(The Center Square) – The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has received an extra $39 million from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), according to federal officials.
The funds were redistributed from FHWA’s uncommitted funds from fiscal year 2020 and allocated to states for road and bridge projects.
GDOT did not respond immediately to inquires about plans for the redistributed funds, but states have until Sept. 28 to spend the money.
FHWA allocated a total of $4.8 billion in additional funding to states, the agency announced Aug. 28. The funds were a result of the revaluation of its fiscal spending projections for 2020.
States requested a total of $7.2 billion in additional funds. FHWA gave states that have large unobligated balances top priority, according to the agency. States will have to match a percentage of the federal funds.
According to its website, GDOT spends about 48 percent of its nearly $2 billion in state funding on capital projects. The state agency received $1.5 billion from FHWA in fiscal year 2020, according to its budget, which was updated in March. About 20 special projects are active on the state’s roads and bridges, the department’s website showed.
State highway spending is $366 per licensed driver in Georgia, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is the third-lowest when compared with other states.
The state’s roads have been ranked among the best in the nation. According to a report by 24/7 Wall Street, Georgia is the fifth-best state to drive in. Only 2.9 percent of Georgia’s roadways are in poor condition, and 3.3 percent of bridges have structural issues, according to the data from the National Highway Safety Administration.
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