Archive Issue

Been stuck in traffic, lately? Do you need a better road to the industrial park to attract employers?

Do you want access bus/train service with shorter headways? Most would say, "Yep!" If you have been in an hour long traffic jam, the answer can be more colorful.

In short, we have a serious mobility problem all over Georgia. What do we do about it? This was the premise for creation of the "Joint Study Committee on Transportation Funding". Created by the 2007 General Assembly, its purpose was to "undertake a study of the conditions, needs, issues, and problems" associated with t.... READ MORE

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has experienced a drastic increase in international traffic by more than 80 percent since the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. In 2002, almost six million travelers chose Atlanta as their gateway in or out of the United States. That number will be much more than doubled in the next decade. This has necessitated Airport planners to expand the facilities at Hartsfield-Jackson. The Maynard Holbrook Jackson International Terminal project is a component of the Airport's 10-year, $6 billion- plus Hartsfield-Jackson Development Program.

Schematic desi.... READ MORE

"It's all about alignment: having shared goals and working together to achieve them." That's how one government contractor sums up the key to a successful project. The contract allows for that type of collaboration, of course. But you'll need to look beyond the contract to figure out how to make it happen.

To get some insider tips for newcomers to government work, we went to some "old hands" for advice. From the Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, we talked to Billy Birdwell (Chief of Public Affairs), Leila Hollis (Deputy for Small Business), and John Caggiano, Jr., P.E. (Deputy Chi.... READ MORE

The material shortages created by World War II essentially became the foundation for what is
now known as Value Engineering. An employee of a major defense contractor determined that his employer would be more competitive in the marketplace if the company was more innovative. The employee created the functional analysis concept, which later became the basis for Value Engineering.

Other companies, along with the US Army and Navy, adopted the concept of Value Engineering, and in 1959 the "Society of American Value Engineers" was created. Value Engineering became an established manageme.... READ MORE

Working through constraints isn't anything new for the Georgia Department of Transportation and our partners. Every day our work revolves around melding federal laws, sound engineering standards and community input into transportation improvements that keep Georgia on the move.

From the beginning of its design the reconstruction of the Interstate 85 and State Route 316 interchange in Gwinnett County has been a study in working through constraints:

• How do you get traffic from SR 316 west to Pleasant Hill Road or to I-85 south?
• How do you get a bridge across five lanes .... READ MORE

Atlanta has a rich history as a transportation hub serving the region and the Southeast. Today
MARTA is the 9th largest transit system in the nation. We are also the backbone of a growing regional system that includes Cobb Community Transit, Gwinnett County Transit, Clayton County's CTRAN, the GRTA Xpress system, and a number of circulator systems.

Over the past thirty years, MARTA's presence has contributed significantly to making this fast-growing region a true national competitor that boasts a strong economy, educated workforce, and vibrant quality of life. A study conducted by th.... READ MORE

Most people dream of living a more successful life: They want a better job, a salary increase, more responsibility at work, and the respect of their peers. Unfortunately, few people are willing to take the needed risks to make their dreams a reality. Instead, they sit back and watch a select few climb the corporate ladder, while they wallow in self-pity and wonder why good things never happen to them.

The fact is that good things don't just happen to anyone. Good things happen to those who take risks, thus making their positive outcomes possible. For example, consider sports athletes. T.... READ MORE

O.C.G.A. 43-15-23 states that the practice of Professional Engineering by a licensed individual and
those under his or her direct supervision through a firm, corporation, partnership or other entity is acceptable provided that the entity has been issued a Certificate of Authorization (COA) by the Georgia Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. Nearly half of all complaints received by the Board are for the practice of engineering or land surveying through a firm that does not have a valid COA.

Many complaints arise from applications for licensure by an individual working .... READ MORE

THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATING AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have joined forces to sponsor a one-year fellowship in Washington, D.C., that will allow the participant to work in the federal government in a technical advisory role. Members of ASHRAE or USGBC may apply.

Possible placement areas include Congress, a federal agency such as the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency or the General Services Administration, or the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.... READ MORE

In case you haven't noticed, getting around in Midtown is a little trickier these days. The reason is the closure of the existing 14th Street bridge over I-75/85 and all associated closures and detours. And be patient, Atlanta. These conditions will continue until the summer of 2010.

So what's going on? The Georgia Department of Transportation closed the 14th Street Bridge to accommodate construction of a new northbound underpass exit ramp to the 17th Street Bridge. Designed by Moreland Altobelli, Inc. the purpose of this project is to improve the pedestrian environment, and to improve .... READ MORE

Georgia's transportation agencies are working hard to keep pace with ever-increasing transportation challenges, while also planning for the state's future. Those challenges include ever rising travel demands, dramatic escalation in transportation infrastructure costs, declining transportation funds, and complex environmental and funding requirements. These challenges are most evident on one of the state's more notorious stretches of highway- I-285 north from I-75 in Cobb County through Fulton County to I-85 in DeKalb County- commonly known as the perimeter highway's "top end."

Interstat.... READ MORE

As you fly across the Alabama line just north of Interstate 20, you will notice a large cleared patch in the midst of a heavily wooded area. That patch is what will soon be the Paulding County Regional Airport, located approximately six miles west of Dallas, Georgia along US 278. Paulding County is sometimes referred to as a "bedroom community" where most residents leave the County in their daily commute to work. With the lack of businesses in the County, the majority of the County's tax base comes from residential taxes, putting the tax burden on homeowners. Paulding County decided to bring b.... READ MORE

Surrounded by thousands of drivers tapping the breaks during the afternoon commute, it's no surprise Atlantans spend more than 1.7 billion hours driving annually. Metro Atlanta commuters have one of the worst commutes in the United States. In fact, Metro Atlanta ranks second nationally for number of hours the average driver spends stuck in traffic: 60 hours every year at a cost of more than $1,100. People are ready for a smart solution.

One alternative solution has been on the Georgia Department of Transportation's books for the better part of two decades. Commuter rail service in the A.... READ MORE

Cobb County Department of Transportation (CCDOT) recently implemented Georgia's first SCATS adaptive traffic signal control system. SCATS, an acronym for Sydney Coordinated Adaptive Traffic System, is an adaptive traffic signal control system originally developed in the early 1970s for Sydney, Australia by the Roads and Transport Authority of New South Wales. This system controls more than 10,000 intersections in over 50 cities around the world and more than 600 intersections in 10 jurisdictions in the United States.

Phase 1 of the Cobb County SCATS system, initially implemented in May .... READ MORE

Imagine you're driving north on I- 75, going to dinner at Maggiano's at Cumberland Mall. As usual, traffic is backed up for miles. But, as you cringe at the thought of fighting gridlock, you remember that you can easily exit on Cumberland Boulevard, and take it directly to the mall.

For many, Cumberland Boulevard is just that- a quicker way to get from I-75 to the amenities in the Cumberland Galleria area. For those who live and work in the area, it is more. Cumberland Boulevard provides direct access across Atlanta's busiest highways to offices, shopping, recreation, dining and other i.... READ MORE