period. 
Carpooling, vanpooling and ridesharing continued to receive attention from the Department as it developed and implemented a metro Atlanta ridesharing/ carpooling program for the area's larger employers. It completed the location procedures and design for the Flat Shoals park-and-ride lot in Atlanta and has received authorization to develop three additional metro parkand-ride facilities. 
 
25 
 
 The Bureau of Aeronautics' activities include statewide airport system planning, individual airport master planning, airport project programming and funding, the publication and distribution of state aeronautical charts and airport directories, and the sponsorship of safety seminars for the flying public. 
In FY'78 , II capital improvement projects were funded with $269 ,099 from state funds . Local funds of $278 ,481 , along with Federal Aviation Administration funds of$2 ,888 ,945 , produced $3 ,436 ,525 in capital improvements. 
Capital assistance programs such as the Airport Development Program (ADAP) provide assistance to political subdivisions in accomplishing certain capital improvements on airports. Funding assistance is normally provided at 50 per cent of the non-federal share for eligible improvement items. Due to the extreme disparity of available ADAP funds between general aviation and air carrier airports, and the significant delays associated with the ADAP program, the Department maintains the capability to provide a full 50 per cent of eligible costs to those airport sponsors with immediate needs. 
A program designed to insure the state's investment in the _ publicly owned airports, the Airport Operational Improvement 
Program (AOIP) , provides 75 per cent assistance in addressing priority pavement needs. Under this program, the DOT let over $1.3 million in 19 projects at 30 airports throughout the state. It 
 
is estimated that an additional $4.3 million is needed to return existing facilities to an acceptable level. 
The Community Planning Assistance Program assist selected political subdivisions in a comprehensive,site-specific planning effort to document future community airport needs. DOT assistance provides 50 per cent of the non-federal share for each planning study. These planning efforts are particularly beneficial at facilities approaching a critical phase, such as incompatible 
adjacent land use , airport capacity saturation, land site access restrictions, severly under-utilized facilities (surplus military), etc. 
The DOT's Aeronautics Bureau designed cartographic products to provide a maximum of aeronautical flight planning information specifically for the general aviation pilots of Georgia. Also, the Department provides routine resident inspection and testing on both federal and non-federal airport improvement projects. 
During this time, the Department completed two airport improvement projects. (Columbus Metropolitan and Baldwin County) that have provided accurate and detailed knowledge of FAR 77 imaginary surfaces and the location and height of existing and potential obstructions. And the DOT also received FAA approval of the Plantation Air Park Airport Layout Plan for Sylvania. 
 
26 
 
 Division of Preconstruction 
27 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Preconstruction Division are: 
+ Prepared designs for 463 projects for 1,877,441 miles at a cost of $188,977,453.68 in the Office of Road and Airport Design; +Let a total of190 highway projectsfor$72,688,190 in the Office of Urban and Multi-Modal Design; +Let a total of221 bridge projects for 33,1051inearfeet for $50,087,201.60 in the Office of Bridge and Structural Design; + Produced 389 corridor location studies for 1,188 miles; 
28 
 
 The Office of Road and Airport Design is responsible for all plans, from the original survey notes to the final plan stage, for a federal aid primary and Interstate and most four-lane stateaid highway projects located outside the limits of the larger cities. Plans are also made for projects using federal aid urban funds in smaller cities. 
Twenty one Interstate Projects totaling 135.94 miles at a cpst of $62,212,516.40, were completed in this office during FY'78. Three Interstate rehabilitation projects, one resurfacing, four widening and reconstruction projects, one grading, three paving, three interchange completions, four rest areas, welcome centers and truck weighing stations and two bridge approaches were designed. 
Federal-aid projects totaled 954,368 miles on 162 projects at a cost of$81,483,316.10, and state projects totaled 787,133 miles on 280 projects for $45,281 ,621,18 worth of highway projects during FY'78. Total projects for Road and Airport Design numbered 463 for 1,877,441 miles at a cost of $188,977,453.68. 
The Office of Urban and Multi-Modal Design is responsible for preparing construction plans for highways in larger urban areas and includes designing and planning mass transportation projects such as rapid rail systems, busways or combined multi-modal systems. This office is also responsible for engineering liaison with the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MART A) and for reviewing MART A plans that conflict with or connect with roads under the DOT's jurisdiction. 
This office, during FY'78, let a total of $72,668,190 in highway projects of which nine were interstate, three federal aid, 21 safety and TOPICS projects, six widening and reconstruction projects and one state aid, for a total of 40 projects. 
Major projects under design were the improvements to the Atlanta downtown expressway system: I-85 from Red Oak to the Airport Connector, I-285 from I-20 to I-85, the I-85/ I-285 interchange north and others. In Macon, improvements to Vineville and Pio Nono Avenues were under design. 
The Office of Bridge and Structural Design prepares plans for the various structures reqmred for a transportation system. These include bridges, light and sign standards, minor structures such as reinforced concrete retaining walls to contain earth fill or cut sections. 
The dollar value of the 221 bridges amounted to $50,087,201.60. In the second quarter of FY'78 this office entered into the ambitious Local Assistance Bridge (LAB) program, which is geared toward replacing the deficient bridges on county roads throughout Georgia. By the end of FY'78, 54 LAB bridges had been let to contract at a cost of $5,694,635.44. 
A total of 33,105 linear feet of all bridges were let to contract for replacement or restordation. The Office of Location is responsible for conducting engineering location feasibility studies, performing environmental analysis of projects and writing environmental reports, performing project planning studies to determine traffic and distribution, performing economic justification and capacity studies, producing topographic maps, aerial photographic and photogrammetric data studies necessary for project development, conducting public hearings, performing field surveys and obtaining photogrammetric earthwork measurements for determining payment to contractors. The Project Location and Services Bureau of this office produced 389 miles of corridor location studies during FY'78. These studies produced alternate locations for proposed highways. Among these projects were I-675, I-575 and the Appalachian Development Highway. Centerline studies were made for several Interstate connectors, widening of major urban and rural arterial highways, and major city streets across the state. These studies amounted to approximately 1,188 miles. In connection with these studies, 105 cost estimates were made to aid the decision, making process to determine the most feasible highway projects 
29 
 
 or alternates. Location team members also participated in several public information meetings and 15 location hearings by preparing displays and presentations. 
The Environmental Analysis Bureau cleared 94 projects during FY'78; 66 as non-major actions, 22 as negative declarations and six as environmental impact statements. 
Major projects cleared included the Appalachian Development Highway in north Georgia and the Brookwood interchange in Atlanta. In addition, environmental studies began on many projects, including I-675 and I-575. Also during this time, the EAB participated in 15 local public hearings and several public information meetings. 
Within the Project Analysis Bureau, the project analysis branch completed 1,218 projects during FY'78. Clearing House A -95 reviews accounted for 1,065 of these projects and the other projects fell under such studies as Interchange Justification, Bypass, Cost Effective Studies, Benefit Cost Analysis, Capacity Studies for Interchanges and determination of roadway needs. 
The Traffic Analysis Branch completed a total of 485 regular and special projects. These projects were used for input data in preliminary engineering studies, capacity analysis studies, environmental impact statements, air and noise studies, safety justification reports, scheduling priorities, preliminary cost estimates, feasibility studies and roadway network calibrations for urban areas. 
In the area of photogrammetry, this office produced some 114 miles of topographic mapping covering approximately 13,300 acres, also 102 miles of centerline cross-section were produced for highway design, and 52 miles of centerline were cross-sectioned for pay quantities. 
The cartographic drafting umt completed 212 finished-product linens covering some 12,426 acres of topographic mapping, which are used for highways projects. The control survey unit ran approximately 270 miles of project control traversing and 475 miles of third order topographic mapping control traversing. One hundred-seventy one horizontal and vertical control monuments were set and an additional670 miles of vertical control were produced on an additional 20 monuments. 
The photographic lab processed approximately 13,000 square feet of photographic paper, 25,000 square feet of photographic film and printed 5,000 contact print reorders. From a flying standpoint in FY'78, approximately 5,600 aerial exposures were made requiring nearly 11,000 contact prints. 
In the area of pay quantity cross-sections and earthwork, 81 miles of construction centerline were targeted and controlled for pay quantity cross-sections. Over 6,400 cross-sections were checked and edited for quality control, and 7,453,480 cubic yards of unclassified excavation were computed. 
30 
 
 Division of Construction 
31 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Construction Division are: 
+ Inspected and made final acceptances on some 1600 construction projects totaling approximately $233,650,000; 
+ Did soil engineering and bridge foundation studies on 104,441 feet of soil borings and 2,043 feet of rock drillings; 
+ Let 1325 contracts at a cost of $346 million for a 64 per cent increase over FY'77; 
32 
 
 The Office of Construction provides overall supervision for construction projects contracted for by the Department. This office is responsible for establishing construction quality standards and for arranging sufficient inspections to assure that the standards are met before final acceptance of the work. 
During FY'78, the office made inspections and final acceptance on approximately I ,600 construction projects of all sizes and types, totaling approximately $233,650,000. While construction was under way on these and other uncompleted projects, this office reviewed and made recommendations on approximately I ,000 contract changes, time extensions and claims by the contractors. 
In addition during this period, the overall responsibility for bridge construction was transferred to this office from the Office of Bridge and Structural Design. This move was made to better coordinate the bridge and roadway construction projects. Two bridge construction engineers were assigned direct responsibility for making inspections and providing overall guidance to assure adequate quality of bridge construction. 
Responsible for administration, policy for~ulation .and technical advice on quality control of constructiOn matenals, geotechnical engineering, transportation-related research and automotive maintenance, the Office of Materials and Research carries out its duties through three bureaus: the Geotechnical Bureau, the Research and Development Bureau and the Materials and Tests Bureau. 
In this period, this office bored 104,441 holes in soil and 2,043 holes in rock drilling for soil engineering and bridge foundation studies; inspected 15,422 tons of steel, and tested 58,300 samples in the central and six laboratories. 
Research and Development Bureau activities included starting six research projects, ranging from urban travel estimation procedures to a grassing improvement study. This bureau completed two studies: one on the impact of an expanding transportation network on potential economic development locations in the north Georgia area, and another on the highway preconstruction process. Most of this research was done by consulting organizations such as Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia or the U.S. Geological Survey. 
Demonstration projects and workshops held in FY'78 include those on slurry seal, asphalt emulsion, herbicides, bridge deck construction, welding inspection, air quality model calibration, highway photomontage, air quality assurance and highway .capacity. These workshops are a part of the technology transfer program, which permits the sharing of knowledge gained in transportation technology. One highly successful program, the Road Maintenance Training Program for Cities and Counties, saw approximately 400 participants from 189 city and county governments attend the training program, conducted under the direction of the Research and Development Bureau. 
 
Pavement and Physical Research conducted 14 research projects, ranging from a study of overlays for plain concrete payments to the evaluation of rubber-asphalt for rehabilitation of flexible pavement. 
One of the continuous research programs is monitoring the roughness measurements made by the districts. This program calibrates the roughness meters to insure uniform standards. But more signficantly, the Research and Development Bureau is involved in efforts at the national level to develop calibration methods for roughness meters and to standardize test procedures and techniques for measuring roughness. The Pavement and Physical Research Branch is currently evaluating a smoothness trailer which, if successful, would replace the vehicles currently in use. 
Another continuous program by the Pavement Research Branch aids various DOT offices in obtaining objective measurements of the friction characteristics of roadways. The program in 1978 was conducted in conformity with the Federal Skid Accident Reduction Program, which requires continuous skid resistance inventory testing, measurements of skid resistance at selected locations with accident histories, and measurements of selected road sections to determine skid characteristics of typical design mixes. 
Some significant research projects of the Materials Research Branch included maintenance practices for Portland concrete pavement, surface treatment, a polymer concrete technology for highway repair and maintenance, equipment evaluation and site selection for Interstate truck weighing stations and others. 
The Operations Research Branch conducted several studies, such as wrong-way traffic movements on freeway ramps, herbicide development and use and grassing improvements, and held a number of workshops such as road maintenance training for cities and counties, slurry seal, welding, traffic control and bridge deck construction. 
The Office of Contract Administration is responsible for placing all DOT construction projects under contract and authorizing payments for ongoing construction. DOT construction contracts are let either by competitive bidding to private contractors or by negotiating with city and county governments. 
During FY'78 this office advertised 940 contracts for 1,325 projects and awarded $346 million to contractors. This represents n 80 per cent increase in the number of contracts advertised over FY'77 and a 64 per cent increase over the dollar amount awarded for FY'77. The number of city/ county contracts increased 50 per cent over the same time. 
All of this work was done with fewer employees than were available in Fiscal Year 1973 when this office had 34 employees. For FY'77 ' 78 there were 22 employees. 
 
33 
 
 Interstate contracts let during this year totaled $121,434,947.00 and covered 46 miles of new construction, 44 miles of reconstruction, 16 miles of resurfacing, four new double and three new single bridges, 29 double bridges and six single bridges were widened. Of the amount awarded $5,749,357.00 went to contracts with no specific mileage i.e., lighting, landscaping, rest areas, signs, etc. 
Federal aid contracts totaled $114,218,656.00 of which $10,637,863.00 went to projects with no specified mileage. New construction totaled 28 miles, reconstruction projects totaled 62 miles, resurfacing totaled 799 miles and other construction totaled 11 miles. Nine single bridge widening contracts were let and four new double-bridge and three new single-bridge contracts were let. 
 
State-aid totaled $53,924,232.00 and included $41,645,928.00 for LARP, $10,389,113.00 for LAB and $1,889,191.00 for airport improvements. Eighteen miles of reconstruction projects, 58 miles of passing lanes, 3,573 miles of resurfacing projects and 30 miles of other construction projects were let. Eleven bridges were let for widening and 136 new bridge contracts were let. 
County and city contracts totaled $29,434,339.00 which includes $8,993,456.00 in LARP and $149,958.00 LAB projects. Resurfacing constituted 1,725 miles and other construction made up I ,030 miles of the projects let. Thirty-three bridge projects are included. 
 
Fiscal Year 1973 1974 1975 
 
No. of Contracts Advertised 333 318 336 
 
Amount Awarded (Million Dollars) 
$178 163 253 
 
Fiscal Year 1976 1977 1978 
 
No. of Contracts Advertised 450 520 940 
 
Amount Awarded (Million Dollars) 
$244 211 346 
 
34 
 
 In addition, personnel assigned to this office conducted several training seminars involving traffic control devices. An Off-System Traffic Engineering Program in this office identified an estimated 500 miles of pavement marking needs and placed needs signs costing approximately $200,000. 
The Office of Permits and Enforcement is divided into two distinct sections; Permit Issuance and Enforcement. 
In the area of permit issuance, there was a major change during the legislative session which authorized the movement of 14-foot wide mobile homes, effective July I, 1977. This change stipulated that all mobile homes wider than 10 feet had to be issued permits on a single-trip basis and had to travel routes approved by the Department. As a result of this change, the office issued 5,644 permits for 14-foot-wide homes and 42,986 permits for mobile homes 12 feet wide or less during FY'78. 
Total permits issued during this time numbered 89,264 overdimenstional and/ or overweight permits, with resulting income of $1,062,735, which goes toward offsetting the cost of operation of the office and with remaining funds used for road maintenance. This was a 103 per cent increase in the number of permits issued during Fiscal Year 1978 versus Fiscal Year 1977 an a 38 per cent increase in the income from permit sales. As a result of these increases, additional phone lines and personnel were added to decrease the response time to request for permits. 
In the area of enforcement there has been another major change: the opening of three permanent weighing stations on I95 in Mcintosh County, I-75 in Lowndes County and I-75 in Monroe County. These stations cover north and southbound lanes. 
 
These stations are equipped with electronic static scales. The Monroe County locations are also equipped with in-motion scales which enable the DOT to weight I00 per cent of the truck traffic that comes through this facility. This station is being operated 80 hours per week with staggered hours and days. 
Patrolling teams have increased 50 per cent, which resulted in this section issuing 5,642 overweight assessments, 8,224 criminal violation citations, 483 tag violation citations and 5,513 fuel violation citations. 
The major responsibility of the Office of State Aid is to ad minister the state-aid construction program of the DOT by which the Department assists cities and counties in improving their transportation facilities. The state law allows the Department to negotiate contracts with city and county governments for improvement of their highway facilities and for improvement of state highways within their boundaries. During Fiscal Year 1978, approximately 675 city and county contracts were handled by this office, from authorization of preliminary work to the beginning of contract preparation. This office also handles any other projects using state funds which are not in any specifically programmed category. 
The addition of the Local Assistance Road Program has significantly increased the responsibilities of this office. Since January 1977 approximately 2,300 projects have been placed in lettings or authorized for county and city contracts. 
When requested by the cities and counties, this office acts as liaison for the Department in placing projects, to be funded through local HUD grants, in DOT lettings. The office also acts as the programming office for the commissioner in maintaining current balances of all categories of state aid funds. 
 
35 
 
 l 
 
! I ! 
 
II 
 
' 
 
County Outline Map 
 
I I 
 
showing 
 
II 
District Offices and Boundaries 
 
I 
 
I 
'I 
! 
36 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Department's districts at Gainesville, Tennille, Thomaston, Tifton, Jesup, Cartersville and Atlanta are: 
District 1 (Gainesville) completed 998 miles of construction for over $15 million. District 2 (Tennille) completed 1,330 miles of construction projects for over $12 million. District 3 (Thomaston) completed 1,084 miles of construction projects exceeding $65 million. District 4 (Tifton) completed 963 miles of construction projects for over $20 million. District 5 (Jesup) completed 904 miles of construction projects for over $71 million. District (Cartersville) completed 1,255 miles of construction of projects for over $42 million. District 7 (Atlanta) completed 365 miles of projects for over $85 million. 
37 
 
 The seven district offices have the responsibility for design, maintenance and construction of projects within their borders. 
District One (Gainesville) covers 21 counties in northeast Georgia: Walton, Oconee, Clark, Madison, Elbert, Hart, Franklin, Jackson, Barrow, Gwinnett, Forsyth, Hall, Banks, Dawson, Lumpkin, White, Habersham, Stephens, Union, Towns and Rabun. The district engineer, Lewis Canup, has the responsibility for directing the Gainesville DOT district activities. 
The district address is: Department of Transportation Box 1057 Gainesville, Ga. 30501 Phone 404-532-5272 Construction in the Gainesville district saw 295 projects completed for 998 miles for construction or reconstruction representing more than $15 million. As of June 1978, this district had 1,340 miles of roadway and bridge work under construction, representing in excess of $81 million. Construction supervision was provided for the above construction workload with a total cost of 9.3 per cent of the contractors' earnings. Two hundred forty seven city/ county estimates were prepared. District One maintenance accomplished these major activities in FY'78. 
 
Item of Work Roadway Leveling Surface Treatment Edge Rut Maintenance PCC Pavement Repair U ndersealing Rework Shoulders/ Ditches Mowing Litter Pickup Sign Repair Pile Replacement Bridge Replacement Driveways Installed 
 
Quantity 34,419 tons 2,709 tons 3,052 tons 824 sq. yds. 13,468 lin. ft. I ,039 miles 3 I ,670 acres 
22,109 installations 2 each 
425 lin. ft. 468 installations 
 
Cost $714,521.00 
106,861.00 91,791.00 30,199.00 21,402.00 309,074.00 452,016.00 343,261.00 341,319.00 
931.00 6,088.00 125,736.00 
 
$2,543,244.00 
 
During Fiscal Year I 978 the district Right-of-Way Office acquired 232 parcels of land. The Office of Utilities issued 1,212 permits. The Materials Investigation Office surveyed 146.61 miles of state highway system roads and 193.77 miles of off-system roads to determine roughness index of riding surface and surveyed 32 materials pits. Scheduling monitored or studied 65 projects and prepared 30 cost estimates. The Environmental Section prepared environmental documentation and received clearance on I 6 projects. This section also assisted District Six (Cartersville) in preparing the Appalachian Highway Environmental Statement. 
 
38 
 
 Road characteristics were completed and entered in the file on four counties by the System Inventory Section. This unit verified the railroad grade crossing identification numbers district-wide and located all school bus routes within the district. It also completed the district's off-system bridge inventory and completed a County Needs Inventory on eight counties and entered seven in the road characteristics data file. 
The Preconstruction Section surveyed 86 projects totaling 84 miles, which included 53 bridge widening and replacement projects. It designed 39 LAB (Local Assistance Bridge) projects for 3.7 miles, 10 passing lane projects for 28.7 miles, four bridge widening proiects for 1.1 miles. six culvert projects for 1.034 miles; one urban project for 2.09 miles; two secondary projects for 7.6 miles and one APL project for 7.9 miles. 
Traffic and Safety made Ill traffic studies and 134 investigations of fatal accidents, monitored 87 movements of 14-foot wide-trailers, issued 258 driveway and encroachment permits and reviewed 93 plans. 
District Two (Tennille) covers mideast Georgia and has 28 counties. These are Dodge, Bleckley, Laurens, Treutlen, Emanuel, Jenkins, Screven, Burke, Jefferson, Johnson, 
Washington, Wilkinson, Baldwin, Hancock, Warren, Glascock, McDuffie, Columbia, Richmond, Lincoln, Wilkes, Taliaferro, Greene, Putnam, Jasper, Newton, Morgan and Oglethorpe. The district engineer, George Lyons, has the responsibility for the Tennille District activities. 
The district office address is: Department of Transportation Box 8 Tennille, Ga. 31089 Phone 912-854-7311 The Tennille District saw I ,330,369 miles of construction projects begun or completed for $42,421,150.46. Right-of-Way acquired $2,297,771.00 worth of parcels within the district and $544,674.0 I outside of its 28-county area. The Design Section completed or began 15,467 miles of design work for a total cost of $5,618,187.50 and scheduling submitted 45 to 50 new schedules to the General Office in Atlanta. The District Utility Section approved 790 permits and handled approximately 20 railroad force account agreements. District Two Maintenance accomplished these major activities in FY'78: 
 
Item of Work Deep Patching Motor Grader Leveling Spreader Leveling Surface Treatment Patching Edge Rut Maintenance PCC Pavement Repair PCC Joint Repair Shoulder Joint Seal U ndersealing PCC Joint Sealing Spot Shoulder Repair Build/ Reshape Shoulders 
 
Quantity 5,245 tons 9,845 tons 3,208 tons 4,354 tons 2,499 tons 153 sq. yds. 57,137 lin. ft. 233 shldr. miles 69,918 sq. yds. 23,340 lin. ft. 623 shldr. miles I ,038 shldr. miles 
 
Cost $107,076.00 
223,645.00 64,996.00 122,741.00 93,618.00 II ,808.00 38,565.00 50,671.00 29,544.00 27,894.00 89,554.00 44,933.00 
 
39 
 
 Item of Work Rework Shoulder & Ditch Servicing Driveway Sweeping Limited Access Mowing Mowing (non-interstate) Brush & Tree Cut Chemical Control-Grass Chemical Control-Brush Grassing Spot Litter Service Litter Pickup - Full Clean Outfall Ditches Guard Rail Installed Sign Repair & Replace Overhead Sign Maintenance 
Guard Rail Repair Traffic & Safety Service Curb & Rail Repair Pile Replacement Spot Bridge Painting Miscellaneous Bridge Maint. SFC Sealing SFC Slurry Sealing 
 
Quantity 1,396 shldr. miles 21,921 man-hours I I ,03 I man-hours 10,165 acres 58,655 acres 33,534 man-hours 804 acres 91 acres 668 acres 18,096 man-hours 4,134 miles 50,283 lin. ft. 2,538 lin. ft. 22,810 installed I ,I 16 man-hours 
6,451 lin. ft. I2,306 man-hours 975 lin. ft. 80 each 767 gallons 4,632 man-hours 71 miles 60 miles 
 
Cost 445,296.00 190,987.00 
62,045.00 67,323.00 767,007.00 146,093.00 44,194.00 
6,235.00 36,223.00 II I,736.00 196,642.00 
9,928.00 25,538.00 349,871.00 13,365.00 
43,409.00 185,863.00 35,434.00 50,942.00 45,414.00 32,529.00 356,416.00 95,093.00 
 
District Three (Thomaston) covers midwest Georgia and has 32 counties. These are Carroll, Heard, Coweta, Fayette, Troup, Meriwether, Spalding, Henry, Butts, Pike, Lamar, Monroe, Jones, Harris, Talbot, Upson, Crawford, Bibb, Twiggs, Muscogee, Marion, Taylor, Peach, Houston, Chattahoochee, Stewart, Webster, Sumter, Schley, Macon, Dooly and Pulaski. During this fiscal year, Roy Brogdon was the district engineer. When Brogdon retired in October 1978, Stanley Lord became the district engineer. 
The district office address is: Georgia Department of Transportation P. 0. Box 711 Thomaston, Ga. 30286 Phone 404-647-8921 Construction in the Thomaston District Office saw 295 projects completed for I ,084 miles of construction or reconstruction, with payment to contractors exceeding $65 million. Construction supervision was provided for this workload at a total cost of seven per cent of the contractors' earnings. 
 
40 
 
 Two milestones accomplished in this district during fiscal year 1978 were the opening of the last segments of I-85 and I-20. 
The Right-of-way Section for the district acquired in excess of 270 parcels. Utilities issued I ,679 permits and approximately $1 million of Force account agreements were completed. 
There were 453 estimates prepared by the CityI County Contracts and Cost Estimating Section 
for 230 city/ county projects and 223 LARP projects. The Materials Investigation Section surveyed more than 415 miles of on-system roads and tested approximately 75 material pits. 
Location surveyed 109 projects for 99.3 miles and included 49 bridge replacement projects. Scheduling programmed 84 projects for preconstruction activities. Environmental documents were prepared by the Environmental Section on II projects. Two projects totaling 5.4 miles of rural secondary roads and three urban projects totaling 2.02 miles were designed. Right-of-way plans were prepared on 23 projects. 
Traffic & Safety completed 509 traffic studies, investigated 295 fatal accidents and issued 201 driveway permits. 
District Three Maintenance accomplished these major activities in FY'78: 
 
Item of Work Roadway Leveling Surface Treatment Patching Shoulder Widening PCC Pavement Repair U ndersealing Rework Shoulders-Ditches Mowing Litter Pickup Sign Repair Pile Replacement Bridge Painting Driveways Installed 
 
Quantity 15,915 tons 3,184 tons 114,957 sq. yds. 4,655 sq. yds. 150,000 lin. ft. 744 shldr. miles 76,722 acres 
28,535 each 21 each 4,406 lin. ft. 563 each 
 
Cost $379,923.00 
103,901.00 95,578.00 127,814.00 142,578.00 383,870.00 967,377.00 339,050.00 363,832.00 11,195.00 128,268.00 180,359.00 
 
Total 
 
3,223,745.00 
 
District Four {Tifton) covers southwest Georgia and has 32 counties. These are Quitman, Randolph, Terrell, Lee, Crisp, Wilcox, Clay, Calhoun, Dougherty, Worth. Turner, Ben Hill, Coffee, Irwin, Tift, Colquitt, Mitchell, Clay, Calhoun, Dougherty, Worth, Turner, Ben Hill, Coffee, Irwin, Tift, Colquitt, Mitchell, Baker, Early, Miller, Seminole, Decatur, Grady, Thomas, Brooks, Cook, Lowndes, Echols, Lanier Berrien, Atkinson and Clinch. Earl Tyre, the district engineer, has the responsibility for the Tifton district activities: 
The district office address is: Department of Transportation Box 747 Tifton, Ga. 31794 Phone: 912-386-3280 
Construction activities for the Fourth District included the completion of 271 projects for 963,130 miles at a cost of $20,365,172.32. The amount of projects let to contract totaled 
$29,273,659.17. CityI county contracts totaled $4,293,765 .10, and LAB projects totaled 
 
41 
 
 $1 ,033,352.82. Three hundred ten miles of LARP resurfacing were done and 33.4 miles of state route resurfacing were completed. 
For Fiscal Year I978, the Right-of-Way Section purchased 68 parcels of land, prepared deeds and plots for 95 county contract projects, assisted local governments in acquiring right of way under federal guidelines on 10 projects, and purchased 24 Interstate signs. Traffic and Safety for the distr:ct conducted 50 traffic engineering investigations, issued 239 driveway or encroachment permits, made I57 traffic accidents investigations and completed more than 20 off-system signing projects. Utility activities saw 591 permits issued and $I ,431,247.67 force account agreements completed. 
District Preconstruction activities included scheduling 59 projects and completion of environmental documents for four projects. Road characteristics for all roads in Grady, Berrien, Ben Hill and Coffee were inventoried. Also, all bridges in the Fourth District, over I,500, were inventoried and inspected. The Road Inventory Section added all state and FAS routes to the road characteristic data base, and off-system needs and deficiency ratings were completed for Coffee and Cook Counties. 
The Design Section completed three passing lanes for 5.515miles, of which two projects were let, two urban bond projects were designed; 4,179 miles of primary projects were designed and let; almost one mile of bridge replacement and intersection improvements was designed and let; 42 LAB projects were designed and 28 let. Also, Location surveyed 94 projects for 126.2 miles, including 52 bridge replacement projects. 
District Four maintenance accomplished these major activites in FY'78: 
 
Item of Work Motor Grading ,.Leveling Spreader Leveling Shoulder Joint Sealing U ndersealing PCC Joint Sealing PCC Joint Sealing AC Chemical Mowing Sign Repair & Replacement Traffic & Safety Service Deck Repair Bridge Joint Repair Asphalt Plant Operation State Force Construction SFC Chip Sealing SFC Slurry Sealing 
 
Quantity 4,375 tons 7,38 I tons 37 shldr. miles 98,182 lin. ft. 6,226 lin. ft. 36,675 lin. ft. 12,370 acres 27,731 installations 1,552 man-hours 139 sq. ft. 22 lin. ft. 48,716 tons 39,624 man-hours 83 miles 32 miles 
 
Cost $114,834.00 
184,725.00 4,124.00 
113,443.00 8,258.00 9,787.00 84,050.00 
301,218.00 13,031.00; 
9,852.00 1,414.00 188,938.00 I ,056,629.00 254,195.00 55,491.00 
 
42 
 
 The Materials Research Section removed 358 samples from approximately 50 miles of roadway without additional base material; sampled 119 pits and made l ,930 total samples. This section made 848 miles of road resistance tests on interstate; (this was 106 miles for four lanes twice each way); checked 210 miles of new pavement and 512 miles of old pavement. 
 
District Five, (Jesup) covers southeast Georgia and has 24 counties in its territory. These are Ware, Charlton, Camden, Brantley, Glynn, Pierce, Bacon, Wayne, Mcintosh, Appling, Jeff Davis, Long, Liberty, Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Tattnall, Toombs, Montgomery, Wheeler and Telfair. Ted McKenzie, Jr., the district engineers, has the responsibility for the Jesup District activities: 
The district office address is: Department of Transportation Box 1158 Jesup, Ga. 31545 Phone 912-427-9081 During this fiscal year, 229 construction projects were completed which involved 904 miles of construction or reconstruction with $71 million paid to the contractors. At reporting time the district had 373 construction projects under contract for 989 miles of roadway and bridges. Construction supervision was provided at a cast of only seven per cent of the contractor's earnings. 
 
The Jesup District Maintenance section accomplished these major activities: 
 
Item of Work 
 
Quantity 
 
Cost 
 
Roadway Leveling 
 
10,561 tons 
 
$227,630.00 
 
Surface Treatment Patching 
 
107 tons 
 
5,481.00 
 
Shou)der Paving 
 
1,100 shldr. miles 
 
2,409.00 
 
PCC Pavement Repair 
 
31 sq. yds. 
 
3,343.00 
 
U ndersealing 
 
96,838 lin. ft. 
 
30,608.00 
 
Rework Shoulders 
 
995 miles 
 
275,956.00 
 
Mowing 
 
57,840 acres 
 
582,617.00 
 
Litter Pickup 
 
139,819.00 
 
Sign Repair 
 
10,814 installations 
 
257,110.00 
 
Pile Replacement 
 
102 each 
 
42,776,00 
 
Bridge Painting 
 
644 gals. 
 
91,670.00 
 
Drives Installed 
 
441 lin. ft. 
 
136,674.00 
 
Total 
 
$1 ,846,09 3 .00 
 
Jesup's Right-of-Way Section acquired in excess of 309 parcels of land during this period. Utilities issued 460 permits. Scheduling monitored 72 projects and prepared 35 cost estimates. Three hundred two estimates were prepared for city/ county contract projects, and 87 LARP estimates were completed. The Environmental Section prepared 15 documents for approval during this time. 
 
43 
 
 Road characteristics were inventoried for all roads in four counties, and all sections of Interstate highways open in the Fifth District were inventoried and inspected. Off-system rating data has been collected in nine counties. Railroad grade crossings have been fieldchecked for identification in 10 counties. 
The Design Section designed or completed 9.8 miles of urban roads and 34.9 miles of rural roads and 12.30 miles of passing lanes, as well as completed designs on 25 bridge replacement projects. Preconstruction surveyed 97 projects for 111.5 miles and included 29 bridge replacement projects. During Fiscal Year 1978, more than 208 miles of on-system routes were surveyed by Materials Investigation to determine roughness. Also, this section tested, located, staked, sampled and optioned approximately 60 material pits. 
Traffic and Safety for the district completed 133 traffic studies, investigated 88 fatal accidents and issued 307 driveway permits. 
District Six, (Cartersville) covers northwest Georgia and includes the 16 counties of Haralson, Paulding, Polk, Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens, Gordon, Chattooga, Dade, Walker, Catoosa, Whitfield, Murray, Fannin and Gilmer. District Engineer John Wade, Jr. has the responsibility for the overall direction of the Sixth District. 
The district office address is: Department of Transportation P. 0. Box 10 Cartersville, Ga. 30 120 Phone 404-382-3120 Construction projects completed in the Cartersville District totaled $41,956,150.00 for I ,254 miles with the state-aid projects amounting to $13,979,650.00 and federal-aid projects totaling to $27,976,500.00. Some of the major work accomplished by the Cartersville District Maintenance section included the concentrated effort in assisting the Construction Section and the contractors in the opening of the segment of I-75 from Bethany Beach Road to U.S. 411 prior to Labor Day 1977. During a three-day period this section placed approximately 100,000 square yards of double surface treatment on the shoulders. This section's district-wide crews completely rehabilitated 65 miles of paving by resurfacing with plant mix, surface treatment or slurry seal at a total cost of $510,000. Cartersville used 204,000 man-hours performing ice and snow removal during the winter of 77-78 at a cost of$365,000. Its routine maintenance force mowed 30,800 acres of grass at a total cost of $413,800 and used 25,200 man-hours on litter pickup at a cost of $154,600. One of the most noteworthy organizational changes during this time was the reorganization of the district's sign fabrication and erection facilities. Sign crews are now assigned to the area managers and are headquartered in their work areas. This reduces travel to and from the work site, allowing for more on-the-site work, reduced vehicle usage and gasoline consumption, increased familiarity with the routes to better notice problem areas, and reduced reaction time during emergency situations_. 
44 
 
 The Cartersville Design Section designed 43.7 miles of roadway including 3.7 miles of bridge projects, of which 40 of the 56 were for LAB. Field survey parties resurveyed 8.5 miles on the Ellijay Bypass and supervised surveying consultants and gained additional data on some 23 miles of APD surveys. Additional information on approximately nine miles of 1-575 from Ga. 92 to the Canton Bypass was obtained. Twenty-one miles of passing lanes were completed and 20 miles of the Rome-to-Calhoun Road were staked for right of way. Surveys for 18 miles ofPR projects were completed and surveys on eight bridges and culverts including 1.5 miles of approaches were done. 
The district Systems Inventory Unit is responsible for gathering field data on all public roads in the district. These data consist of existing road characteristics, data for the off-system bridge programs, any new construction since the last inventory, etc. These data are used to update county and state maps. This section re-inventoried six counties, completed studies of all 16 counties for the off-system bridge program, completed the needs study for four counties, and completed all construction and system changes. 
The Sixth District Right-of-Way Section acquired a total of246 parcels ofland. The Utilities Section issued 556 utility permits and handled 25 force account agreements. 
The Traffic and Safety Section made 37 traffic engineering studies, investigated 142 fatal accidents, issued 203 driveway permits, made 24 special zone studies, designed 26 operational improvements, and completed 74 major signing delineation or marking projects. District Seven 
District Seven (Atldnta) cover the six metro Atlanta counties of Clayton, Rockdale, Dekalb, Fulton, Douglas and Cobb. Larry Adams, the district engineer, has the overall responsibility for the Metro Atlanta District. 
The district office address is: Department of Transportation 5025 New Peachtree Road Chamblee, Ga. 30341 Phone 404-393-7033 Construction projects completed in the Atlanta District totaled $85,576,761.40. for 365.33 miles. In addition there were 236 active projects with a total construction cost of $233,812,712.15. During Fiscal Year 1978, projects totaling 30.5 miles, at a cost of$20,227 ,200 were designed by the district Design Section and 164.4 miles of surveys were completed by the Location Surveys Section. Right-of-Way acquired 678 parcels of land and 88 new projects were scheduled and included in the five-year program by scheduling. In this period, all off-system bridges in the six counties making up District Seven were inventoried and inspected. Road characteristics were inventoried and inspected. Road characteristics were inventoried on all roads in Cobb County and 65 per cent of the roads in Fulton County. Needs studies were completed on three and a half counties by the Road Inventory Section. Environmental documents were completed on to projects. Traffic and Safety completed 125 traffic studies, investigated 190 fatal accidents and issued 281 driveway permits. The Seventh District Utilities Section issued I ,641 utility permits and completed 28 force account agreements totaling $1 ,722,297 .81. 
45 
 
 The Seventh District Maintenance Section completed these activities in FY'78: 
 
Item of Work Spot Patching Deep Patch and Base Motor Grader Leveling Surface Treatment Patching Edge Rut Maintenance Shoulder Paving Shoulder Joint Sealing U ndersealing PCC Joint Sealing Spot Shoulder Repair Blade/ Reshape Shoulder Rework/ Shoulders Ditches Driveway Service Sweeping Limited Access Mowing Mowing Brush and Tree Cuts Culvert Bush and Tree Cuts Chemical Control Grass Chemical Control Brush Grassing Spot Litter Service Litter Pickup - Fall Culvert Litter Pickup Ditching with Scoop Install Underdrains Clean Outfall Ditches Spot Slope Repair Roadside Development Install Guardrail Sign Repair Overhead Sign Maintenance Guardrail Repair Traffic & Safety Service Misc. Concrete Work Main Structure Repair Bridge Joint Repair Curb Rail Repair Bridge Painting Snow and Ice Removal Road Patrol Emergency Maintenance 1-485 Maintenance State Force Construction 
 
Quantity I,535 tons 2,376 tons 5,741 tons 10 tons 2,714 tons 6.321 sq. yds. 125 shldr. miles 171 ,620 lin. ft. 124, 902 lin. ft. 52 shldr. miles 154 shldr. miles 534 shldr. miles 7,696 rna n-hours 9,925 man-hours 7,961 acres 9,166 acres 7,496 man-hours 4,424 man-hours 471 acres 19 acres 136 acres 23,258 man-hours 2,293 passenger miles 7,696 passenger miles 46,958 lin. ft. 118 lin. ft. 3,750 lin. ft. 520 man hours I ,000 man hours 2,262 lin. ft. 14,892 installed 3,815 man-hours 25,513 lin. ft. 7,640 man-hours 4,704 man-hours 112 man-hours I ,917 lin. ft. 302 lin. ft. I ,329 lin. ft. 7,747 man-hours 4,513 man-hours 1,110 man-hours 1,269 man-days 15,144 man-days 
 
46 
 
 47 
 
 Division of Operations 
48 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Operational Division are: 
+Installed edgedrains, undersealed, sealed joints and ground 110 miles of Interstate highway + Prepared and let to contract 1,535.5 miles of widening and resurfacing + Completed $3,089,300 worth of utility agreements on 145 projects + Authorized 157 railroad agreements for $4,874,308 + Let to contract 22 projects for improving high-hazard locations + Let 34 TOPICS projects + Implemented RUSH (Radio Users Send Help - a volunteer CB monitoring program) which handled 20,123 motorist assistance reports + Opened three permanent weighing stations + Issued 5,644 permits for 14-foot-wide mobile homes + Issued 42,986 permits for 12-foot-wide or less mobile homes + Placed or authorized some 2,300 city/ county contracts 
49 
 
 The Office of Maintenance began a concentrated effort to rehabilitate portland cement concrete pavement on the Interstate system. This effort began in FY'77 and was carried forward into FY'78. 
District maintenance forces, as well as contractors' forces, were busy undersealing, installing edgedrains, grinding, sealing joints and overlaying selected sections of Interstate which were found to be in various stages of deficient service levels. These projects are designed to arrest pavement slab pumping and restore to a higher service level the Interstate portland cement concrete paving. The total length of these projects begun in Fiscal Year 1978 was ll 0 miles. 
In order to extend pavement life, the DOT has increased its activity of sealing the roadway surface. The Department's maintenance forces, along with contractors, have performed 850 miles of bituminous surface treatment seal or emulsified asphalt slurry seal in the past fiscal year. Department forces accomplished 650 miles of this work, and contractors did the remaining 200 miles. 
This office prepared and let to contract projects for resurfacing and/ or widening of existing highways for a total of l ,535 miles, which can be further broken down into 930. miles of resurfacing only, 301 miles of widening and resurfacing, and 303 miles of widening only. The 604 miles of widening and resurfacing of widening only 30 l miles of widening and resurfacing or widening only projects are designed to increase the operational efficiency of sections of the state highway system which have narrow pavement or need paved shoulders. 
In conjunction with the Training Section of the Office of Personnel, the Maintenance Office continued its effort in the training of the routine maintenance foremen by training an additionali20 foremen. Also, an Operators' Training Program was begun to train maintenance equipment operators on the various pieces of construction equipment which the DOT uses. 
Working with the Systems Inventory Branch, an inventory of all bridges on the local system roads was initiated. At the close of the fiscal year, the field effort was, for all practical purposes, complete with the mechanism established for building a statewide file containing information on all bridges within the state. 
During 1978, efforts to maximize federal funds under the special bridge replacement program resulted in tripling the I977 funding level and placing Georgia seventh in the nation. Also, effort was made to maximize bridges eligible for funding under the same program, resulting in 468 bridges being eligible for replacement with Federal Funds. 
Responsible for developing and administering policies, and regulations for highway and utility matters, the Office of Utilities ccordinates the necessary planning between the DOT and the owners of the involved utilities or railroads. Between July I, I977 and June 30, I978, 145 utility agreements were made, totaling $3,089,300. 
 
This office also prepared and authorized I05 signal agreements for $3,929,233; 28 grade separation agreements for $833,622; and 24 grade crossing agreements for $II ,453 with the railroad owners. This is a total of I57 agreements for$4,874,308, making a total of 302 agreements for $7,963,608. 
In addition to this responsibility, this office initiates change orders to cover these overruns. During this period 25 change orders were issued for a cost of$I84,630. The total of new funds committed for agreements and change orders is $8,I48,238. 
This office also reviews and processes billing for work performed by utility companies and railroads under force account agreements. Between July I, 1977, and June 30, I978, it processed 482 bills, for payment of $3,842,992. 
Where utility facilities are to be located or adjusted within the limits of highway construction projects and where the cost of such relocation is the responsibility of the owner, the Department issues permits. Permits are also issued for new utility installations. During this time 6,851 permits were issued. Traffic and Safety 
Traffic engineering management of roads to assure that existing and proposed roads are in compliance with the latest safety standards is the responsibility of the Office of Traffic and Safety. 
For fiscal year ending June 30, I978, this office accomplished the following: 
+ Processed 175 traffic engineering reports + Issued 301 traffic signal permits + Issued 1,804 right-of-way control permits + Made 730 speed zone studies + Analyzed 169,688 accident records involving 56,067 injuries and 1,464 fatalities + Made 993 engineering investigations of fatal accidents involving 1,162 fatalities + Made safety review of 212 highway project design plans + Made 200 operational reviews + Let to contract 22 projects for improvements of highhazard locations + Let to contract 34 TOPICS projects + Completed 92 railroad crossing improvements + Monitored 250 fourteen-foot-wide trailer movements + Handled 69 requests for Interstate signs + Wrote 21 safety justification reports +Assisted in revising the 104B Interstate Cost Estimate + Continued planning for a freeway surveillance and traffic control system for metropolitan Atlanta + Began 12 roadside obstacle location improvement projects for improvements at 420 highway bridges + Implemented RUSH (Radio Users Send Help) volunteer CB monitor program which handled 20,123 motorists assistance reports 
 
50 
 
 Division of Administration 
51 
 
 Highlights for Fiscal Year 1978 from the Administration Division are: 
+ The planning and construction activity was budgeted to receive 75 per cent of the total budget and maintenance and betterments to receive 18 per cent + The Department had proprietary assets and liabilities totaling $695,210,773.77 + The DOT's total budgetary assets and liabilities amounted to $1,031,285,042.17 + A supplemental group term life insurance program for DOT employees was initiated + Tire usage was reduced, thereby saving $200,000 + The shops performed 49,866 repairs at a cost of $5.9 million + Warehouse inventories were reduced, saving some $200,000 + Standard operating rates were established for all shops + Some 1,300 passengers were flown 1,431,014 passenger miles, and $217,460 was charged to other state agencies for plane rentals. 
52 
 
 The Secretary and Treasurer of the Department of Transportation is the administrative head of the Division of Administration. It is his duty and responsibility to receive, protect and disburse all funds of the Department. 
The Division of Administration maintains an adequate system of financial records and an internal and external audit system. It prepares a comprehensive budget under which the Treasurer approves all funds for the purchase of equipment, materials, supplies and services before such purchases are authorized. This Division prepares all financial reports necessary to reflect the current financial condition of the Department. 
The Division of Administration is composed of the Offices of General Accounting, General Support Services, Audits and Fiscal Procedures and Air Transportation. Office of General Accounting 
This Office is responsible for accounting for and disbursing all funds of DOT. General Accounting received, to be accounted for, more than $459,000,000 in either cash or contracted committments. Included in this is a monthly average reimbursement from the Federal Government of more than $12 million/ mo. This averages to approximately $1.76 million in funds received per working day. 
Conversely, DOT's pay-out was also impressive; disbursements for all accounts totalled more than $458 million or an average pay-out each business day of some $1.76 million. These major items lead in this activity. On the average each work day, DOT paid commercial vendors some $142,000, paid construction contractors some $1,140,000 and, monthly, paid out approximately $4.24 million in payrolls. 
In addition to disbursing cash, General Accounting is the provider of all types of reports to all areas of the Department regarding expenditures and funds availability. There are also reports produced which provide project activity information for the current year, and in many instances, information covering prior years to the Board, State Auditor and General Assembly members. The accompanying statements reflecting the financial condition of the Department were prepared by the Office of General Accounting. Office of Audits and Fiscal Procedures 
This Office consists of three work units- Internal Audit Group, External Audit Group and Fiscal Procedures Group. Both the Internal Audit Group and Fiscal Procedures Group work strictly within the DOT organization. Although their missions are different, their ultimate goal is the same; safeguarding the assets of DOT. 
During FY'89, the Internal Audit Group issued ten reports on activities in DOT working on an operational audit approach, this group examined and reviewed activites in construction, relocation of utility facilities, maintenance, inventories, rights-of-way, general accounting and consultant contracting. Numerous recommendations were made to management that would strengthen DOT's system of internal control and expedite certain of the activities which were reviewed. 
The Fiscal Procedures Group completed some 59 assignments of various size and scope during FY'78. Among these were the publication of a new Field Accounting Manual and a new General Accounting Manual. A new chart of accounts was installed in the DOT accounting system. A formal accounting manual, together with a set of operational reports, was prepared and installed for the Office of Air Transportation. Conceptual work and most of the detailed design work was completed on a Pre-Construction Cost Reporting System which will be operational in FY'79. This group also organized and installed a facsimile network within DOT allowing all District Offices and General Offices to exchange data by means of telecopy hardware. 
The External Audit Group, working outside the Department's organization, examines the books and records of public utilities and railroads which contract with DOT to move their facilities to accommodate DOT construction. This group examined 159 final billings during FY'78 and saved DOT and the taxpayer slightly over $100,000 in costs resulting from erroneous claims under the contracts. In addition to the above, one review resulted in the recovery of some $40,000 in overbillings. 
53 
 
 Further, this group also reviewed $8.7 million in proposed consultant contracts and these reviews resulted in items of suggested cost avoidance totalling nearly $15,000.00. Office of General Support Services 
This Office establishes internal purchasing procedures, records management criteria and inventory and warehousing rules and regulations. It participates in and directs the activity of budget preparations and monitors the activities of each unit to maintain control of budgeted fund expenditures. It has recently become active in the administration of the automotive shops and has been charged with the responsibility of reducing shop and vehicle operation costs. Office of Air Transportation 
This Office has responsibility for the State's fleet of aircraft and in addition, operates aircraft for use by the staff of all state departments and agency personnel. 
The accomplishments of the Office of Air Transportation for this period included flying 3,359.5 hours, taking 1,353 passengers 1,431,014 miles and receiving $217,460 in aircraft rental fees from other State agencies. 
 
Agency Summary 
 
OBJECT/ FUND SOURCES 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel Motor Vehicle Equipment Purchases Publications and Printing Equipment Purchases Computer Charges Real Estate Rentals Per Diem, Fees, and Contracts Capital Outlay Authority Lease Rentals G.O. Bonds Grants to Counties Grants to Municipalities Airport Operational Improvements Mass Transit Grants Harbor Maintenance Payments Total Less: Federal Funds Less: Other Funds Less: Governor's Emergency Funds Total Federal, Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
BUDGETED 
$ 96,577' 197.00 38,975,517.86 1,749,829.00 5,513,161.67 691,628.30 1,135,308.00 1,296,989.00 231,559.00 9,668,738.51 
746,736,749.23 26,607,334.99 3,744,862.00 9,317,0 13.00 9,317,000.00 1,323,858.65 1,009,239.93 250,000.00 
954,145,986,14 * 186,657,254.69 *441,242,013.10 
*5,000.00 
627,904,267.79 326,241,718.35 
 
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 
$ 89,369,477.31 29,036,670.43 1,505,669.86 5,283,063.82 478,070.66 740,669.57 1,121,258,01 40,592.60 7,972,002.70 
359,713,210.37 26,607,334.01 3,744,718.08 9,317,013.00 9,317,000.00 1,257,076.29 864,273.26 250,000.00 
546,618,119.97 *148,910,445.09 * 107,897,203.83 
*5,000.00 
256,812,648.92 289,805,4 71.,05 
 
54 
 
 Planning & Construction 
 
OBJECT/ FUND SOURCES 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel Publications and Printing Equipment Purchases Real Estate Rentals Per Diem, Fees, and Contracts Capital Outlay Total Less: Federal Funds Less: Other Funds 
 
BUDGETED 
$ 54,485,215.50 6,266,327.83 1,339,360.00 302,723.00 216,200.00 183,558.00 7,561 ,200.00 
643,956,402.52 714,310,992.85 *185,412,401.69 *408 ,618,226.31 
 
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 
$ 49,507,881 .64 3,935,662.59 1,210,306.68 172,819.86 115,523.91 36,638.50 6,100,940.59 
302,449,265.14 363,529,038.91 *147,835,773.61 * 95,444,652.07 
 
Total Federal, Other & Governor's 
Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
594,030,628.00 120,280,364.85 
 
243,280,425.68 120,248,613.23 
 
Maintenance and Betterments 
 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel Publications and Printing Per Diem, Fees, and Contracts Capital Outlay Total Less: Other Funds Less: Governor's Emergency Funds Total Federal, Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
Authority Lease Rentals G.O. Bonds Total Less: Other Funds Less: Governor's Emergency Funds Total Federal, Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
35,659,588.00 29,640,716.74 
261,710.00 16,160.00 
1,167,500.00 101,235,750.86 167,981,425.60 * 27,216,755.60 
5,000.00 
27,221,755.60 140,759.670.00 
Authorities 
26,607,334.99 3,744,862.00 
30,352,196.99 *.99 .00 
.99 30.352,196.00 
55 
 
34,186,844.88 22,641 ,256.54 
200,742.00 6,602.76 
1,092,422.97 56,272,559.84 114,400,428.99 * 8,026,655.86 
5,000.00 
8,031,655.86 106,368,773.13 
26,607,334.01 3,744,718.08 30,352,052.09 
*.01 .00 .01 
30,352,052.08 
 
 Facilities and Equipment 
 
OBJECT/ FUND SOURCES 
Motor Vehicle Equipment Purchases Equipment Purchases Capital Outlay Total Less: Federal Funds Less: Other Funds Total Federaf,Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
BUDGETED 5,513,161.67 
910,108.00 1,270,126.00 7,693,395.67 
4,521,459.67 
4,521,459.67 3,171,936.00 
 
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 5,283,063.82 627,444.32 705,597.93 6,606,106.07 
3,677,538.86 
3,677,538.86 2,928,567.21 
 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel publications and Printing Computer charges Real Estate Rentals Per Diem, Fees, and Contracts Total Less: Federal Funds Less: Other Funds Total Federal, Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
Administration 
5,770,951.50 2,746,469.00 
117,159.00 342,045.30 1,288,989.00 48,000.00 230,500.00 101544,113.80 
*318,377.30 
318,377.30 10,225,736.50 
 
5,102,835.30 2,203,761.45 
76,430.89 273,883.56 1'121 ,258 .0 1 
3,954.10 28,904.40 8,811,027.71 
*271 ,487.30 
273,487,30 8,593,540.41 
 
Assistance to Counties 
 
Grants to Counties Total 
 
9,317,013.00 9,317,013 .00 
 
Assistance to Municipalities 
 
Grants to Municipalities Total 
 
9,317.000.00 9,317,000.00 
 
Inter-Modal Transfer Facilities 
 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel Publications and Printing Computer Charges Per Diem, Fees, and Contracts 
 
312,048.50 27,334.89 17,200.00 30,500.00 8,000.00 
708,038.51 
56 
 
9,317,0 13.00 9,317,013.00 
9,317.000.00 9,317,000.00 
243,948 ..62 15,786.80 8,629.45 24,731.93 .00 
748,816.74 
 
 Inter-Modal Transfer Facilities 
 
OBJECT/ FUND SOURCES Capital Outlay Mass Transit Grants Airport Operational Improvements Total Less: Federal Funds Less: Other Funds Total Federal, Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
BUDGETED 274,463.85 
I ,009,239.93 I .323,858.65 3,710,684.33 * 1,244,853.00 
339,940.83 
1,584,793.83 2,125,890.50 
 
Air Transportation 
 
Total Personal Services Total Regular Operating Expenses Travel Publications and Printing Equipment Purchases Real Estate Rentals Per Diem, Fees and Contracts Total Less: Other Funds Total Federal Other & Governor's Emergency Funds State General Funds 
 
349,393.50 294,669.40 
32.55 7,701.34 
.00 938.00 1,500.00 669,163.90 *227 ,252.40 
227,252.40 441,9 I 1.50 
 
Harbor Maintenance Payments 
To~al 
State General Funds 
 
Harbor Maintenance 
250,000.00 250,000.00 250,000.00 
 
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 285,787.46 864,273.26 
1,257,076.29 3,449.050.55 *I ,074,671.48 
339,940.83 
1,414,612.3I 2,034,438.24 
327,966.87 240,203.05 
9,560.84 32.55 
7,701.34 .00 
938.00 586,402.65 *190,928.90 190,928.90 395,473.75 
250,000.00 250,000.00 250,000.00; 
 
57 
 
 Budgetary Balance Sheet from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 
 
BUDGETARY ASSETS Estimated State Appropriations Budgeted Balances Forwarded Suppl. Approp. - gas tax revenue Adv. In'state Matching Funds (est.) Est. Administrative Income (other) Est. State Approp. - non gas tax Est. Suppl. Approp. - non gas tax Gov.'s Emer. Fund (est. budget) G.O. Bond Fund (est. approp) Est. Fed. Rec. (due from fed. grants) Est. Fed. Apportionments Advance Fed. Apportionments Est. Cash Part. - local gov't. others Est. Cash Part. - Authority Eng. Est. Contract Part. - local govt. Est. Contract Part. - Railroads Income from Sale of Misc. Items 
Total Budgetary Assets 
 
$ 223,200,420.00 299,399.799 .3 7 1,864,916.35 8,947,200.00 1,99 I ,642.86 39,785,399.00 33,188,253.00 5,000.00 50,000,000.00 1,057,487.90 28 I ,0 I 5,328.53 80,524,812.00 9,172,097.35 --0-(44,030.66) --0-1,194,716.47 
$I ,031 ,285,042. I7 
 
BUDGETARY LIABILITIES Fund Appropriations 
Fund Allotments 
General Operations Authority Rental Payments Maintenance & Betterments Planning & Construction Sub Total 
 
Total Budgetary Liabilities 
 
$261,388,647.71 
$20,503,818.44 30,352,196.99 160,825,574.52 
558,214,804.51 769,896,394.46 $1,031 ,285,042.17 
 
58 
 
 Proprietary Balance Sheet 
 
CASH Petty Cash Cash in Banks - revenue collections Cash in Banks - Public Trust Funds Cash in Banks - Private Trust Funds Cash in Banks - reg. checking accts. Cash in Banks - time deposits accts. 
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Due from State Treasury 
Regular Appropriation General Fund Appropriation Supplemental Appropriation -regSupplemental Gen. Fund Approp. Governor's Emergency Fund Due from Federal Grants Due from Federal Government Due from FHW A Advanced Fed. Appropriations Due from other state agencies Due from Authorities Due from Gen. Obligation Bond Funds Due from Contracts with Others Due from Others - deficiency judgements Other Receivables - contractors' escrow Overweight Asses. Citations Rec. 
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE Commercial Vouchers Payable Contract Vouchers Payable Miscellaneous Payroll Taxes Payable 
PAYROLL DEDUCTION PAYABLE F.I.C.A. Taxes Withheld Federal Income Taxes Withheld State Income Withheld State Retirement Withheld Health Insurance Withheld Other Payroll Deductions 
 
Sub Total 
Sub Total Sub Total 
 
$ --0-158,088.19 979,776.69 236,018.11 5,339,650.72 
--0-$6,713,533.71 
$288,111,129.12 1,387,899.00 --0---0---0-941,414.58 
288,543,111.62 6,781 ,921.94 --0-26,105,73 --0-- 
69,853,301.84 8,113,782.14 110,461.54 19,105.069.92 274,650.45 
$8,570,447.74 308,909,687.82 
7,459,034.61 511,825.02 
$325,450,995,19 
$--0-255,052.61 
58,090.65 147,768.55 
--0-23,331.28' $484,24 3 .09 
 
59 
 
 TRUST LIABILITIES Private Trust Funds-certified check acct. 
Private Trust Funds - TI W's Escrow acct. 
Private Trust Funds - R/ W trust fund Other Trust Funds 
RESERVES Trust Reserves 
PROGRAM RESERVES Allot. Reserves for Contracts & Prog. 
UNDIST. CHAR\.ES- CLEARING ACCTS. Statewide Clearing Account Statewide Equip. Clearing Acct. Other Equip. Clearing Acct. Statewide Shop Clearing Acct. Statewide Shop Clearing Acct. Other Clearing Accts. - research Undist. Contract Part. cities & counties Other Clearing Accts. - aircraft charge fits. Undistributed Charges - misc. 
INVENTORY- MATERIALS & SUPPLIES Inventory - materials & Supplies 
 
Sub total 
 
$21,000.00 121,920.00 16,200.00 
--0-$159,120.00 
 
$586,341.38 
 
$277,299,102.05 
 
Sub total 
 
$1,942,214.41 (414,539.78) 
(I ,254,535 .52) 219,390.87 
1,830,050.41 209,711.11 
(215,444.83) --0-- 
$685,781,246.40 
 
$2,715,993.66 
 
Total Proprietary Assets Approp. Reserves - programs underway 
 
$695,210,773.77 $89,605,029.38 
 
CURRENT OPERATING RESERYES 
 
$366,904,131.43 
 
Total Revenues Less Expenditures Reserves for Contingencies, doubtful assets Inventories & Undistributed Charges 
 
$--0---0---0-- 
1,625,942.68 
 
Total Proprietary Liabilities 
 
$695,210,773.77 
 
60 
 
 REVENUES & EXPENDITURES from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 
 
REVENUES 
 
Gasoline Tax Appropriation 
 
General Obligation Authority Rentals Maintenance & Betterments Planning & Construction Advance Interstate - Match Fed Aid 
Gasoline Tax Supplemental Approp. 
 
Sub Total 
 
$13,546,078.50 30,352,196.00 88,753,670.00 90,548,475.50 
8.947,200.00 $232,147,620.00 
1,846,916.35 
 
Maintenance & Betterments Planning & Construction Inter-Modal Transfer Facilities Air Transportation Harbor Maintenance 
Non-Gasoline Tax- Supp. Approp. 
 
General Fund Apropriation Sub Total 
 
Governor's Emergency Fund 
 
Income from Federal Grants 
 
Federal Apportionments 
 
ABC Program Interstate Highway Planning Survey Miscellaneous 
General Obligation Bonds 
 
Sub Total 
 
30,250,000.00 7,493,850.00 I ,369,63 7 .50 
421,911.50; 250,000.00 39,785,399.00 33,188,253.00 
5,000.00 
1,000,022.90 34,193,275.90 
49,998,695.00 84,333,794.50 
2,606,282.57 50,792,978.12 187,731,750.19 
50,000,000.00 
 
Participation by Counties Participation by Cities Participation by Others Participation by Ga. Hwy. Authority Participation by Bond Authorities Participation by Others 
 
Cash Participation Sub Total 
 
Non-Cash Participation 
 
Participation by Counties Participation by Cities Participation by Railroads Participation by Others 
 
Sub Total 61 
 
321,057.01 1,093,548.00 7,292,098.67 
--0-464,102.13 979,874.97 10,150,680.78 
(43,322.17) --0-- 
708.49 --0-- 
(44,030,66) 
 
 Other Revenues 
 
Sales of Permits - Billboard Advertising Sale of Permits - Oversize Vehicles Overweight Assessments Aircraft Rental Fees Income from Miscellaneous Sales 
 
Sub Total 
 
$39,170.00 I ,088,690.00 
268,655.17 190,928.90 619,179.29 
2,206,623.36 
 
General Operations Authority Rental Payments Maintenance & Betterments Planning & Construction 
 
Total Revenues EXPENDITURES 
Sub Total 
 
Total Available Revenues 
 
558,018,234.92 
$17,544,527.89 30,352,052.09 116,431,891.39 328,268,821,04 
492,597,292.41 
65,420,942.51 
 
62 
 
  History 
 
While traveling on the multi-lane, limited-access, high-speed Interstates that cross Georgia 
 
and the nation, it is difficult to remember a generation ago (1958), when these engineering 
 
marvels were isolated sections scattered across the state, small parts of the eventual I ,200-mile 
 
system in Georgia. It becomes more difficult to imagine ,that time two generations ago ( 1938), 
 
when it was possible to travel east or west, north or south across the state and remain on hard 
 
-surfaced, two-lane, paved roads. Yet these trips can be made easily today because of the efforts 
 
of the Georgia Department of Transportation and its forerunner, the State Highway 
 
Department. 
 
Prior to 1916, when the first Georgia Highway Commission was formed, the state's roads 
 
were at the mercy of the local jurisdictions' wealth and/ or priorities. Nearly all roads lacked any 
 
system and crossing jurisdictional lines could pose problems. If one county couldn't afford a 
 
road or wouldn't tie into one built by another local government, roads would often lead to 
 
nowhere. Paved roads were common only in the more affluent cities. Dirt roads were either 
 
washboard-rough and dusty in dry weather or glue-sticky quagmires in the wet season. 
 
On July 11, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the first federal-aid road act into law. 
 
The following month, in an extraordinary session of the General Assembly, the Georgia 
 
Highway Commission was created. The state saw 
 
the solution to its problem of non- 
 
systematic roads was to connect county seats in a network of roads passable year-round. 
 
However, the state legislature only allocated $10,000 for the maintenance of the new 
 
commission for its first year. Despite this, the new agency inaugurated 75 federal-aid projects 
 
for 555 miles and 41 bridges by 1919. Federal aid for the first two years (1917- 1918 totaled 
 
$402,988.44 for Georgia, a far cry from the present national allocations of over $100 million 
 
annually. 
 
In making the transition from dirt roads to Interstates and beyond, the Department and 
 
transportation thinking have gone through several stages. These changes could be arbitrarily 
 
labeled the Formative Years (1920 - 1945), the Boom Years (1945 - 1960), the Years of 
 
Challenge and Change (1960 - 1970) and the Maturing Years (1970 - ?). 
 
During the Formative Years, the state cautiously pulled itself out of the mud. Mileage on the 
 
state highway system increased from 4,800 in 1920 to 11,215 in 1938, when a Department 
 
historian wrote "Georgia is definitely out of the mud." The state had paved completely four 
 
trunk lines running east and west and four going north and south. Total expenditures for these 
 
roads from 1916 to 1938 reached $187.7 million or just $11.8 million more than federal 
 
allocations to Georgia for the single fiscal year 1979. 
 
After surviving a depression and winning a world war, Americans and Georgians were tired 
 
of being told they were out of the mud, they wanted concrete evidence. Their love affair with the 
 
automobile had become a marriage. The Boom Years saw the Interstate system conceived and 
 
the other systems reach a high degree of serviceability. In 1945 the State Highway System 
 
totaled 14,003 miles; by 1960 it had grown to 14,959. 
 
About the mid 1960's a new phrase entered the American vocabulary: "quality of life." People 
 
were less inclined to donate land for highway right of way than they had been in the early 
 
Fifties, and by the latter part of the sixth decade there were strong anti-highway feelings in some 
 
quarters. Nonetheless, the Department adapted to the new environment, and by 1968 there 
 
were 17,438 miles of road on the state system. People were using almost two trillion gallons of 
 
motor fuel in the state in 1967, compared to 133 million gallons in 1925. The cumulative total 
 
for road and bridge construction in 1968 was $2,059,458,921.95. 
 
With the change in the public's attitude came a change in the Department's operational 
 
outlook. No longer were roads designed to cover the shortest posible distance at the expense of 
 
natural and historic resources. Public hearings became a part of the planning process. The 
 
Department became increasingly responsive to the public wishes. 
 
In 1972 a significant change occurred. Through a statewide reorganization, the State 
 
Highway Department became the Georgia Department of Transportation with a broadened 
 
outlook. The DOT, as it came to be called, began planning for other modes of moving people 
 
and goods, such as public transportation, rail, air and water. It still takes care of the 18,343 mile 
 
state highway system that by June 1977 had cost $4,118,511,126.64 to construct. But it is doing 
 
much, much more, the result of which will go beyond the interstate that was once thought to be 
 
the solution to our transportation needs, like the county seat-to-county-seat roads. 
 
64 
 
 Statistics & Charts 
65 
 
 FY 1981 REVENUE SOURCES 
(ESTIMATED) 
66 
 
 1978 DOT 'TOTAL BUDGET 
1AUTHORITIES 3% 
HOWTHEDOT DOLLAR IS DIVIDED 
1978 
TOTAL EXPENDITURES 
67 
 
 DOT'S BUDGET AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL STATE BUDGET 
 
1976 
 
1977 
 
1978 
 
1973 
 
1974 
 
1975 
 
1970 
 
1971 
 
1972 
 
1967 
 
1968 
 
1969 
 
68 
 
 PAVED 
 
TOTAL PUBLIC ROAD MILEAGE IN GEORGIA 
LEGEND 
SOIL, GRAVEL, STONE 
 
NON-SURFACED 
 
1955 
 
1960 
 
1965 
 
1970 
 
80 
(f) 
L.1.J ......J 
~ 60 
L.l.. 
0 
(f) 
0 z 
<t:: 
(::f:>) 40 0 
lr-: 
20 
 
69 
 
 GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
1977 GEORGIA TRAVEL BY SYSTEM 
 
MINOR COLLECTOR (NFA) 3.8% 
 
6 7% 
 
INTERSTATE 10,2% 
 
11.0% 
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL (FAP SYSTEM) 23.8% 
INTERSTATE 14.8% 
 
*URBAN - 5000 OR MORE PEOPLE (NFA- NON-FEDERAL-AID) 
70 
 
 GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 
1977 GEORGIA MILEAGE BY SYSTEM 
 
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL 1.1% - \ 
 
\ 
 
.- MINOR ARTERIAL 1.2% 
 
l INTERSTATE 0.2% - - ' 
 
\~ 1..- r ~OLLECTOR 
 
/ 
 
v~rs 
 
1.4% 
 
~1\1 l q 
 
.S;k 
 
0 
 
~ LOCAL (NFA) 
 
INTERSTATE 
 
10.6% 
 
- - 0.9% 
 
LOCAL (NFA) 54.6% 
 
PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL (FAP SYSTEM) 8.9% 
 
*URBAN - 5000 OR MORE PEOPLE (NFA- NON-FEDERAL) 
71 
 
 This report was prepared by the Office of Community & Employee Relations (formerly the Office of Public Information & Public Relations.) 
Bill Allgood, Jr. - editor Bill McGee - artist 
Denise Spense - typesetter 
72