James March-April 2024 online - Flipbook - Page 15
TECH N OLOGY & T RANSPO RTATIO N
I asked the commissioner how
GDOT integrates technology in its
long-term planning. He looks into the
crystal ball to the future, saying “we
are in a truly extraordinary time as it
relates to technology and transportation. Vehicle technology will continue
to improve and evolve as we move to
more autonomy in vehicles. Just think,
a few years ago blind spot monitors
were only installed in high-end luxury
cars; that technology is now standard
in most passenger cars, as is adaptative cruise control.”
As technology in vehicles expands, GDOT has been installing infrastructure that can communicate with
the vehicle. “We now have nearly 2,000
traffic signals outfitted with technology that communicates to vehicles that
have the chipset or technology in the
car,” he notes. “Just imagine if your car
could prevent you from running a red
light or notify you if someone else is
about to run the red light? OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) will
begin to put more of this technology in
vehicles as the infrastructure is further
developed. We want Georgia to be a
leader in this sector. We’ve deployed
this technology at the Port of Savannah and are working with some trucking companies to test the increased
efficiency in freight movement.” The
early data is impressive, he says.
Ultimately, I had to ask the commissioner the big question: What was
the most challenging event that occurred during your tenure? I suspected
it was the catastrophic March 30, 2017
I-85 fire and bridge collapse. It was.
“Without a doubt, it was the worst
day in my career,” he reminisced.
“Ironically, I had just traveled over that
bridge 45 minutes before the collapse.
While it was a truly terrible event, I
witnessed the very best in response
from so many people and organizations. I’ll be forever grateful to all the
first responders who stopped traffic on
I-85, and especially Atlanta Fire and
Rescue for their heroic work.”
On a stretch of interstate highway
that carries more than 230,000 vehicles
a day, he noted that not one person
was injured or killed due to their actions. “Our response was truly a team
response which included the Georgia
Department of Public Safety, Atlanta
Police Department, MARTA, City of
Atlanta staff, and the Federal Highway
Administration. I’m especially thankful
for the hard work of the women and
men of GDOT for their response, which
includes our HEROs (Highway Emergency Response Operators),” he said.
In the “fog of war,” McMurry said
that initially GDOT didn’t know what
had happened to cause the fire and
ultimately the collapse of the bridge.
He vividly recalls that an operations
center was bustling with all the agencies he mentioned. “I stopped and got
everyone’s attention and asked, ‘Who’s
in charge here?’ Without a pause, Col.
Mark McDonough from the Department of Public Safety and State Patrol
said, ‘You are. This is a bridge.’”
Georgia and national media
reported that GDOT workers labored
tirelessly, as well as the contractor C.W.
Matthews, to reopen I-85 weeks ahead
of expectations. “We were very grateful
that then-President Donald Trump and
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine
Chao cleared all obstacles for us to
move quickly and provided emergency
relief funding to help make the rebuild
a success.” He even ended up talking
with the president when the work was
complete, with Trump especially wanting to know how McMurry negotiated
the “art of the deal” with the contractor.
The rest of the country saw what
Georgia already knew: Russell McMurry displays a calm, steady and visionary
leadership that drives our state on the
road to continued excellence.
“It has been said that disasters or
bad events can define your career,” the
commissioner reflects. “I feel fortunate
that we had a positive outcome and
acknowledge that all credit goes to
every single person involved.”
After all my questions were answered, the commissioner wanted to
conclude with a special message: “It
is a real honor to be acknowledged by
James magazine, and I’m most appreciative. But please know that the women and men of GDOT get all the credit
and deserve recognition for what they
do every day. A sincere thank you to
every single one of them!”
Phil Kent is the CEO and Publisher of James and
James Magazine Online.
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