Georgia transportation officials awarded $137M in projects in February

(The Center Square) — The Georgia Department of Transportation said it awarded 10 projects in February, down from the 14 projects the agency awarded in January.

In an announcement, the agency said that nearly half of the projects announced (47%) were reconstruction projects. More than a third (39%) were bridge construction projects, while the remaining money went to safety (9%) and resurfacing (5%) projects.

The largest project awarded in February is a $64 million project to widen 3.7 miles of U.S. Highway 76/State Route 515/State Route 2 in Towns and Union counties in north Georgia.

The projects awarded in February totaled more than $137 million, while January’s projects surpassed $131 million. An analysis of numbers included in agency news releases shows the total $269 million for the 24 projects awarded during the first two months of the year represents a roughly 16% increase from the $232 million the agency awarded in the first two months of 2023.

Despite the increased cost, the number of projects awarded during the two months decreased by about 45% — from 44 announced projects to 24 announced projects.

Through February, the agency said it has awarded more than $1.7 billion in construction contracts for fiscal 2024. At this point last year, the agency said it had awarded $1.2 billion in projects for fiscal 2023.

Republican Gov. Brian Kemp has prioritized transportation funding. The amended fiscal 2024 budget the governor signed in February included an additional $1.5 billion for transportation funding.

Transportation officials have also expressed concerns about inflation’s impact on project costs.