James March-April 2024 online - Flipbook - Page 13
Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell McMurry,
appointed in 2015 by the State Transportation Board, presides over the
nation’s 10th largest state transportation system. GDOT has an operating budget of over $4 billion and a staff of nearly 3,800. The third longest-serving commissioner in the country, he began his GDOT career
in 1990 as an engineering intern, then later served as chief engineer
and planning director.
McMurry serves as secretary and treasurer of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials as well as chair of
the Council on Highways and Streets and as a member of the Strategic
Management Committee. He is also a board member of various national
and Georgia organizations including the Atlanta Transit Link Authority.
A Hart County native, McMurry graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering
technology and is a registered professional engineer.
The first question I asked our
2024 Georgian of the Year is how he
became interested in engineering and
how did he end up getting a GDOT
job. “During high school,” he says, “I
began to understand that engineering
was my interest. I enjoyed math and
sciences way more than history and
literature (and my grades reflect it!). I
did a summer internship with GDOT
between my junior and senior years of
college and loved it. I got to do many
things, including bridge construction,
which affirmed what I enjoyed: building things and being outside.”
After graduating from Georgia
Southern University and getting a job
in GDOT’s Athens office, he began
what has evolved into a storied career
with a growing national profile. “I
would have never dreamed my career
at GDOT would result in being the
commissioner way back then, or even
more recently, for that matter. I’ve
been very fortunate and blessed to
work and learn from some really great
people along the way. I remember
meeting a local Athens contractor
named Brian Kemp and having the
privilege to work with Congressman
Nathan Deal when I was working in
the Gainesville office.”
Georgians may not know that
their GDOT commissioner is the only
state agency head not appointed by
the governor. But let him explain who
he answers to: “The commissioner is
appointed by the State Transportation
Board, who are elected by the House
and Senate members of Georgia’s 14
Congressional Districts. It’s my understanding that this governance change
under Gov. Jimmy Carter was to provide stability between governors and
such that the state’s priorities don’t
change every four years. There is no
other state with this exact governance,
and only a handful that are similar.”
McMurry notes that the average
tenure of his peers from across the
nation is less than four years.
Obviously, it is important for the
commissioner to work closely with
the State Transportation Board. But
he also must coordinate closely with
whoever is governor as well as the
General Assembly to secure state
and federal funding while addressing
transportation needs. He recalls that
a reporter once asked a “gotcha” kind
of question: “Isn’t your job political?”
or something to that effect. “The
reporter was a little surprised when I
said yes, and it should be.” McMurry
explains that “it would be impossible
for me or anyone else to have detailed
knowledge of all the transportation
issues in all 159 counties across this
great state, the largest state east of
the Mississippi River. That’s why we
have a representative form of government that allows me to meet and
collaborate with State Transportation
Board members, House and Senate
members and local governments to
gain a deeper understanding of their
needs. From these meetings, we work
to prioritize programs and projects
that ultimately benefit Georgia.”
A M ULT I T UD E O F A P P ROACH E S
Many may not realize that the
mission of GDOT is not just constructing and paving roads and building
bridges. “We are truly a transportation
department and not a highway department,” he underscores. “We have
an Intermodal Division that works
closely with all the state airports
(excluding Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport), short-line rail
operators, transit providers outside
of metro Atlanta and even Georgia’s
waterways like the Ports at Savannah
and Brunswick. I think most people
would be surprised that GDOT owns
500 miles of railroads that we lease
to short line rail operators and owns
thousands of acres of land in South
Carolina to place dredged materials
from the Savannah River.”
MARC H/AP R I L 2 0 2 4
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