Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That’s true in life and it’s true for a transportation network. Planning is key, and Cobb DOT takes planning seriously.

Cobb DOT’s planners zoom out to take a macro-level look at our county’s transportation network. They pour over data to identify the parts that are not functioning as intended and ask why. They also spend time anticipating future transportation needs. These efforts are then combined with budgets, goals and policies to form a comprehensive plan. 

Zooming in a little, planners also look at specific systems within our transportation network, such as our trail system or transit system, to get an idea of how these should grow and improve.  Zooming in even more, planners perform special studies to identify opportunities for improvements in a specific area for all types of travel modes, including roads, transit, walking and biking.

But Cobb’s planners do more than develop plans to occupy shelf space. They also focus on funding options to help build what we plan. Cobb DOT does get a certain amount of funding from Cobb’s Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST). However, SPLOST funds can’t cover everything.  So, planners identify and pursue a variety of grant funding to supplement the SPLOST. This helps the SPLOST funds go further and helps fund bigger projects that SPLOST funds can’t cover alone. And once a grant is awarded, planners make sure that we meet all state and federal requirements for the life of that grant.

That’s why Cobb DOT planners are essential to keep Cobb’s residents and visitors moving.