Last Tuesday WSB Radio held its semi-annual Traffic Show. One of the guests on the program was Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden. He answered listener’s questions on the air. Here is a sampling.
Q: Why is traffic so bad on GA 400 southbound between Haynes Bridge and Holcomb Bridge for both rush hours and what can be done about it?
A: My wife asks me this question every day, so I am very familiar with this. We have been looking in to that location. It is kind of a pinch point. That’s where we drop one of the lanes from 400 to Holcomb Bridge Road. We are working on an operational improvement project right now just to try and get more traffic through that pinch point. And maybe, hopefully, free that up.
Q: Who is in charge of timing traffic signals?
A: In Georgia we have over 8,000 traffic signals around the state. We partner with local governments in many cases for them to operate and maintain those signals. There is a combination of local governments and state routes. In Atlanta, we have a very big regional operation to try and time major signals.
Q: How can we report mistimed or faulty traffic lights?
A: Anytime you have a traffic signal that is out, we encourage you to use 511. We will get it to the appropriate jurisdiction or local government.
Q: How do projects get prioritized between the DOT and the Atlanta Regional Commission?
A: We are a part of a metropolitan planning organization here in Atlanta. All the cities and counties have votes on this particular commission. They actually set their transportation plan. It certainly has to be financially constrained. So they have to make some tough decisions. There are a lot more projects needed than there are funds. So they have to make those cuts. They set the 20-year transportation plan and the four-year transportation improvement program for us to work off of. It’s in coordination with them, but predominately the local governments around town set the priorities.
Q: The reflectors on the roadways that were wiped away during the winter storms and all the plowing, what’s the plan on getting those back in place?
A: Certainly on the interstates, they are a priority. Our pavement markings that are there today meet the minimum criteria, but we are a wet weather state so they are very important to our driving population. We are looking at ways we can fund those, but those are in the millions of dollars to replace. We are working on that very diligently.
Q: There seem to be a lot of potholes on Highway 78 and Interstate 20. What is being done about them?
A: Certainly the winter we had this year didn’t help the pavement in Metro Atlanta or around the state. Our routine maintenance budget is where that is funded from. That is sheer state motor fuel dollars. That’s an area in our program we are not getting any additional revenue. We are struggling right now to keep the condition of the pavement preservation activities up, as well as keeping the grass mowed and the trees cut back from signs, all the things that are responsibilities of the DOT. Certainly it is an area (potholes) we are very focused on.
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