DOT Commish: 'Orange barrels equals progress'

Declaring “orange barrels equals progress,” state Department of Transportation (GDOT) Commissioner Russell McMurry updated local business leaders, government officials, and others in a review of major state transportation projects in the Gainesville area Tuesday.

Of special note, McMurry said in his remarks to the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce’s annual Transportation Forum, is the Blue Ridge Connector, which is being built in northeast Hall County and is expected to open next year.

GDOT NEWS RELEASE:

“…McMurry outlined the robust investments being made through Amended Fiscal Year 2024 and Fiscal Year 2025, with Additional State General Funds helping to drive major transportation progress across the state. These include:

$98 million for Airport Aid
$250 million for Local Roads Funding
$500 million for the Freight Program
$593 million for Capital Construction – a 58% increase in budget
$50 million for Capital Maintenance – a 32% budget increase

In total, these investments have helped expedite 44 projects statewide, advance more than 40 total project years, and introduce 19 entirely new projects across Georgia’s transportation network.

One of the most exciting announcements was the Blue Ridge Connector, a transformative new corridor expected to open in 2026. Commissioner McMurry also highlighted the advancement of several local projects made possible through these funds:

SR 211 Construction from Pinot Noir Drive to SR 347 – $30M
SR 211 Design from I-85 to West Winder Bypass – $9M
SR 365 Design from I-985 to Belton Bridge – $10M
Future plans for SR 211: SR 347 to SR 53, and a long-range SR 365 Corridor Study envisioning improvements through 2050

Following Commissioner McMurry’s remarks, District 1 Engineer Jason Dykes delivered a passionate address on the importance of roadway safety, both for GDOT crews and the traveling public. He shared sobering statistics from 2024:

“Last year, 1,466 people lost their lives on Georgia roads. Of those, 81% involved distracted drivers and **62% were not wearing seatbelts,” Dykes said. “We must do better—for our families, our communities, and ourselves.”

Engineer Dykes also shared updates on major regional projects, including:

SR 211 from I-85 to Pinot Noir Drive Multilane Roundabouts – $27.2M, expected completion in 2026
SR 11/US 129 Phase 1 (Lakeview to Nopone Rd) – $58.2M, estimated start February 2026
Recently completed SR 365 paving project from SR 52 to Level Grove Rd – $13.5M

About the Author

Ken Stanford is Online News Editor for GLORY 97.5, a position he has held since August 2022.

Ken was born in Moultrie, Georgia, and says he knew from the time he was 5 or 6 he wanted to be a “radio announcer.” That dream was realized when he was hired by Moultrie radio station WMTM in 1960 at the age of 15 as a weekend disc jockey. A 1963 graduate of Moultrie (now Colquitt County) High School, he has spent his whole career in Georgia working for stations in Atlanta, Marietta, and Gainesville – most recently as News Director for 40 years at WDUN in Gainesville. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Ken retired in 2011 but came out of retirement last year to help GLORY, on a part-time basis, beef-up its online news presence.

He is the recipient of many Associated Press awards and is a former judge of state and national Associated Press broadcast news contests. In 2005, he was presented with the Georgia Associated Press Broadcasters Association’s President’s Award for Excellence in Journalism and in 2019 was inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.

He lives in Gainesville with his wife of 52 years, the former Sandra McKnight of Clio, Alabama, and they have one child, a daughter, Lisa, who lives in Cumming with her family.