“When will my Moving Atlanta Forward projects get built?” “What’s in the parking contract Request for Proposals and how will it protect sidewalks and bike lanes for their intended uses?” “What’s the ATLDOT staff vacancy rate and how is it affecting the department’s ability to get things done?” 

During the latest meeting of the Atlanta City Council’s Transportation Committee, councilmembers were asking many of the same questions they’ve been asking all year, following the quarterly report from Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) Commissioner Solomon Caviness.

Unfortunately they keep getting the same answers, none very satisfying. 

In 2025 we will highlight the overdue, stalled, and long-awaited projects funded by Moving Atlanta Forward and support communities looking for answers. We hope the City of Atlanta responds by overcoming whatever obstacles are preventing transportation projects – especially those installing sidewalks, bike lanes, and safer streets – from getting built. 

Watch the meeting recording: 

Check out the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT) presentation:

Takeaways from the December 11, 2024 Atlanta City Council Transportation Committee meeting

KEY STAFF VACANCY 

The bad: the Deputy Commissioner for Capital Delivery leads the arm of the department responsible for getting projects built. This role has been vacant since September 13, 2024. That’s 96 days and counting. 

Better news: Commissioner Caviness celebrated a reduction in the vacancy rate, from 40% to 21%. In response to a question about a canceled community meeting about a sidewalk project, the Commissioner said the Capital Projects Deputy Director vacancy wasn’t hindering the department’s work. However, it seems clear to us and the committee that more transportation staff are needed if the City is to meet community needs. 

CAPITAL PROJECTS 

Sidewalks are a big focus in neighborhoods across the city, and the presentation did include some sidewalks under construction, including on Cascade Road. 

Every councilmember has a sidewalk project in their district and communities across the city consistently ask for more. Given the strong demand, we want to know why more of the sidewalks in the first batch of Moving Atlanta Forward projects aren’t getting built more quickly. 

Timelines for projects keep slipping – the Juniper Complete Street Project was a hot topic. The report showed the date for completion as December 2024, but it turns out that was the original date, not the current expectation.

Councilmembers asked many questions about specific projects, including projects not shown in the report. This highlights the need for ATLDOT to improve its Moving Atlanta Forward dashboard, which is not very user-friendly. 

Work on DeKalb Ave continues, two years after the ribbon cutting: 

And Campbellton Road, a corridor where in the last decade drivers have killed nine people and seriously injured 19, was repaved without any changes to make it safer. This is not a “roadway improvement” for anyone concerned with eliminating traffic fatalities or getting to their destination safely. 

In better news, we were excited to learn recently that safety improvements are underway that will benefit students, families, and staff on their way to school. Community members have clamored for improvements to Murphy Ave and Sylvan Road for years.

We continued to press the City to make streets safer when they are resurfaced. This slide illustrates the challenge: while some sidewalk and ADA repairs were included (as they are required to be), no other safety improvements are mentioned on the slide, despite these being key corridors for people walking, biking, scooting, etc. University Avenue especially is a missed opportunity to make a dangerous gap safer and connect to the Beltline.

PARKING 

The City has renewed the existing parking contract 3 times now, but is finally working on a new request for proposals (RFP). Unfortunately, no one seems to have seen the draft so we don’t know if it will be an improvement on the current contract. Many have argued that the City should allocate parking revenue to a dedicated mobility fund. Councilmembers have questions about how the new contract could better protect bike lanes and sidewalks for their intended uses. 

POTHOLES

No ATLDOT report would be complete with a pothole. Or more accurately, 1,067 potholes.

During the Q&A, Councilmembers asked why so many of the goals for resolving issues reported through 311 were not met. The Commissioner responded that councilmember requests take up staff time, making it challenging to prioritize. 

Our thoughts: responding to resident-reported issues is an important goal, but not the only goal. If ATLDOT doesn’t have enough staff to get to these requests in a timely manner, the City should a) increase funding for maintenance and inspection crews b) revise the service level agreements or c) ignore request from City Council. 

Also, can we talk about potholes? Yes, they can cause safety issues, but filling a pothole is like putting a Band-Aid on the street – a temporary fix. Restriping crosswalks and bike lanes, repairing sidewalks, and fixing pedestrian signals that should all be higher priorities. 

In 2025, we’ll push for residents to report more pressing safety issues to 311 and advocate for 311 to make it easier to report issues. 

Committees

Finally, Council President Doug Shipman announced the 2025 committee chairs and members. There were no changes to the Transportation Committee for 2025: 

• Byron Amos – Chair
• Amir Farokhi
• Jason Dozier
• Dustin Hillis
• Antonio Lewis
• Marci Collier Overstreet
• Alex Wan

Got ideas for how Propel ATL should focus our advocacy efforts in 2025?