Host Natalie Dale chats with State Environmental Liaison Sandy Lawrence about the purpose of the Interagency Office of Environmental Quality and its collaboration with state and federal agencies. Natalie also interviews US Army Corps Biologist Nicole Liette and Georgia DNR Environmental Specialist RJ Hunter on how their partnership with GDOT helps keep projects on track.

Host Natalie Dale chats with Georgia DOT Director of Policy and Government Affairs Josh Waller and Policy Analysis Bureau Specialist Abigail Handel about the importance of GDOT's involvement in the legislative process.

Host Natalie Dale is joined by Georgia DOT’s Division of Permits and Operations Director John Hibbard and Executive Director of The Ray C. Anderson Foundation Allie Kelly to discuss the innovations happening on an 18-mile stretch of I-85 in West Georgia known as The Ray Highway.

In this episode, host Natalie Dale interviews GDOT’s Assistant State Environmental Administrator Doug Chamblin and Georgia Department of Natural Resources Program Manager for Wildlife Conservation Trina Morris about the landmark Endangered Species Act agreement and what it means for Georgia and the bats that live here.

Georgia’s population is growing. It is anticipated that our state will have approximately 1 million more people on our roads in just 10 years. In today’s episode, Host Natalie Dale talks with Georgia Commute Options’ Program Administrator and Marketing Communications Director Jill Goldberg and Livable Buckhead’s Executive Director Denise Starling about how their organizations plan their programs to be as efficient and beneficial in saving commute times and costs, as well as creating more sustainable transportation options for commuters both now and in the future. Links2013 Census DataGovernor’s Office of Planning and Budget Population ProjectionsLivable Buckhead – Transportation Demand ManagementBuc ShuttleLivable Buckhead Employer Assisted HousingPath 4002023 Regional Transportation Demand Management Plan – ARCLivable Buckhead InitiativeGeorgia Commute Options

Created in 1982, the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program (DBE) is a legislatively mandated U.S. DOT program that applies to Federal-aid highway dollars expended on federally-assisted contracts issued by state DOTs like GDOT. In this episode, Host Natalie Dale talks with Georgia DOT’s Equal Employment Opportunity Director Kimberly King and State Transportation Board Member Stacey Key about the agency’s DBE program, the resources available to DBEs, and how Georgia’s small, minority, or veteran-owned businesses can become DBE certified. LinksGeorgia DOT State Supported Funding Program (SSFP) - An overview of Georgia DOT's State Supported Funding Program.Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) - GDOT - An overview of Georgia DOT's Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program.

Innovation. Mobility. Safety. Three buzzwords that are often used to describe transportation projects – especially by GDOT. Those words are included in the department’s mission, after all. But these words are also used in regard to autonomous vehicles. In this episode, Host Natalie Dale talks to GDOT’s Director of Intermodal Clement Solomon and ATL Airport CIDs Executive Director Gerald McDowell about efforts they and their respective teams have made to help spearhead the development of hyperlocal transportation innovation through the use of autonomous vehicles right here in Georgia.ResourcesCumberland HopperAACID Personal Rapid Transit Memorandum of AgreementCommunity Improvement DistrictsDistracted DrivingHands-Free Law

In this month’s episode, host Natalie Dale talks with GDOT’s Assistant State Transportation Planning Administrator Habte Kassa, Transportation Planner with Modern Mobility Partners Candace Foster, and Senior Consultant, Air Quality with ICF International Seth Hartley about the research and development involved with the creation of GDOT’s Carbon Reduction Strategy Plan (CRS Plan). Georgia’s CRS Plan outlines how the state will implement federal funding from the Carbon Reduction Program, established as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, for projects designed to reduce transportation emissions, defined as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from on-road highway sources.ResourcesCarbon Reduction Program Fact Sheet Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) ProgramMember MPOs Map of Regional CommissionsEmail any questions to gdotcrp@dot.gov

Data released in June 2023 from the Governors Highway Safety Association showed American drivers are projected to have struck and killed at least 7,508 people walking in 2022. That is a 77% increase since 2010 and the highest number since 1981, according to the study. Georgia saw 344 pedestrian fatalities in 2022. That is 344 too many. In this episode, we talk to GDOT’s State Safety Engineering Supervisor Ron Knezevich and Safe Routes to School Coordinator Patti Sistrunk about what the Georgia Department of Transportation is doing to keep you and your families safe when you are in such a vulnerable situation. ResourcesGDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Governors Highway Safety Association StudyComplete Streets (FHWA)Georgia Safe Routes to School ProgramTo notify Georgia DOT about a bicycle or pedestrian concern, email us at Bikeped@dot.ga.gov.

Summer is a time when a lot of families head out on vacation. In this episode, host Natalie Dale talks with HERO Manager Jason Josey, CHAMP Manager Chadrick Hendon, TMC Technical Specialist Billie Rose, and WSB Traffic Reporter Ashley Frasca to get the insights and best tips about safe driving, the resources available to motorists in Georgia, and firsthand accounts of how decisions made behind the wheel can impact the rest of your life. Visit Summer Construction Webpage

In this month’s episode of the Ahead of the Curve podcast, host Natalie Dale chats with Strategic Communications Director Scott Higley, Digital Services and Web Strategy Manager Ron Battle, and District Six Communications Officer Joe Schulman about how Georgia DOT keeps the public informed about the people, projects, and initiatives that make our agency one of the best in the country.

In this episode of the Ahead of the Curve podcast, Host Natalie Dale talks with HR Deputy Director Brian Robinson, State Talent Development Manager Kyle Mote, and Recruitment Supervisor Nicole Glenn about our efforts to attract and retain a talent workforce at Georgia DOT. ResourcesGDOT Employment Website

Georgia DOT’s mission is to deliver a transportation system focused on innovation, safety, sustainability and mobility. In this month’s episode of the Ahead of the Curve podcast, Host Natalie Dale talks to Assistant State Traffic Engineer Sam Harris and State Safety Program Manager Kelli Roberts about the important and impactful projects and programs GDOT is working on to improve the safety of our state’s transportation infrastructure. We also welcome two very special guests, Jacee and Beth Ann Thomas, who share Jacee’s inspirational story of survival and recovery after a collision with a train in South Georgia.ResourcesFor more information on GDOT’s Safety program: https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/Safety.aspxFor more information on GDOT’s partnership with the Lutzie 43 Foundation: https://lutzie43.org/georgia-department-of-transportation-lutzie-43-foundation/Follow Jacee’s story on Instagram at @jbtpushingbarriers

Ever wonder how Georgia’s Express Lanes system came to fruition? On this episode of Ahead of the Curve, host Natalie Dale along with special co-host Kyle Collins, GDOT State Express Lanes Administrator Tim Matthews, and GDOT Express Lanes Project Manager Cleo Vicks take a deep dive into all things Express Lanes – the history, the planning, the design, and more – as well as the innovative methods the Office of Alternative Delivery is using to advance some of the largest transportation projects in the state.

Host Natalie Dale celebrates the Transportation Investment Act’s (TIA) 10th birthday with TIA Program Administration Kenneth Franks, and representatives from two of the four TIA regions – executive director of the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission Brett Manning and Bill Slaughter who is a member of the Southern Georgia Citizens Review Panel. In this episode, they look at the lessons learned and the accomplishments of the program over the last decade and look into the future to see what’s ahead for the next 10 years of TIA, also known as TIA 2. For more information on the TIA program, please visit http://www.ga-tia.com/

Host Natalie Dale is joined by two of the leading weather-watchers in the state who are looking out for Georgians' safety whenever snow, ice, sleet or other wintry conditions hit our highways, roads, bridges, and other transportation infrastructure. Georgia DOT emergency operations manager Emily Fish and state meteorologist Will Lanxton of the Georgia Emergency Management office talk about all that's involved in staying one step ahead of winter weather woes and extreme weather events all year long.

Host Natalie Dale interviews Intermodal Division Director Clement Solomon, Transit Program Manager Patricia Smith, and Aviation Program Manager Steve Brian about how Georgia DOT is working to build intermodal partnerships throughout our state, and how these contributions enhance Georgia’s intermodal transportation system.

Welcome to Georgia DOT’s new podcast Ahead of the Curve. In our inaugural episode, Ahead of the Curve host Natalie Dale chats with Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry as he shares stories and anecdotes about his life, his career and his oversight of the agency responsible for building and maintaining the nation’s tenth-largest transportation system – and how the dedication of the people of Georgia DOT is a driving factor in the agency’s success. Natalie also talks with Georgia DOT’s Strategic Communications Director Scott Higley about the new podcast and about Georgia DOT’s commitment to showcasing the people, programs and projects that all help make Georgia DOT among the best in the nation.