Published Friday, September 14, 2012

When DOT sets deadline, it must be met to regain confidence of citizens

Editorial

We applaud the action of Newnan City Council in firing off a letter to Georgia DOT protesting the work delays and missed deadlines in completing the reconstruction and widening of the Newnan Bypass.

The letter may have little to do with the actual completion date of the project, but all local government agencies need to keep the heat on DOT and contractors when it comes to road construction delays.

Right now, GDOT and road construction contractors are not held in very high esteem by taxpayers in our community or by many other communities across our state. One of the reasons is missed deadlines for road work. Another reason is a growing distrust of DOT’s management and how it uses money to maintain and build roads and carry out other transportation projects.

Remember the failed TSPLOST vote on July 31? In large measure that resounding defeat was because of distrust of government about how tax money is spent. Citizens don’t trust GDOT and most other government agencies.

Missed deadlines is just one of the reasons for that distrust.

It appears a major review of DOT operations may be conducted in the months ahead. That’s imperative. We must get serious about this organization and how it gets road projects completed on time.

In the meantime, local governments -- like Newnan Council -- must keep the heat on DOT to do what it says it will do without delay.

DOT comments like we heard this week, “They are scheduled to be completed in early fall, and they are being assessed damages,” isn’t good enough. The project was supposed to be completed nearly a year ago.

That’s what local citizens were told. That’s what should have happened.