News Articles

12/09/2007, The News & Observer
DOT unfazed by I-40 repairs
The state Department of Transportation says it felt no pain when it was forced by the General Assembly to absorb $22.4 million in repair costs for a bungled paving job on Interstate 40 in Durham County.

DOT officials could not put their finger Tuesday on any projects that were delayed, jobs that were eliminated or services that were curtailed because of the punitive budget reduction. Read more...

11/29/2007, The State
Nuke Waste Shipments Opposed
Two state senators want to block shipments of Italian nuclear waste through South Carolina -- and they've asked congressional leaders for help.

Democratic Sens. Joel Lourie of Columbia and Vincent Sheheen of Camden wrote the state's congressional delegation Wednesday, saying they are concerned about "this unpredictable and potentially dangerous plan.'' Read more...

09/13/2007, USA Today
$8B in pork clogs U.S. infrastructure plans
WASHINGTON — Six weeks after a fatal Minneapolis bridge collapse prompted criticism of federal spending priorities, the Senate approved a transportation and housing bill Wednesday containing at least $2 billion for pet projects that include a North Dakota peace garden, a Montana baseball stadium and a Las Vegas history museum.

That's not the half of it. Read more...

09/07/2007, Department of Transportation
Review of Congressional Earmarks within Department of Transportation Programs (.pdf file)
We have enclosed the results of our review of congressional earmarks
within Department of Transportation (DOT) programs, which we
conducted in response to your request. Specifically, you asked that we
conduct an independent analysis of the cost, oversight, and impact of
congressional earmarks for the most recent fiscal year.

We determined the total number and dollar amount of congressional
earmarks within DOT programs for fiscal year 2006, the inclusion of
earmarks in DOT’s annual planning and evaluation process, and the effects
of earmarks on DOT’s mission and goals. Read more...

05/01/2007, Atlanta Journal Constitution
I-75/575 price tag hits $4 billion
Too much already? Some officials wonder if the Cobb-Cherokee project is too expensive. One DOT option: Dump it.
Four billion dollars. And counting.

When the Georgia Department of Transportation decided in 2005 to negotiate a project to expand I-75 and I-575 with toll lanes north of Atlanta, it estimated the cost of the public-private project at $1.8 billion, or $2.6 billion with inflation included. It was to be the most expensive Georgia road project in history, by a factor of more than 10.

With record inflation in construction costs and changes to the project, the price has gone up by about $1.4. Read more...

04/19/2007, Atlanta Journal Constitution
Lobbyists too cozy with DOT, AG says
Perdue sought inquiry into transportation event that critics said seemed to sell access.
Georgia transportation officials should stop the practice of accepting private dinners from lobbyists and contractors seeking work with the state, the attorney general wrote Wednesday in a stinging condemnation of the cozy relationship between public officers and private industry.

Gov. Sonny Perdue had requested an investigation by Attorney General Thurbert Baker's office and the GBI into what the governor said could be seen as buying access to public officials. Read more...

04/20/2007, Atlanta Journal Constitution
DOT rethinks lobbyists' meals, feels singled out .
State Department of Transportation officials said Thursday they would consider Attorney General Thurbert Baker's "strong recommendation" that they stop routinely accepting private dinners from vendors and lobbyists. But they added that they have done nothing unethical, and they questioned why Baker had singled out DOT for a practice they said is ingrained in government across the state. Read more...

August 5, 2007,
forest road
Wheelspin: The Virtues of Avoiding Interstates
By PHIL PATTON

"Many connoisseurs of the highway are championing the use of slow roads — back roads with scenery and history — instead of faceless Interstates." Read more...