Transportation War Heats Up

The Georgia State Transportation Board last week voted to fire Department of Transportation Commissioner Gena Evans.

Meeting in special session, the board voted 9 to 2 against Evans, with one abstention. Some of those opposed said they voted to dismiss Evans because transportation projects were not moving fast enough.

Evans had been on the job since late 2007. She helped uncover financial problems within the state agency and was supported by Gov. Sonny Perdue.

In the last two weeks, Perdue unveiled sweeping legislation that would overhaul the DOT and take way much of the Transportation Board’s responsibilities.

“Sadly, today the State Transportation Board proved that a majority of its members are more concerned with personal vendettas and politics than delivering value to citizens in transportation,” Perdue said in a release following the board’s vote to fire Evans.

“While I am not privileged to the reasons behind [the board’s] decision, I believe they have fired a competent commissioner for no reason other than her commitment to put the needs of Georgia’s citizens ahead of board members’ personal agendas of spending taxpayer dollars on their individual projects,” the governor declared.

Perdue said he remained committed to his restructuring plan, which would include merging the DOT’s main financing arm, the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, with the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, which focuses on transportation needs in the Atlanta area. The GSRTA has $1.6 billion of outstanding federal highway grant anticipation and reimbursement revenue bonds.

From the merger would come a new entity called the State Transportation Authority, which would assume future financing responsibilities as well as the outstanding debt of the tollway authority.

For reprint and licensing requests for this article, click here.
Transportation industry
MORE FROM BOND BUYER