ATLDOT making slow progress on Moving Atlanta Forward initiative, audit finds

ATLDOT drags feet on Moving Atlanta Forward initiative: audit

The Atlanta Department of Transportation is moving at a snail's pace when it comes to completing projects, like sidewalk repairs, for the "Moving Atlanta Forward" initiative, according to a recent audit.

ATLANTA - A recent audit shows the Atlanta Department of Transportation is moving at a snail’s pace when it comes to completing projects for the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative.

What they're saying:

"If you’re in a wheelchair, you’d struggle to get through these sections. More broken sidewalks that we see here," said Jeremiah Jones from Propel ATL as he showed FOX 5 the disrepair on sidewalks along West Lake Avenue.  

"This is a hazard in and of itself, even walking, if you're not paying attention you'll trip on that ... then we have this missing section of the sidewalk," he continued.  

He says this sidewalk is supposedly one of the Atlanta Department of Transportation’s priorities.

"Westlake Ave ranks No. 1 on Atlanta DOT’s list for most needed improvements for sidewalks," Jones said. "And we have yet to get any of those sidewalks replaced, repaired, or fixed."

What we know:

An audit by the Atlanta City Auditor’s Office shows Atlanta DOT is moving extremely slowly when it comes to the Moving Atlanta Forward initiative funded by a voter-approved T-SPLOST in 2022.

It is meant to make major sidewalk repairs to streets like West Lake Avenue, among a slew of other improvement projects.   

The audit shows the city has spent only 10% of the project’s more than $600 million in the past three years.

"It's disturbing to see that we've only spent 10% of our taxpayers' dollars and that 10% that's being spent is being spent in the most affluent areas of the city," Jones said. 

The audit showed that "the districts with the least spending have higher poverty levels."

The audit also shows project managers are overloaded, with seven project manager roles still vacant.

"We don't have enough project managers at the city, we have a shortage," Jones said. 

The other side:

FOX 5 asked Atlanta city leaders for an interview about the lack of progress and other issues.

Instead, they pointed us to an Atlanta Transportation Committee meeting recorded on Jan. 29.

In this meeting, Atlanta's Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks addressed the audit findings and promised to follow its recommendations.

"We accepted all the recommendations, while we partially accepted recommendation No. 6," Burks said. 

Chief Operating Officer LaChandra Burks

At that meeting, some City Council members expressed frustration at Atlanta DOT’s lack of progress.

"It’s the most demoralizing aspect of this job," said Councilmember Amir Farokhi. 

Burks explained how they plan to follow the audit’s recommendations, like hiring key positions they currently lack. 

"We are close to identifying who will report directly to me, and they will serve as the coordinator for Moving Atlanta Forward," Burks said. 

She said they’ve also hired two outside consulting firms to help them get projects back on track.