COBB COUNTY, Ga. — More than $200 million in federal transportation funding for Georgia is in jeopardy as the federal government remains shut down.
Channel 2's Richard Elliot has learned that the state of Georgia won't start a new road project without securing federal funding.
With the government currently shut down, they can’t get the funds, so a lot of future road projects are currently on hold.
Existing road projects will continue as usual, but with the government shut down, nearly $100 million in new road projects could be delayed, and that number could grow to $230 million if the shutdown continues.
“So, of course, it doesn’t mean those projects won’t happen. It just means that they shift further and further down the line,” said Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Natalie Dale.
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Dale told Elliot that this isn’t the first time they’ve had to deal with a government shutdown, so they know how it works.
GDOT will not start a new project unless it has full federal funding secured, so until the shutdown is over, many of those projects will just have wait.
“We only give it that date to break ground, to get started, when we have funding in hand, when we have that dedicated funding. So, we don’t have that dedicated funding coming in right now because of the federal government shutdown,” Dale said.
Meanwhile, Georgians are experiencing the effects of the shutdown in different ways.
Transportation Security Administration agents are still on the job at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, but they’re not getting paid.
Vianca Davis brought her five kids to Kennesaw Mountain to hike, but she had to search for parking because the main lot is closed for the duration.
“It’s frustrating. It’s completely frustrating,” Davis said.
The shutdown also means there’s no one to clean up the trash at the park, either.
“We shouldn’t have to endure such stuff when there’s so many other things to be worried about and frustrated over, you know?” Davis said.
Elliot found that someone had placed a sign on a Kennesaw Mountain trash can asking park visitors to take their garbage with them when they leave.
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