The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced a $1,815,000 award for 21 safety projects in 15 counties in southeast Georgia, including $200,000 in Liberty County. The funds are part of the fiscal 2016 Local Maintenance and Improvement Grant Off-System Safety Program, according to a news release issued Thursday night. "Last year, Georgia saw the first increase in roadway fatalities in a decade," said GDOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. "Off-system or local roads account for approximately 45 percent of Georgia’s motor vehicle fatalities.