City Council Approves Atlanta Department of Transportation
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The mayor’s plan for Atlanta’s first dedicated Department of Transportation (DOT) was approved today by the city council.
The new DOT will be a consolidated transportation agency that will combine the road construction and repair functions of the Department of Public Works with the planning capacities of the Department of City Planning’s Office of Mobility, according to city materials. Additionally, this two-fold effort will be integrated with the infrastructure investment functions of Renew Atlanta Bond/TSPLOST.
“Every aspect of our mass transit system must be improved in order for our city to meet the demands of our growing communities,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement. “Improving mobility not only makes it easier to get around Atlanta — it helps level the playing field for all Atlantans to thrive and get ahead in a 21st century economy. This newly created office provides a space for experts to convene and strategize how we can implement greater efficiency and support the transportation needs of residents.”
Plans for the new agency began last spring, according to city materials, and was allocated $750,000 to develop a strategic transportation plan and set key goals and accountability measures, according to city materials. It’s hoped that the new unified department will be in a better position to acquire funding for transportation projects from state and federal partnerships.
“I’m excited that Mayor Bottoms and I teamed up for over a year with several community leaders to form this department that will bring greater efficiency and effectiveness for transportation in our city,” City Councilman Andre Dickens, who sponsored the legislation to study the effectiveness of transportation department, said in a statement.