Last week Russell McMurry was elected by the State Transportation Board to become the new commissioner of the Transportation Department. McMurry replaces Keith Golden who held the post for three years.
McMurry is a Georgia native (Hart County) who has worked for the DOT for the past 25 years. I interviewed him on Friday to talk about his new position.
Q: Why would you want this obviously difficult and stressful job?
A: I’m just certainly proud and honored to have the opportunity to serve with 4,100 folks that work for GDOT across the state.
We touch peoples lives every day, sometimes not positively, but we certainly want to touch people in a positive way. Everything that anybody does every day, even if they are home bound, something touches the transportation system in Georgia that makes their life what it is.
It is really fulfilling a service and trying to do the very best we can for the state of Georgia and trying to make Georgia the best place it could be.
Q: Any parting words of wisdom from Keith Golden?
A: Keith Golden served this department very well. He is a man of integrity and we want to continue that.
He fostered a spirit of transparency and being open. He has certainly given me wisdom, not just departing, but over the years, and I’m very appreciative of that.
Q: What is your message for metro Atlanta commuters?
A: Be safe, don't be distracted. Put that device down and drive smart. We're going to continue to do the very best we can to have efficiencies in our transportation systems. We try to do a lot of things (shoulder lanes, variable speed limit signs, etc.).
We are continuing to look for abilities and ways to address congestion.
Q: What is your commute like?
A: I live up around the Buford area, so I get to commute on down I-985 and I-85 into midtown. very critical is I'm out and about all the time.I think that's important. I like to know whats going out there.
Q: What are the biggest obstacles or hurdles going forward for you and the DOT?
A: The funding discussion is one of those. Right now there is a lot of uncertainty at the federal level. We are very dependent on federal dollars. Over half our budget or so is federal. We've got a big uncertainty there. We plan for a lot of money. We plan for about $1.2 billion that would come to Georgia. That money originated in Georgia and we want it to come back to Georgia. And thus far we only have about $760 million that we anticipate to get this year. So when you plan for 1.2 and only get 760 or so, you can't meet all the expectations that you plan to do. That's problematic. It is something we continue to look at on a daily basis.
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