DMV lines may become a thing of the past -- maybe

After four years of planning and reorganizing, the agency on Sept. 7 will turn on its $23 million high-tech weapon called Project Genesis against the crunch of vehicle registration, driver's licensing, titling and other demands of a growing population.

Officials already say things won't improve overnight.

They say, however, that alternatives to in-person visits will in the next two years make the agency less despicable.

"We have to turn our reputation around. It's tough, but I think we'll demonstrate we'll do it," said Ginny Lewis, motor vehicles deputy director.

Project Genesis began in 1995 and will culminate by 2003 with such high-tech wizardry as registering a car or renewing a license over a telephone line and the licenses will show computerized photo images.

A central mission of the new computer will be merging registration and driver licensing. Such a seemingly basic task cannot now be done in the aging 1970s-era computer.

"It also will give us the opportunity for Internet transactions and renewals by telephone," Lewis said. "Our ultimate goal is to serve our customers without them having to stand in line."

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