Daylighting decision-making at state departments of transportation: A case study of roadside tree removal

• State DOTs create policy through everyday decisions of employees. • Silos within state DOTs impede effective execution of agency goals. • GDOT’s large-scale roadside tree removal resulted in over 7,000 acres of cleared land. • Collaboration could have avoided public outcry and environmental consequences. Transport agencies worldwide must operate with multiple strategic goals: safety, mobility, sustainability, and equity. In support of these goals, they employ experts from a wide range of disciplines, which often operate in silos. In many instances, the silos can undermine agency goals. In this case study, I investigate the state department of transportation in the US state of Georgia, which cleared thousands of acres of roadside trees beginning in 2018 without public or environmental review. The agency’s stated aim was to enhance roadside safety. I interviewed staff in various agencies across Georgia to discover how this happened when the environmental costs were so great and when the agency employs so many experts in environmental and ecology roles. The findings justify a renewed focus on multidisciplinary efforts and training, enhanced federal regulations for DOT maintenance actions, and a call for more interdisciplinary transportation research.