Alumni Highlights

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry Receives Award for Engineering Influence

Russell McMurry, Civil Engineering Technology graduate of ’91, received ACEC Georgia’s Engineering Influence Award “in recognition of his exceptional leadership and management of the department’s response to the Interstate 85 fire and bridge collapse” last year.  McMurry received the inaugural honor at ACEC Georgia’s second annual Georgia Engineering Awards on Feb. 24, 2018.  The program included Georgia’s 2018 Engineering Excellence Awards, which celebrate the state’s exceptional engineers, engineering projects and industry achievements.

Fast action by first responders prevented injury and loss of life when a fire under the overpass caused a section of I-85 in metro Atlanta to collapse in March 2017.  Under McMurry’s leadership, GDOT focused on quickly and safely replacing the critical infrastructure, its teams working with partners and contractors 24/7 to rebuild and reopen the heavily traveled corridor in just six weeks.

McMurry, a 28-year veteran of the Georgia Department of Transportation, has served as Commissioner since 2015.  He is a professional engineering and an honors graduate of Georgia Southern.  McMurry was also recently named Georgia Trend’s 2018 Georgian of the Year.

 

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Last updated: 6/24/2021