Atlanta DOT reports winter emergency response, project progress; council presses for clearer financial and project dashboards

Solomon Kavanas, commissioner of the Atlanta Department of Transportation, gave the committee a first-quarter presentation Feb. 12 covering winter emergency operations, the Vision Zero safety program, capital projects and service-request performance.

Kavanas said staff ‘‘took care of over 800 miles of roadway’’ during recent storms and that the department’s Vision Zero program has coincided with ‘‘thereabouts, over 40 percent drop in fatalities throughout the city.’’ He told the committee the department expects substantial completion of several Complete Streets projects this year and noted progress on Renew Atlanta and Moving Atlanta Forward projects.

The report said the department expects Juniper Street Complete Streets to reach ‘‘substantial completion in June of 2025’’ and Fifth Street to be near substantial completion next month. Kavanas also highlighted work on the Spring Street viaduct and MLK corridor, saying the Spring Street bridge and sidewalks will be ‘‘established and ready for opening and ribbon cutting’’ following remaining punch-list work.

Why it matters: council members sought to tie project milestones to money spent and to make delivery timelines more transparent to residents. Several members said public expectations hinge on clear evidence that bond, Renew Atlanta and Moving Atlanta Forward funds are being deployed and that service requests are being closed.

Council follow-up and questions

Councilmember Marlon Dozer asked Kavanas what ‘‘substantial completion’’ means for the Spring Street (MLK corridor) work. Kavanas replied, ‘‘Substantial completion addresses all the major civil work associated with the scope. So if there are punch list items or items that we, in terms of quality checks, we go back and work with contractor to make sure that we can close it out completely.’’ He added that a concrete remediation issue was being worked through and expected to be finished by May.

Councilmember Juan pressed for clearer reporting that combines Renew Atlanta and Moving Atlanta Forward with the new $120 million bond tracking. Kavanas said the bond will be reported as its own program and that the department meets with GDOT monthly on state-right-of-way issues; he offered to follow up with staff on sidewalk coordination for Peter Street (a GDOT route) and to do site visits with council members.

Several council members, including Juan and Hillis, pressed the department for a more useful public dashboard that shows names, timelines and money deployed for projects rather than a static map. Kavanas acknowledged the audit recommendations and said the department and partners are working on dashboard improvements.

Service requests, SLAs and permitting

Councilmembers raised concerns about service-level agreement (SLA) performance on sign and signal repairs and pothole responses. Kavanas noted weather and emergency operations affected some Q1 SLA numbers but said operational improvements and staffing/training efforts are underway. He also confirmed the department has been revising permitting and enforcement practices for utility and watershed work and said Watershed Management is required to get DOT permits for cuts and lane closures.

Pavement condition and ADA obligations

Kavanas told the committee the asset-evaluation data for a pavement condition index (PCI) study are ‘‘in’’ and that the department was cleaning up the consultant findings with a target of distribution next quarter. On ADA ramp and sidewalk work required by a federal consent decree, he said the department is developing a dashboard and working with law and the mayor’s equity office to meet reporting obligations.

Quotes from the meeting

• "Our vision and mission is to make sure that we take care of the quality of safety, equity, and mobility for the city," Solomon Kavanas, Atlanta Department of Transportation commissioner.

• "Substantial completion addresses all the major civil work associated with the scope," Kavanas, describing the Spring Street work.

Clarifying details and commitments

• Juniper Street Complete Streets: substantial completion confirmed in June 2025.

• Fifth Street Complete Streets: near substantial completion next month.

• Spring Street viaduct / MLK corridor: bridge and sidewalks expected ready for opening and ribbon cutting after punch-list and a concrete remediation item; Kavanas said remediation should be complete by May 2025.

• Renew Atlanta moving into construction: commissioner said five Renew projects (not already in construction) are expected to enter construction in the near term and 17 Moving Atlanta Forward projects are expected to begin procurement or construction within six months.

• Bond reporting: the $120 million bond will be tracked as its own program; department will follow up on how that will appear in future reports.

• Pavement Condition Index study: data are in; department expects to distribute draft findings next quarter.

• Service requests and SLAs: several categories (sign shop, signal repairs, potholes) were reported in poor-performing ranges for the quarter; commissioner cited weather impacts and said operational fixes and inspector training are underway.

What council asked next: council members asked DOT to deliver a clearer, single map/dashboard that shows project names, timelines and dollars deployed; to provide follow-up on GDOT coordination for Peter Street sidewalks; and to report back on the schedule for Renew Atlanta and bond-funded projects.

Ending

Kavanas told the committee the department will follow up with individual council members about corridor-specific concerns and said staff will provide status updates on the bond, Renew Atlanta and dashboard improvements.