Fiscal year 1997 annual report [1997]

: OR GIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Y E AR 1997 ANNUAL REPORT

Message from the Commissioner

As yo u review o ur accomp li hments fo r Fisca l Yea r 1997, yo u w ill see th at we have do ne mu ch to build and main ta in a sustainable trans! o rtation system. Georgia roa d we re aga in recognized as the best in th e natio n . Th G orgia DOT received numero us nation al awa rds fo r q uality con tru ctio n , for stretching p av ment !if an d fo r high qu ality pave ment produ cts.

WAY'XE SIIACKELFORD Georgia DOT Co mm issioner

Th ov rwhelmingly positive public response to the Highway Emergency Response Operato r (HERO) program continued d uring the yea r. Plan were anno unc d to extend High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV), o r Express Lane , and to xpand Georgia' worldrecognized Int lligent Transpo rtatio n ystem. In Fi ca l Year 1997 the State Transportation Board approved policy and program prio rities for commuter and pa seng r rail. The Board unanimously accepted intercity rail rud y recommendatio ns.

To p romote economic developm nt, the Department continued to foc u on completion of the Governor' Road Improvement Program (GRIP) . The DOT now gen rates environmental informatio n that i used by ngin ers to avoid sen itive ar as and we are mitiga ting fo r proj ect impact to a grea ter extent, bo th for historical and cological re ources.

G orgia i th fo urth fa te t growing state in the nation. It i e entia! that we provide the best and most balanced transportation system to en ure th personal mobility and economic prosperity of all the citizens of our great state .

Management Issues and Answers

Issue: What is the DOT currently doing to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles in metropolitan areas?
Answer: We are very plea ed with the u e of HOV lan or Expr s Lanes. When w compl t the con truction of th Kennedy Interchang , we plan to extend Expre s Lane into Cobb County and a part of the re urfacing of I-85 , we are extending Express Lan into Gwinnett County. Expre Lanes are part of Georgia 's Advanced Transportation Management Sy tern , which i the mo t vertically and horizontally integrated y tern in th world with all units of government in this region participating.

During Fiscal Year 1997 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Interstate Highway System. What does this system of interconnected highways crisscrossing the U.S. mean to Georgia?
ince th pa sage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, th e broad ribbon of commerce have linked our nation and are the means by which 23 percent of th nation' highway travel r and 40 percent of the nation's trucks mov safely and efficiently. mericans travel mor than 352 billion mile each year on our nation' interstate highways and almost 23 billion mil s are traveled on Georgia 's 1,244 miles of interstate. Interstate have played a major role in the economic growth and the quality of lif for our nation and for all Georgia citizens.

IFJ

During the Cente:Eal Olympics,
how successful was e recently opened Transportat on Management Center (TMC)?

In 1995, the State Transportation Board a4opted a Statewide Transportation Plan. What funds will be required to meet Georgia's transportation needs?

Operational 24 hours day, the TMC was able to re pond immediately to incide ts. The Center worked clo ely with 1 cal Traffic Control Center , com unicating via a fiber-optic network ocated along interstates and others ate route .
ing camera , locate along the freeway , the TMC w able to advise motori ts by c angeable message signs, cellula telephone, and computers of traf ic conge tion and detour . In the 1 -day period, DOT' Highway Em r ency Response Operators ( EROs) assi ted 1,903 motori and helped to clear 290 accidents HEROs pushed and pulled 10 approximately 2,200 tJuses that were on the roads and re ponded quickly to roadway problems to restore normal traffic flow.

To fully fund the programs ded in this plan will
require a inve tment of 31 billion over the xt two decade . Available funding ill m et only 58 percent of this need. Over 40 percent or 13.5 billion w 11 remain unfunded. The 20-year eed at our port are projecte to co t $172 million. For Georgia' 103 publicly owned airports, an investment level of 2 billion i eeded. Transit program needs anti rail investment need total 822 million and 1.9 billion, respectiv ly. eeds for highways and bridge amount to 26 billion.
II

Management Issues and Answers

teve Parks, D puty Commissioner

I s s u e : What does DOT plan to do to alleviate Georgia's air quality problems in the 13-county Atlanta non-attainment area and air quality problems that may spread to Augusta, Columbus, Macon, and Sandersville in Washington County, Georgia?

What are your hopes for the passage of a multi-year reauthorization bill?

A nswer: To help combat these problem wemu tget the full cooperation of our citizens to reduc reliance on the single occupant vehicle. We mu t encourage greater u e of alternate fuel and ncourage more car pooling, van pooling and t leworking. We need to xpand public transit and provide commut r and intercity passenger rail alternatives. Also crucial, we should xpand the use of Intelligent Transportation ystem t chnologie .
II

There i a definite need for equity o that Georgia will get back a larger p01tion of th funds ent by our tat to the Highway Trust Fund. At this time, Georgia receive back 80 cents for evety ga tax dollar collected in our tate. om projects that wer accomplish d in Georgia with I TEA funds includ d funding of the commuter rail and intercity rail studies; funding of the Advanced Transp01tation Management System including Expr ss Lanes; and funding of a statewide bicycle and pede trian plan . I TEA fund were al o u ed for transit capital improvements and identification of th ational Highway System.

In 1988 Georgia beg n the Governor's Road :rmprovement Program (GRIP). When completed, what w this program mean to Georgia citizens?

Georgia is the fourth fastest growing state in the nation. What tra sportation modes is DOT developing to meet this populati n explosion?

When completed, GRI will connect all of Georgia's small , nd medium size cities to the inters ate system with safe, efficient, four-lane roads. A survey, taken in Sep ember of 1996, indicate that af~ cted counties credit the GRIP syste improvements with bringing in 166 n w businesse and creating 9,573 ne jobs. An additional 70 busine s s expanded as a re ult of GRIP, addi g 4,439 new jobs. Counties attribut d the lack of GRIP access for the lo s of 19 potential bu ine opp rtunities that would have created a 5,030 jobs .

The DO will soon be expanding statewid the Intelligent Transpor arion System; expanding Express anes into Cobb and Gwinner counties; expanding the HERO program beyond the Perimete11; and indentifying funding for commuter rail. We are currently studying intercity rail. The State Transpo ation Board approved this fi cal year passenger and commuter rail policy to initiate a tatewide pa senger rail program with connecti ity to major highway with commuter and transit systems. Pa senger rail may one day provide a eamle transportation support for major air orts, ports and bu and rail lines.

Utilizing Georgia Statewide Academic and Medical System Technology, the Statewide Bicycle Advisory Committee made final recommendations for the Statewide Bicycle Network.

Proje ct Divers ity Evide nt in Planning Th e Office of Pla nning continu ed to create new bicycl e a nd multi -use paths, resto re historic transportation facilities a nd provide for la ndsca ping alo ng majo r transpo rtation corrido r through th Tran portatio n Enha nceme nt Activity program. Coordination betwee n the Georgia DOT and urban a reas to deve lo p tran p ortatio n improvement programs wa accomplished in all 11 metropo li ta n a reas. Transpo rtatio n stu dies we r aga in an area of foc u , incl uding studie fo r the Appalachian Scenic Corridor and Major Investme nt Stud ies in Savanna h, Rome , Augusta a nd Atl anta's North e rn Arc.
Strategic Planning Efforts Still Strong Introdu ced in 1994, Strategic Planning has bee n an importa nt tool used by the DOT to move fotwa rd in an e ra of ra pid cha nge. For its 1997 strategic pl an , the Strategic Planning Group focused on the DOTs inte rn al e nviro nment covering financial, pe rsonnel, sta keho lde r a nd o rgani zational issues. Inte rnal facto rs incl uding global tre nd and tre nds in gove rnme nt we re also rev iewed for the impact they could have ove r the next seve ral yea rs.

Urban Planning Branch Mee ts Key Goals The Urba n Plann ing Bra nch of the Offi ce of Planning compl eted transportati on pl a n updates for Augusta, avann ah, Rome and \'{farne r Rob ins. Effo rts to develo p and imple me nt transportation improve me nts in the Atlanta area we re a prima ty co nce rn . The Atl a nta a rea is faced w ith air qu ali ty no n-conformity restri ctio n that in volve coordination w ith seve ral governme ntal agencies.
Rail, Aviation Issues Addressed For fi sca l 1997, the Office of Intermodal Programs continu ed to fos te r the deve lo pme nt of alte rnati ve tra nsit modes including public transpo rtati on, railroa ds, aviati on a nd po rts. In coordinatio n w ith th e Atl a nta Regional Commissio n, th e office has successfull y tra n fe ned over 3 million in urface Transpo rtation Program ( TP) a nd an additio nal 3 millio n fo r Congestion Mitiga ti o n Air Quality (CMAQ) funds. Mo re than 25 milli on fo r pu b lic transportation capital, pl anning and o pe rating programs from fede ral, state a nd loca l sources were all oca ted during Fiscal Yea r 1997. More tha n 14 million fo r urba n transit projects a nd 4 milli o n fo r rural tra nsit projects were contracted fo r ca pital a nd o perating support.

Cost Update Finished For APD Route A major achi eveme nt fo r the Office of Programming in fi sca l 1997 was the Appalachian De velo pme nt Hig hway (APD) Cost to Compl ete
pd ate . This upda te was th e first of th e APD estimate in five yea rs. This effo rt required a team o f 14 F de ral Highway Admin istration a nd DOT ind ivid uals to complete. During the update , vital changes to data re po rting item and the consulta nt-developed electro nic data re po rt program we re made . Since the update was compl eted , the changes we re ado pted and have been used across th country.

Preconstruction Division

The Preconstruction Division is responsible for the design and engineering of transportation projects conforming to state and federal laws and regulations. The Division also is responsible for the acquisition of rightsof-way for projects.

The design process was greatly enhanced in the fiscal year with the introduction of CAiCE software.

The Bridges of Georgia Responsible for tructural design of highway bridges, culverts, retaining walls, other h ighway stru ture and the hydraulic design of bridge structures, the Office of Bridge and tructural Design had a banner year in fi cal 1997. The office produced more than 128 million in total bid cost for contracts for 70 bridges. Over 30 hydraulic studies were completed. Among the marquee bridge projects were plans for twin 1~95 bridges over the South Altamaha River in Glynn County; plans for eight bridges in the I-85/ State Route 20 interchange in Gwinnett County; and plans for the idney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick.

Aerial Photography Tops 3,300 Miles Flown The Office of Environment/ Loca tio n has numero us responsibilities including the acquisitio n and de live ry of design informati on, develo pment of project conce pts fo r the preprogramming and preconstru ction phases and the deve lo pment of feasibility studies . In Fiscal 1997 the Photogrammet1y Section o f the offi ce completed 95 percent of an attribute dataset to establish a Geogra phica l Info rmation System . This section also fl ew 3,356 miles of ae rial photography, including photography fo r 206 project . The Locati o n Secti on completed 13 concept re po rts and he ld nine conce pt meetings. Th e Environmental Section condu ct d a total of 58 public hearing/ public information meetings.

Ge orgia Among States To Develop Site Manager
ite Manage r, a comput rized constru ctio n ma nageme nt yste m, was unde r developme nt in 1997. Deve lo ped to trea mline fi e ld docume ntatio n a nd payment proce e , th e sy tem re-eng inee rs the massive paper record keeping sy te m to an o n-line e lectro ni c y tem. The syste m ope rates in a w indows-bas d e nvi ro nme nt a nd utili zes produ cts and techno logy ava il able to this enviro nme nt.
Training Critical in Ever-changing Indus try Tra ining i fund a me nta l in the fa t cha nging wo rl d o f constru ctio n. With this in mind , the Constru cti o n O ffi c took th e lea d to e nsure that constru ction p rocedures continu e to be perfo rme d w ith minimal e nvironme nta l impact. A tra ining program to ce rtify contractors Work Zo ne Erosio n Control Supe rvisors wa to be la unched in 1998. Additio na lly, tra ining in me tric co nversio n , traffi c contro l and a ph alt con tru ctio n ke pt e mployees up to da te a nd info rmed . Al so no te wo rth y, the Co nstru ctio n Office re ma ined committe d to the Georgia Q uality Initiative, the DOT' pattne ring effort with it cu tome r including contracto r , d ig ne r and road-u e r g ro up .

Quality Projects Depend on Quality Mate rials O ver the pa t yea r, the O ffi ce of Mate ria ls and Resea rch pe rfo rmed app rox imate ly 162,000 test o n mate ria ls u e el in Georgia DOT constru ctio n and mainte na nce project . These tests were pe rfo rme d o n: 6. 5 millio n to ns o f ho t mix aspha lt; 67 millio n ga llo ns o f liquid asph a lt ceme nt: 265 ,000 cubic ya rds o f portl and ceme nt concrete; nin millio n to n f aggregate; and 22 millio n po und of re info rcing tee!. In o the r developments, the offic initi ated the use of a ca rbon fibe r/ e pOA.)' composite to re pa ir six bridge pi r ca ps o n th e
tate Ro ute 2 bridge ove r the Co nasa uga Rive r overfl ow in Murray County . This represe nted the fir t use o f this type o mpo ite in the state a nd a mo ng the fir t uch a pplica tio ns in the country.
Documents Reviewed by Construction Claims Th e Constructi o n Cla ims Office continue d inte nsify ing its e ffo rts to redu ce contracto r claims aga in t the De partme nt by reviewing, diligentl y a na lyzing and rev i ing DOT contract docume nt to ensure th at the documents a re accurate and no namb ig uo u . The Co n tru ctio n !a im Office a! o assiste d and trained th e DOT constru ctio n pe rsonne l in fisca l 1997 to ma nage cl a ims and to under ta nd and enfo r e contract . A pa rt of its effo rt to e nsure efficiency, the o ffi ce pa rticipated in Fina l Fie ld Pla n Rev iews o n majo r pro ject .

In December 1996, the Georgia DDT celebrated the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Interstate System. Taking part in the celebration was Mary Eisenhower Atwater, granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, for whom the interstate system was named in 1990.

Celebratine 40 Years
of PI'Ofll'eSS
1956-1996

m

Operations Division
The Operations Division is responsible for the safe operation and maintenance of roadways. Utility relocation is handled through this Division and it also operates truck weighing stations.

The Office of Equipment Management is responsible for fleet operations statewide, ranging in complexity from lawn mowers to heavy earth-moving equipment. In 1997, the DOT's fleet was comprised of approximately 8,555 vehicles/equipment.

DOT Responds to Speed Limit Changes In response to changes in Georgia law increasing the maximum speed limit on interstates and physically divided highways , the Traffic Operations Office studied most of these routes during the year. The speed limit has increased on approximately 830 miles of nonurbanized inter tate and approximately 85 miles of urbanized interstate. In addition, the speed limit was increased on approximately 500 miles of the physically divided highway system. In other work , 1,356 driveway permits were approved tatewide , 55 traffic ignals were installed, 27 signal upgrades were comp leted and 11 ignal systems were retimed.

Utilities Office Manages Railroad, Utility Matters The office ~ ithin the Operation Division that coordinates utility and railroad matter i the Office of tilitie . It primary function i to develop and admini ter policie , procedure and regu lation that impact various utility and railroad situation as they relate to highway construction. During the fi dll year, the Office of Utilities authorized 91 total utility agreements at a total co t of 12.2 million. Fifty-two total railroad agreements were authorized at a cost of 3.9 million. Covering all seven DOT districts, 9,856 utility permits were issued .

Maintenance Office Responsibilities are Vast The Maintenance Office is respon ible for maintaining the
tate Highway System. In addition to roadways, Maintenance per onnel maintain bridges as well. The Office of Maintenance had 8,555 pieces of equipment assigned to it during the fiscal year. Emp loyees who work in the Maintenance Office numbered 2,691. Among Maintenance's mo t noteworthy accomplishments during the fiscal period were the replacing of 12 major bridge joints; the painting of 140 bridges; and the resurfacing of 1,185 miles of roadway. The office also finished 228 miles of widening and shoulders paving.

Office of Air Transportation
Flsca1Year1997

Fllgldl Passengers Total Flight Hours Passenger Miles

927 2,499 2,083 .,028

The Administration Division oversees the Department's fleet of aircraft and the DOT's tollway operations. Below is the toll plaza of the State Route 400 Extension.

Air Transportation Flys High in 1997 In Fisca l Yea r 1997, the Offi ce of
ir Transp o rtati o n had 927 flights tran po rtin g 2,499 passengers in a to tal o f 2,083 h ours and 989,028 passeng r miles. The o ffi ce also purchased a nine-sea t Cessna Citatio n IT airplane whi ch will help the o ffi ce m eet its goal o f transporting mo re peopl e to a destin atio n at one tim . Further, the o ffice bega n a two-pilo t p er flight o peratio n effecti v in April 1997. To meet the dem and fo r increased staffing, 14 co-pi lo ts w ere hired o n an ho url y b as is as nee d ed.
State Purchasing Cards Make Successful Debut During the fi sca l peri od , th e Offi ce o f G neral uppo rt
en,ices focused o n initi ating changes in p u rchasing procedures. A completely revised purchas ing po licy w as inaugurated at th e start o f th e fiscal yea r. tate pu rchasing ards fo r sm all valu e purchases w ere introdu ced in all seven DOT districts. Use of th e card w as des igned to redu ce th e use o f p ap er purchase o rder . By year' end , approximately 4,000 small valu purchases w er being m ade each mo nth in place o f paper purcha e o rders.

Two Tollway Operations Exceed Expectations The Georgia DOT o perates ro ll fa cilitie at th Geo rg ia 400
Ex tensio n and at the F.J. Tonas
Ca u eway. To ll revenue fo r both to llway o perati ons in fi ca l 1997 am o unted to 19 millio n. t the Georgia 400 fac ility, ov r 35 m illion vehicles w ere processed with approximately one-third o f that total utilizing the el ctronic to ll coll ection dev ice kn own as th e G orgia Cru ise Card. At year's end ro ughl y 80,000 ruise Ca rd s w er in circul atio n . At the Georgia Crui e Card Center a new o ptica l filin g ystem was introdu ced . A ccounts and records can now be v iew ed o n optica l disk s, grea tl y reducing the dem and fo r pap er filing .
Audit Totals Greatly Reduced The Office o f uclit and Fi sca l Procedur p rfo rm ecl 169 audit in Fisca l Yea r 1997 as ppo eel to 371 p erform ed in the previou fi scal p ri ocl . Other activiti es o f the o ffi ce included th e rev isio n o f the co n ultant audit guide to 1997 standard s and the b g inning o f the yea rly cycle o f co nsultants' o verh ead audits. Lastl y, th e Preaudit Office w as compl etely current \Yith no pre-a udit o utstanding as o f the end o f th e yea r.

Special Staff
The offices of Special Staff are key components in the development of different aspects of the Department, including personnel, public affairs, legal services, equal opportunity compliance, maintenance personnel, systems development and state aid.

Personnel Office Facilitates GeorgiaGain Through GeorgiaGain and M rit
y tem reform, several revisions were made to the Department's personnel policie and procedur during the year. Al o during fi al 1997 the dedication of a po ition within the Per onn 1Offi e to employe relations allowed the office to b tter a si t manager and employ es in that area. The Per onnel Training Office was activ ly involved in th creation of a ne'v Training Center at the DOT's West Annex and a Per onnel Office web page wa unci r developm nt. Providing per onnel need for maintenanc manager and employee , the Office of Maint nan e Personn 1caters to approximately 50 perc nt of the Georgia DOT's mployees.

Field Plan Reviews Net Quality Contracts The Office of Engineering ervices provides oversight of federa lly funded projects. Field Plan Revi ws, performed by the DOT since implementation of the Plan Development Process in 1995, ha' e enhanced the quality of departmental construction contracts. In fis al 1997, 131 reviews were performed. Throughout the fi cal year, the office performed detailed coste timates for 403 projects totaling 568.3 million.
LARP Goes A Long Way The Office of State Aid continu d to as ist local governments in preserving their road and street .
ver the pa t fi cal year, 685 contract totaling more than 70 million improved more than 2,600 mile of roads, school/municipal building parking area and drive and 155 deficient drainage structure . The Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) total d 576 contracts that resurfaced 2,r8 miles of lo al roads and street at a cost of 38.5 million.
EO Admini trator Receives Award The Equal Opportunity Office enables the Georgia DOT to comply with f d ral and state guidelines as they relat to fair and equitable hiring and employee practices. During the year, Robert Bradley, form r EO Administrator, r ceived the F deral Highway Administration' Region Four Executive Council Leadership Award. As the first chairperson of the ouncil, he was commended for providing excellent leader hip, dedicated ervice and valual le support for civil right programs.

Construction Projects Continue in D is t r i c t During the fiscal year, severa l road projects were opened to traffic. In Athens, for example, an interchange reconstru ctio n was completed on State Route Alternate/ .S. 129 at tate Route 8. This project also included the widening of three bridge . Another project open to traffic wa the Queen City Parkway proj ct in Hall Cou nty. It consisted of 1.7 miles of widen ing for additiona l lanes , plant mix resurfacing and relocation on the tate Route 53 Connector b ginning at State Route -3 and extending to tate Rout 60. The relocation completed the connection b tween tate Route 60 to tate Route 53 for direct access from Interstate 985. Additionally, even project were let to contract including ones in Hall , nion and Jack on counties.
Safety, Maintenance and Beautification Efforts Safety, maintenance and b autification were three of the watchwords for District One' Traffic Operati n activities. During Fiscal Year 1997, the District replaced 170,000 rai eel pavement markers along state highway . Highway maintenance workers also planted 84 acres of wildflowers and 138 acres of Crim on Clover along tate roadside . In the area of training, 94 employee received equipment training and 51 employees received preventive maintenance training during the year.

Employees Fuel the Future Di trict One totaled 580 employee a of the end of Fi ca l Year 1997. During the fiscal year, 45 new emp loyee were hired with 30 percent of the new hire being minoriti s and females . More than 2,600 hour of training in all areas of profe sional development were completed by employee in Di trier One during the year.
Right-of-Way Office Paves the Way The Di trict One Right-of-Way team continued to log numerous accompli hment during Fi ca l Year 1997. They acquired 245 parcels of right-ofway, including 14 Advanced Acquisition on tate Route 316 and the Athens Bypas as well as two Advanced Acquisition in Elberton.

The Georgia DOT worked with local transportation officials in Habersham County in a test of synthetic fibers for use as a stabilizing agent on unpaved roadbeds.

District Two

Quality Cons tnlction Hallmark of Excellence Di trict Two's 4.4 percent cost of
ngineering was the lowest in the state during the fi cal year. Projects let to constru ction tota led 31 million. District Two also b a ted the highest percentage of improvement on Asphaltic Concrete Re urfacing with 199.6 lane-m il es repres ntecl at 35 percent overa ll improvement. On the forefront of metric conver ion
ffort , pilot m tric mowing contracts were awarded for state route and imer tate highways in Richmond, Columbia , Wilkes, Lincoln and McDuffie cou nties. Paving the way for future tran portation improvements we re right-of-way effo rts. The Di trier acquired 220 parcels which involved two project o n the Fall Line Freeway Corridor a nd three project on the G Jelen Isle Parkway Corridor.
Varied Activities Enhance Roadway Safety A part of a departmental initiative to provide the best roadways po ible for motorists, District Two placed 111 ,700 raised pav ment marker to maintain adequate traffic control during wet weather and darkne Maintenance crews also wa heel 35,646 igns to r sto re r flectiv ity and reduce replacement co t. The Di trier a lso completed upgrading ig ns on interstate routes to high intensity sheeting. In the rea lm of Traffi Operations, 16 traffic signals were upgrad cl and 10 ne\cv signal were installed. Preventive maintenance repair totaling 783 al o were performed on traffic signals.

Assistance from laptop computers contributed to the upgrade of 16 traffic signals over the course of the year,

DOT Aids Community Transportation Upgrades Assisting with transportation need at the loca l level is the charge of the State Aid Office. Through the Local As istance Road Program (LARP) , 218 roads repre enting 244.544 kilo meters of roadway were e lected for re urfa ing. Add itionally, 102 city/ cou nty projects were authorized for more than 9.8 million. Further, 1,029 roads and treets were rated through the LARP program repre e nting 1,500 kilome te rs.
People Caring, People Sharing The Tennille District overflowed with hea rtfe lt generosity among all 604 of its employees during the fi ca l yea r. Employees contributed
1,200 worth of food , clothing and toys to needy fam ilies during the Christmas season. They also contributed 1,100 to e mployees and their families who were victimi zed by major illnesses, injuries a nd los of homes due to fire. inety-seven percent of the entire District work force participated in the ann ua l tate Charitable Contributions Campa ign with total contributions amounting to 22 ,966.

The Local Assistance Road Program facilitated the improvement of nearly 194 miles of local roads, including Meadows-Boone Road in Meriwether County (right).

On-going Projects of Cons truction Wo rk on the following projects b gan in fisca l 1997 with constru ction o ngoing as o f th e e nd of the year: Fall Line Freeway projects totaling 24. 28 miles at a cost o f $41. 3 millio n; Loca l Assistance Road Progra m resurfacing projects totaling 193 .3 miles at a cost of 5.6 million ; Econo mic Developme nt Highway projects totaling 7.92 mil es at a cost of 14 million; a nd concre te re habi litation on I-85 totaling 6.35 mil es at a cost of
3.3 million .

Preconstruction Handles Environmental Issues The Environment Office of the Preconstruction Division gained environme ntal clea ra nce fo r 38 projects du ring Fisca l Yea r 1997. The Environme nt Office participated in e ight we tland fi eld surveys in areas that me t the required wetl and criteria. There we re also nderground Storage Tank urveys comple ted fo r 12 projects within the District.

Using Global Positioning Syste m Equipment The Locatio n Office of the Preconstru ctio n Division procured Glo bal Positioning System equ ipment during Fiscal Yea r 1997 . Afte r proper training, e mployees successfully mastered use of the equipment within the e ntire 31-county Distri t. The office surveyed a total of 176.40 miles during fisca l 1997 .

Enhancing Road Sign Safety for Public District mainte nance pe rsonnel of the Ope ratio ns Divisio n worked dil igently to upgrade all of the District' road signs during the year. The signs were upgraded to a high inte nsity sheeting as a safety e nhanceme nt for the traveling public. The Mainte nance Office also continu ed an aggressive resurfac ing progra m by letting 23 projects to contract. The Utilities Office fixed utility conflicts on 66 constru ction projects. The office also pre pared and e xecuted 13 util ity fo rce account agreeme nts and 40 railroad force account agreeme nts. The Traffi c Ope ratio ns Office performed a total of 18 traffic signal op e ration reviews. The o ffice installed 12 stop-and-go traffic sign als a nd upgraded one .

District Four
Construction Completes GRIP Projects District Four opened 32.099 miles of Governor's Road Improvement Program (GRIP) projects totaling $33,818,338.00 during Fiscal Year 1997. Another 14.139 miles of GRIP projects were authorized at a tota l cost of $14,928,854.22.
Employees Receive Wetland Training Environment/ Location employees received training in areas concerning Georgia's wetlands. Employees engaged in hands-on experience in Identification of Wetland Vegetation tra ining at the University of Georgia for the Piedmont Region. The group traveled to Fort Stewart, Georgia to receive the training for the Coastal Plain Region. Employees also received training for Jurisdictional Delineation of Coastal Plain Wetlands in Savannah and Fort Stewart.
Transport Needs Met At Local Level The Intermoclal Programs Office worked to coordinate transportation options for local residents. The Mitchell County Transit System , District Four's first Unified Transportation System, began operation. The Rural Public Transportation Programs within District Four provided transportation for 56,102 people and traveled 285,882 miles over the course of fiscal 1997.

Operational improvements were completed on 121 miles of District roadway by widening, shoulder paving, resurfacing , chip seal or, shown above, slurry seal.
State Aid Awards LARP Projects The District Four Office of State Aiel awarded 268.2 miles of Local Assistance Road Program (LARP) projects totaling $7,140,575 during Fiscal Year 1997. There were 233 county contracts totaling 365.8 mil es that either were completed or were under construction at year's encl . The office also reviewed 29 deficient bridge sites and approved 21 sites for county contracts at a cost of $961 ,200.

Tnunan Parkway Among Construction Highlights During Fiscal Year 1997, District Five completed 362 miles of roadway and bridges with an estimated value of
78 million. In Chatham County, 2.390 miles of the Harry Truman Parkway were completed. The project entailed construction of an interchange at President Street, a retaining wall and several bridges. In Tattnall County, an 0.550-mile project enta iling construction of a bridge and approaches on State Route 147 opened. In August 1996, Pierce County motorists welcomed the completion of 1.380 miles of construction of a bridge and approaches on State Route 15/ State Route 121.
Preconstruction Activities Lay Foundation for Future The District's Design Office was busy in fiscal 1997 completing seven roadway projects totaling 14.1 miles of multi-lane rural widening and 5.1 miles of multi-lane urban widening. The Environment Office cleared 215 construction and maintenance stockpile/ waste sites and supervised the removal of six Underground Storage Tanks. In Right-of-Way, 399 parcels were acquired. The Location Office surveyed 92 miles for program projects and 85 miles for state-aid projects. Also of note, the Intermodal Office processed 61 harbor and planning urban/ rural contracts at a tota l of 4.6 million. Additionally, Intermodal processed grant applications and contracted with six counties for rural public transit sy tems.

District Repairs/ Replaces 36,000 Signs in Fiscal Year 1997 Continual maintenance of the State Highway System is crucial to the system's safe operation. In fiscal 1997, the District repaired or replaced in excess of 36,000 signs. Additionally, Maintenance forces leveled and resurfaced 243 miles of state routes and 175 miles of shoulder paving was accomplished through the DOT's letting process. Maintenance forces also slurry sealed or chip sealed 72 miles. Traffic Operations completed 54 engineering tudies, 18 intersection improvements and 115 fatal accidents were investigated. even traffic signa l upgrades were logged. In the Utilities Office, 209 sets of highway plans were distributed to utility owners.

Skills Sharpened at Varied Training Courses The importance of professional development was underscored during the year through numerous training opportunities. Sanctioned by AAA, a defensive driving course was held in which 516 people participated. Basic metric training also was provided to 306 panicipants of which 255 were DOT employees, 36 were local government officials and 15 were contractors. Other courses held included CPR training and on-the-job metric applications. Five employees completed the 12-week CET training program.
The District completed a 2.390-mile project entailing grading, drainage, base, and paving for construction of the Harry Truman Parkway.

District Six
Improvements were dramatic on stretches of 1-75 resurfaced during the fiscal year.
Cartersville District Adds Environmentalist A new p osition was created in the Preconstru ction Office in fi scal 1997 District Environme ntalist. The District now has an individual o n staff wh o ca n assist firsth and in addressing e nvironme ntal issues during the project des ign stage . Among othe r acti vities, the District Environment/ Locatio n Office surveyed 86 miles w hile the Right-ofWay Office acquired 289 parcels. The De ign Office comple ted and le t to contract 11 roadway projects. In cooperation with loca l public tran portation systems, the Intermodal Office impleme nted a drug/a lco hol testing program fo r county/ city employees w ho ope rate
ublic transportation vehicles .

Maintenance of I-75 An On-going Project High traffic volumes alo ng the section o f I-75 that lies within District SLx mandate th at th e roadway's surface must be constantly scrutinized to e nsure optimum d riving conditi ons. Du ri ng Fiscal Yea r 1997, the Ma intena nce Office completed re urfac ing I-75 from Roc ky Face to th e Te nnessee state line. An add itio nal project to resurface I-75 fro m State Route 61 to
tate Ro ute 156 was le t to contract.
Meeting Goals Through Advances in Technology The Georgia DOT's d ire to meet the evolving transpo rtation needs of a g rowing po pulo us was evidenced in Distri ct Six's e mbrac ing o f th e lat st in transportatio n techn ology. Th e Traffi c Ope rations Office counted among its achieveme nts the imple me ntatio n of electronic cou nt boards a nd th e crea tio n of a Di trier Six web p age on the DOT's home Inte rne t site. Lastl y, traffic enginee ring software entitl ed " e tsim" was p laced into use . This softwa r provid es fo r the perfo rmance o f traffi c fl ow modeling for p roposa l eva luatio n.
Progress Made On Major Projects Progre s was made on several major constru ction projects during the yea r. Wide ning and reconstru ction on State Ro ute 92 was app roximately 80 percent complete at yea r's encl. A 6.1-mile , 15 millio n project, wo rk begins at County Roa I 754 in Woodstock and e nds at Old Mountain Parkway in Cobb County. Three Governor's Road Improvement Program projects on U. S. 27/ State Ro ute 1 also aw significa nt progress. Among these projects, Ca rro ll County's Roopville Bypass sho uld be comple te in 1ay 1998. Th e othe r two projects entail 7.48 miles o f wide ning and reconstru cti on and two double bridges in Fl oyci/ Chattooga counties and 9.46 miles o f w ide ning and reconstru ction in Fl oyd/ Polk co unti es.

Operations Functions A Hub of Activity The Traffic Operations Office proce sed and approved 265 commercial driveway/ special encroachment permits. The office a! o turned on 75 new top-and-go traffic ignal including DOT and local government installations and those signals installed for con truction projects. In the area of maintenance, the District replaced 1,000 square yard of concrete pavement slabs , repaired or replaced 17,000 roadside signs and repaired 1,000 lin ear feet of armoured bridge joints. The District Utilities Office approved and issued 1,734 encroachment permits and oversaw the movement of more than 175 utility po les back from the roadside through the permitting proce s.
Transportation Needs Met By State Aid Office The Office of State Aid fosters th e crucial link between the G orgia DOT and local government in District Seven . In fiscal 1997, the office authorized 23 state aid contracts totaling $3 .66 million. Thirty LARP resurfacing contracts were authorized at a total of $7.4 million. Further, the office made needs ratings, field investigations and preliminary estimates on 1,764 roads a nd streets for the LARP resurfacing program. Among other Construction Office activities, the Contracts Administration Office processed over 300 contract amendments including supplemental agreements, change order and extension agreements. The office also finaled ou t over 83 projects at a total cost of 124 million.

Window to the Future Opens in Preconstruction Planning for the future transportation needs of District even falls squarely on the shoulders of the dedicated emp loyees in the offices comprising Preconstruction. In fiscal 1997, the Environment/ Location Office cleared the environmental documents on 56 projects and conducted 11 public information/public hearing meeting . In the Design Office, final plans were comp leted on 21 projects at an approximate tota l construction cost of
17 million.
Focus on Safety Sets District Records In Fi cal Year 1997 the District Seven safety record was ignificantly improved over the previous fiscal yea r. Through a concerted effort, vehicle accidents were down 22 percent and lost time injuries were down 56 percent. In a notable improvement, person-days lo t in Fiscal Year 1997 totaled 519, a drop from 705 days lost in fiscal 1996. During the year, emp loyees completed 8,376 hours of training. The Equal Opportunity Office condu cted over 55 on-site verification reviews for final determination of DBE/ WBE certification. The office also scheduled all EO compliance reviews as suggested by the General Office.

Cobb County motorists welcomed the completion of a 4.316-mile reconstruction project on State Route 8/U.S. 78 from Mableton Parkway to Riverview Road (right).

District One
1. Clarke County .583 mil es of interchange recon tructi on o n
tat Ro ute 15 Alternate/ U.. 129 (Prince Ave nue) at tate Route ( o rth Avenue Bypas ) in Athe ns. Include w ide ning of three bridges: tate Route 15 Al te rn ate over tate Route 8; tate Route 15 Alte rnate ove r C X Railroa d ; and State Ro ute 8 ove r th C X Railroad . 2. Hall County
1.7 mil es of w id e ning of additio nal lane , plant m Lx resurfac ing and relocation on tate Ro ute 53 Connector, beginning at tate Route 53 (McEve r Road) and extending to tate Route 60 (Queen City Parkway). Relocatio n complete th e connection be tween State Route 60 to tate Route 53 for direct access from I-985. 3. Hall County
2. 2 miles of wide ning o n tate Route 53 (McEver Road) fo r additio nal lane , plant mix re urfac ing a nd reconstru ctio n, beginning at County Road 1293 (Mundy Mill Road) extending to the tate Route 369 (Browns Bridge Roa d) intersectio n.

1. McDuffie County 0.420 miles of constru ction of a bridge and
approaches on Coun ty Roa d 308 (Wrig sboro Road)
ove r Middle Creek a nd constru ction of q bridge culvert
at Mattox Creek.
2. Newton County 0.683 miles of inte rsectio n improvements as
follows : On tate Route 36 at County Roa d 653 (Jackson Road); tate Ro ute 162 at Co unty Road 393 (Concord Road); and County Road 29 (Kirkland Road).
3. Putnam County 0.32 2 miles of constru ctio n of a bridge and
approaches o n State Route 16 over the ittle River.
4. Richmond County 2.386 miles of w idening for ad 'tiona! lanes,
reconstru ctio n and plant mix resurfacin on Tobacco Roa d beginning at .S. 1 and extendin to Wind or
pring Road .
5. Richmond County 2.560 miles of wide ning fo r ad 'tional lanes,
plant mix resurfacing and reconstru ctio on tate Route 56 pur (Doug Barnard Parkway) beginning at the I520 interchange and exte nding to tate oute 10/ U.. 78 (Gordan Highway) in Au gusta, inclu e construction of a bridge ove r Rocky Creek. Includes elocation of Haul Road , paving Gravel Pit Road and con truction of a wetland mitigation site .

District Three
1. Fulton County 2.73 mdes o f new constru ctio n on State Ro ute
138 linking Betli aid a Road to Old ratio nal Highway includjng a bridge ove r Mo rning Creek. 2. Monroe Co nty
Renova io n of I-75 we igh statio ns. 3. Upson County
8.082 miles o f w ide ning, rea lignme nt and resurfacing on the Econo mi c Develo pme ntal Highway ( tate Route 3/ .S. 19) beginning east of Logtown Road and extending to Highwa y Street in Thomaston. 4 .Crawford County
3.068 m il es of w ide ning o n the Fall Line Freeway ( tate Route 96) betwee n County Road 269 and extend ing to a point east o f the Flint Rive r. Incl udes 8 bridge re placements.

District Four
1. Decatur County 9.7 6 miles of widening, reconstl1.lction and plant
mix resurfacing on State Route 1/ .S. 27, ginning at Florida state line and extending to Count) R ad 123. Includes widening of a double bridge ove r wamp Creek and Attapulgu Creek.
2. Thomas County 7.689 miles of wide ning and recon trLJction on
tate Route 38/ U. . 84 including construcrli n of a wetland mitigatio n sit and a bridge culveJt at Au 'lla Creek.
3. TI1omas County 1.409 miles of widening fo r additional lanes,
plant mix resurfacing and reconstruction n tate Route 35/ U. S. 319, beginning at Zoe Street in C olidge and extending no1th of County Road 417.
4. Early County 4. 579 mile of grading, drainage, base, and
paving for constru tion of Blakely Bypass beginning at State Route 1/U. . 27 and ex.'tending no1tl of Pin Road. Includ construction of turn lane on ta t~ Route 1/ U.. 27 and a wetland mitigati n ite .
5. Lowndes County 18.222 miles of con tru ti n con i ting of 7. 10
miles of w idening for additional lanes, pi- nt mix resurfacing and reconstruction on I-75, beginning at tate Route 31 and exte nding to tate Route 94. Includ wide ning of a bridge over Valdosta outh rn Railroad, Mud Creek, CSX Railroad and tate Ro ute 38/ .. 84.
6. Cook County 10.800 miles of milling and inlaying on hould r
on I-75, beginning at the Lownde County line and exte nding no1th of the Georgia/ Florida Railroad.

District Five
1. Charlton County 0.593 miles of grading, drainage, base a nd
plant mix paving fo r constru cti on o f the Fo lksto n Railroad Overp s, beginning at Love treet and Okefenokee Parkway a nd exte nding to State Ro ute 4/ tate Route 1 I .. 1/ U.S . 301/ U.S. 23. 2. Glynn County
1.022 m il es o f rea lignme nt o n State Ro ute 520 (Jekyll I land Road), beg inning west of Je kyll River and xtending to Je kyll Isla nd tate Park. Include construction of a high leve l bridge a nd approaches over Jekyll Riv r. 3. Tattnall County
0.550 m iles o f con tru cti o n of a b ridge a nd a pproaches on tate Route 147 over th e Ohoo pe
River.
4. Chatham County 2.000 rniles of grading , drainage, ba , and
paving o f the Poole r Bypa Road (Phase I) , b ginning at . . 80 and ext nding to I-95. 5. Chatham County
2.390 mile o f grading, drainage, ba e, and paving for con tructio n o f the Harry Truma n Parkway in avannah, beginning o uth o f Ander o n treet a nd exte nding no rth of Pre id e nt treet.

District Six

District Seven

1. Gordon County Oo tanaula River bridge project on 1-75
con i ting of raising a do uble bridge, p rtial deck re placement and constru ctio n o f a pproach
2. Bartow/ Gordon counties 21.82 miles of milling, inlay an plant mix
re urfacing o n I-75 beginning east of t te Route 61/ U.. 411 and extending to tate Ro ute 156 in Calho un.
3. Catoosa/Whitfield counties 18.8 miles of milling, inlay and
re urfac ing on I-75.

1. Rockdale County 0.869 les of inte rchange reconstru ctio n o n I-
20 at Klondike oa cl and West Avenue.
2. CobbCoun 4.316 1 'les of reconstructi o n on tate Route
8/ U. . 78 BankHead Highway fro m Mableto n Parkway to Riverview Ro d.
3. Fulton County 2.340 m'les of reconstru ctio n o n State Ro ute
120 ( tate Bridg Road) beginning west of Alpha Co urt extending ea t o f Park Bridge Parkway .
4 . Clayton County 5.928 mjles of reconstructio n on I-75 b ginning
at . 19/ 41 extend ing to I-285.

Georgia Roadwa~s
Miles of Georgia Roads 1996

Contracts Awarded Contract Amount Awarded No. City I County Contracts City I County Contract Amount No. Monthly Pay Vouchers No. Final Vouchers Payments for Let Contracts Payments for City I County Contracts TOTAL PAYMENTS

403 S588,312,000
s 857 89,480,804 8,808 1,487
s8888,921 ,875 54,038,880 8722,980,755

6ao0 I!!!!,!_!_!,_!~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!lii!!!!!!!!!!!ii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=
40 ~
20 ~--0
AVERAGE CRUISE CARD

Financial Information
Real Estate Rentals ..................................................................................................... 1,323,721.92 Telecommunications ........ .......................................................................................... 2,988,086.31 Per Diem, Fees and Contracts ............................................................................... .52,804,051.53 Capital Outlay ........................................................ .. ...... .... ............... .....................761,191,091.20 Capital Outlay-Airport Development ... .... ................................................................1,279,706.03 Capital Outlay-Airport Approach Aid & Operational Improvement .... .. ................1,025,035.84 Mass Transit Grants .........................:.................. .................... ...................................8,911 ,209.74 Harbor/ Intra-Coastal Waterways ... .... ..... ............................................... .................... ...699,751.96 Contracts with Rail Pas enger Authority .......................................... .. .........................355,000.00 Spoilage Area Acquisition, Clearing & Preparation.............................. ... ................3,477,700.00
Total Expenditures .......................................................................... $1,146,946,887.99
DOT Still Fund Approprlltlana
a I percent ol Total Still Fund llppriJIII'IIIIolll
100% 1993 1994 1995 1998 1997
75% 50% 25%

PROGRAMMING DIVISION
DIRECTOR OF PLANNING
8r PROGRAMMING
OFFICE OF PROGRAMMING
OFFICE OF INTERMODAL PROGRAMS
OFFICE OF PLANNING
OFFICE OF

OFFICE OF ROAD 8r
AIRPORT DESIGN

CoNSTRUCTION
OFFICE OF CONTRACTS ADMINISTRATION

fiSCAL PROCEDURES
OFFICE OF GENERAL ACCOUNTING
OFFICE OF GENERAL

AND ENFORCEMENT
OFFICE OF EQUIPMENT MANAGEMENT
fiELD DISTRICTS
1 GAINESVILLE
2 TENNILLE
3 THOMASTON 4 TIFTON 5 JESUP 6 CARTERSVILLE 7 CHAMBLEE

OFFICE OF BUDGET SERVICES
OFFICE OF TOLLWAY ADMINISTRATION

PERSONNEL
OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
OFFICE OF SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT
OFFICE OF STATE AID
OFFICE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
OFFICE OF LEGAL SERVICES
OFFICE OF MAINTENANCE

Georgia Department of Transportation
Public Affairs Offu;e
No.2
Capitol Square Room 114
Atlanta Georgia 30334
(404) 656-5267