GDOT presents $2.95 billion FY27 budget; federal reauthorization seen as key to planning

A transportation commissioner told the Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee that Congress’s recent appropriations include roughly $1.5–1.6 billion in federal transportation funding for the state and that Congress must reauthorize the federal transportation bill to provide five years of funding certainty.

The commissioner, presenting highlights of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s FY27 budget, said the department’s topline would rise by about $148.2 million to roughly $2.946 billion. An estimated $135.7 million of that increase comes from excise tax receipts, and the department proposes directing most of the new excise revenue into capital construction and increased routine maintenance.

The budget proposed boosting capital construction by about $112.8 million to $1.241 billion; routine maintenance would receive an additional $33.5 million to respond to higher construction and material costs. The commissioner said capital projects, routine maintenance, and local roads administration together remain the largest spending categories.

The presentation also noted specific program shifts: an increase of about $13.5 million for Local Maintenance and Improvement Grants (L‑MIG), which the presenter said represents a statutory minimum distribution equal to 10% of the excise revenue; a nearly $4.3 million increase in transit funding tied to a rideshare fee (the presenter said the transit share rose to almost $42 million); and a $332,000 transfer from transit to a rail safety program to support MARTA rail inspections at the Federal Transit Administration’s request.

On the risk of a continuing resolution, the commissioner said previously obligated federal commitments usually remain reimbursable, but advancing new projects is harder under a continuing resolution because reimbursements and future obligations are uncertain. The commissioner summarized the federal picture this way: unless Congress reauthorizes the transportation bill for the next five years, states face planning and proration uncertainty.

The presentation closed with a reminder that debt service, SRTA-related payments and Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank components are embedded in the budget and that the agency’s goal is to deploy funding toward roadways, preservation and other projects.

The subcommittee asked clarifying questions about the federal continuing resolution, project reimbursement timing and the composition of the FY27 revenue estimate. The commissioner said the department has been reallocating savings (including reductions from state health benefit plan costs) back into capital construction to continue advancing projects.

The hearing moved next to a separate presentation by Janine Miller, GDOT’s director of planning.