The City of Atlanta Fiscal Year 2023 final budget reallocated $1 Million from the proposed Atlanta Department of Transportation budget to pay for firefighter raises. The adopted ATLDOT budget is $57.5 Million--a 7.6% increase over 2022.

In May Mayor Andre Dickens released his first annual budget. The general fund, which covers most basic city services, weighs in at $734M, the largest ever for the City of Atlanta. 

We wanted to know how the Atlanta Department of Transportation, entering its third year and facing a change in leadership due to the resignation of Commissioner Josh Rowan, fared. See the details for yourself on pages 451-459. 

The draft budget included a 9.5% increase for the Atlanta Department of Transportation and adds 21 staff roles to reach 367 full-time positions. The final budget for ATLDOT was $57.5M, an increase of 7.6%. 

At $57.5M the DOT is still about 8% of the City’s overall general fund budget of $734M, coming in 4th behind the police department at 32%, fire, and non-departmental funds.

(Infrastructure projects show up in the different funds, such as TSPLOST and Capital Projects, as well as the budgets for MARTA, and county, state, and federal governments. Read more from Atlanta Civic Circle: What's in Atlanta's new budget and how do you fit in? 

During the June 8th budget hearing, City Council questions covered speed tables, better bike lane protection, a pothole/blue tarp comparison, infrastructure maintenance fund, who will be the next Commissioner + ideas for a sidewalk strike team & safe streets squad to address dangerous street design quickly. Watch on YouTube.

3 of ATLDOT's GOALS for the year ahead

• “Mobility Strategy, Planning, and Performance" goals include: "Design 10 miles of protected bike and/or walking lanes as a part of the Action Plan for Safer Streets and Vision Zero." Our Infrastructure Project Tracker published in 2021 found that ATLDOT and partner agencies had completed around 11 miles of the this plan’s projected 20+ miles of safer streets, and that 7 of those miles were on just one street, MLK Dr. The budget summary’s FY2022 accomplishments say just “...progressed on several projects within the Atlanta Safer Streets program.”

• “Capital Project Delivery” goals include: start construction on complete street projects, including Fairburn Rd, Howell Mill Rd, JE Lowery Blvd, Piedmont Ave, and RDA Blvd, continue to repair and install sidewalks, and kick off several trail projects, including segments of PATH400 and the Eastside Trolley Greenway Trail.

• “Transportation Infrastructure Management” goals include: repairing 9,500 linear feet of sidewalk, 2,496 potholes, and 62,400 square feet of point repairs. (There is no mention in the budget document that we could find of repairs to bike/LIT lanes or replacement of flex posts.)