The latest episode of the “The Stream by AASHTO” podcast features Russell McMurry – commissioner of Georgia Department of Transportation – discussing his emphasis areas as 2025-2026 president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials; emphasis areas focused on safety, National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA compliance, ways to improve project delivery, and federal surface transportation funding reauthorization.
This podcast series is part of the AASHTO Environmental Management technical service program operated by the AASHTO. It explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect state departments of transportation and the infrastructure programs they oversee.
In this episode, McMurry – who graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering – traces his career path at Georgia DOT; starting as an intern in 1990 and then progressing all the way up to his appointment as commissioner in 2015.
McMurry also shares what he’s learned over the more than three decades he’s spent at Georgia DOT in a wide variety of roles, such as construction project manager, district engineer, director of engineering, chief engineer, and planning director. McMurry also discusses his emphasis areas as AASHTO president, especially in terms of how he selected them. His focus areas include surface transportation reauthorization, improvement of
project delivery, and safety. “Until there are zero deaths on our nation’s highways and roadsides, we all have work to do,” he said.
Finally, McMurry details what federal surface transportation funding reauthorization legislation could look like if passed Congress this year; a bill he hopes will contain strong formula funding programs to support state transportation needs and how he wants it to be easier for states to take on NEPA assignment duties from the U.S. Department of Transportation.