
A renewed effort at the Tennessee statehouse would tap existing revenue in the state to boost transportation funding.
The pursuit follows a Tennessee Department of Transportation request of more than $300 million for fiscal years 2025-26. TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley said the funds are needed just to keep up with rising costs for maintenance and construction. One-third of the revenue would come from recurring expenses, and the rest would come from non-recurring costs.
About $125 million would be used for highway paving. Another $75 million would be applied for bridge maintenance. The rest of the money would be used for purposes that include litter collection and mowing, as well as expanding the state’s roadside help program.
TDOT’s plea follows enactment of a 2023 transportation law to address transportation needs across the state. The $3.3 billion bill allotted $3 billion for projects in the state’s largest cities. Another $300 million was allotted to counties.
Also included was authorization for the agency to pursue public-private partnerships. A plan later unveiled by TDOT allows the state to put money into four toll lane projects that would be separate from general lanes.
Tabbed as “choice lanes,” the state would permit vendors to construct and operate new lanes and collect tolls from travelers who choose to use them. A toll project on Interstate 24 from Nashville to I-840 near Murfreesboro is under environmental review. Work on the project could start as soon as next year.
Others say more needs to be done.
Some state lawmakers are calling for more money immediately for road maintenance and expansion.
Sen. Mark Pody, R-Lebanon, is one legislator taking action. He introduced a bill that would use sales tax revenue from new and used vehicle and tire sales to benefit road work.
Pody, a Senate Transportation Committee member, said his bill would bolster transportation work by $1 billion yearly. A similar pursuit died at the statehouse one year ago.
The state relies largely on fuel tax collection to cover road work costs. The gas and diesel excise rates were last increased in 2019.
Senate Transportation Committee Chair Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, has pointed out the state does not borrow money to build roads. She acknowledged that more money needs to be applied for road construction.
Pody’s bill, SB24, awaits assignment to committee. LL
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