Transportation has always been the lifeblood of Atlanta. From our early days as the railroad hub of the South, to our present day as the region’s logistics center and home to the world’s busiest, most efficient airport, transportation has defined this city.

The foundation for building equity and access to opportunity for our residents is transportation. My grandmother rode MARTA to work every day for 30 years at Davison’s and Macy’s in Lenox Square. Public transportation for her was a door to opportunity and a better life for her and our family. Without MARTA, and my relentless grandmother, I likely would not have been able to build the career I have today or to serve as Mayor of the City of Atlanta.

My family’s story is not an isolated one. It is a story that Atlanta must recognize and keep alive for our future. In 2016, Atlanta voted a loud and resounding “yes” to tax ourselves so we can build even More MARTA, investing $2.7 billion in new transit options that allow more people to reach jobs, schools and services. In partnership with MARTA, our administration is focused on the continuing expansion of transit service to every neighborhood, from long-underserved areas such as Campbellton Road to our rapidly redeveloping Beltline communities.

Transformational investments in our future are critical because the momentum of our success is strong. Over the next two decades, we expect 2.5 million more people to come to Metro Atlanta. Either we continue with the status quo and risk seeing our growth coming to a grinding halt, or we can leverage our growth as an opportunity to accelerate our future prosperity.

Last week at my State of the City address I announced my intention to create a Department of Transportation (DOT) for the city—a first for the city. Creating an Atlanta DOT is an example of a smarter, more resilient government that can turn our challenges into opportunities rather than just maintaining the status quo on our streets.

During my time as a Councilmember, I saw the challenges we had in taking care of our transportation network. Atlanta has a Public Works department that fixes our roads. We have a Planning department that thinks about ways those roads can serve more people better. We have Renew Atlanta/TSPLOST, which voters have entrusted with making long-term investments in Atlanta’s transportation future.

Today it is not unheard of for one department to fill a pothole, followed by another that resurfaces the road, followed by a utility permit that will cut into the newly laid asphalt, and capped by a request to add a crosswalk or a bike lane after funding is no longer available.

Three agencies working separately did a good job maintaining our expansive transportation network, but Atlanta deserves a great job. We deserve a dedicated transportation department. To prepare us for Atlanta’s future, we need one team working from the same playbook. Every time we touch a street, we must be coordinated. Our teams must bring all the expertise the City has to offer and turn simple resurfacing jobs into opportunities to reimagine our streets and to propel us forward.

As you read this, our team is working to build a strategic plan to turn more of our challenges into opportunities and begin the transformation of Atlanta’s streets. Smarter government is about investing your tax dollars so that we are not just repairing yesterday’s mobility problems, we are building a city that offers more choices for getting around efficiently, safely, and affordably. The first step of this long journey is setting our public servants up for success with the right organization and a new strategy to tackle our future. While the department will be officially created by this summer, it will take 12-18 months of hard work, diligence and progress to mobilize and staff up to its full potential.

The best is yet to come with more roads resurfaced, more investments in our sidewalks, more options to get around and More MARTA. If transportation is the lifeblood of our City, equity is the heart of One Atlanta — safe, affordable and accessible transportation options are among the greatest forms of equity that a city can help provide. Our Department of Transportation will be dedicated to providing access to economic opportunities that can change the direction of lives for Atlanta residents today and generations to come, just as transportation changed the course of my family’s life.