Georgia DOT announced that the agency is unable to release federally-funded projects for bids in December due to federal funding uncertainty. The 34 delayed projects, valued at $123 million, were previously scheduled to go out for bids during that month.

Repeated shortfalls in the Federal Highway Trust Fund account have led to a series of brief funding extensions. The latest patch by Congress – the 34th short-term transportation funding extension since 2009 (and the third one in 10 months) – extends the federal government’s authority to process aid payments to states through October 29. “It has been ten years since Congress has been able to pass a transportation funding bill of more than a two-year duration,”said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry. “Temporary fixes do not create the certainty state DOTs require in order to plan major transportation projects. We can’t do long-term transportation planning with short-term funding fixes.”

Key delayed December projects include:

-A $45 million resurfacing and maintenance project on Interstate 75 in Catoosa County from State Route 3/U.S. 41 to the Tennessee state line.
-A $20 million resurfacing and maintenance project in Tift County on I-75 from south of County Road 204/Southwell Road in Tift County to south of SR 32 in Turner County.
-A $3 million operational improvement on SR 3 at Windy Hill Road in Cobb County.

“While Congress looks for solutions, the clock ticks down to next Thursday’s Oct. 29 deadline,” McMurry added. “If Congress does not reach an agreement by then, US DOT will cut off payments for infrastructure projects to states and local governments in November. This poses grave challenges for our transportation system.”