Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has established the City’s first dedicated Department of Transportation — approved Monday by City Council. This first-of-its-kind agency will help improve safety and accessibility on city streets and will consolidate services as the City works to meet the increasing demands of Atlanta’s growing population. A key pillar of Mayor Bottoms’ One Atlanta vision, DOT will enhance connectivity between neighborhoods and provide more equitable transportation options for residents seeking greater access to jobs, schools and other city services.
“Every aspect of our mass transit system must be improved in order for our city to meet the demands of our growing communities,” said Mayor Bottoms. “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.”
Last spring, the Administration began development of a strategic transportation plan to set key goals and accountability measures for the new agency. The initial funding—$750,000—will be allocated to continue this process. Upon the creation of DOT, the Administration will be better positioned to amass a more diverse funding portfolio working more closely with state and federal partners.
DOT will serve as a one-stop transportation agency that will combine functions road construction and repair operations through the Department of Public Works with the long-term planning capabilities of the Department of City Planning’s Office of Mobility. These duties will be integrated with the infrastructure investment program of the Renew Atlanta Bond/TSPLOST, which manages capital roadway projects backed with dedicated, voter-approved funding streams.
“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,” said City Councilmember Andre Dickens, who sponsored the original legislation to study the potential effectiveness of a DOT.
To meet Atlanta’s long-term economic and mobility goals, the new agency will manage a range of transportation improvements from roadway repair and maintenance to sidewalk and bike lane construction to installing and upgrading streetlights and traffic signals, making streets more accessible to people of every age and ability.
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