DOT's Evans Pleads For Help

State Department of Transportation commissioner Gena Evans had her turn in front of budget writers Thursday, pleading for help in trying to shore-up her agency’s shortfall.

"We’ve done everything that I know to do without hitting our personal services budget, and to be frank, I think my clock is pretty well cleaned at this point."

Evans says those cutbacks have included everything from equipment, to computer hardware, to landscaping contracts. Those cuts were combined with a pair of accounting moves to trim down from an original 456-million dollar deficit.

Still, Evans says she needs help. She asked lawmakers today to move a DOT debt-load off their books to the general treasury. Also, a request to move an additional one-percent of the state’s gas tax from the general fund, directly to the DOT.

"With no new taxes, those two things could generate almost 400-million dollars to the department without a single new tax."

The DOT has already had to push numerous projects back to future years in dealing with its budget.

Report ranks Georgia roads

Georgia’s roads are 6th most cost-effective in the nation, according to a new study. University of North Carolina researchers ranked U.S. highway systems. They found that even though Georgia’s roads improved between 1984 and 2005, traffic congestion and highway fatalities increased. The study’s lead author says it shows that with cutbacks in federal funding, states need to direct transportation money to reduce traffic.