That was seven years ago. Today, the agency is going back to the old- fashioned way of doing things: one department for one specific purpose.
Mark Wandro, the recently appointed director of transportation, says he is doing so because the new system didn't work. As soon as he took office, he was deluged with requests from planners and city workers from across the state. They didn't know whom to call at DOT when they had a permit question or wanted to apply for funds for a road project. Moreover, after touring cities in the state, Wandro found that people "didn't believe they had a group focused on their specific mode of transportation."
The DOT, one of the state's largest agencies, has 3,800 employees and an annual budget of $722 million. Under the newest system, there should be less confusion about who is responsible for what. The structure combines three previous divisions (maintenance, engineering and project development) into a highway division and eliminates duplication of services. As of March, Wandro had reestablished the offices of motor vehicles, aviation, public transit, railroads and river transportation.
Now people who have specific transportation questions will know what office to call.
