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New transportation proposal: Build With Us

Roads, bridges, Choice Lanes prioritized in state initiative

STAFF REPORT
Posted 12/10/22

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has announced his infrastructure proposal, “Build With Us,” to address critical transportation needs across the state.  

The proposed legislation …

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New transportation proposal: Build With Us

Roads, bridges, Choice Lanes prioritized in state initiative

Posted

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has announced his infrastructure proposal, “Build With Us,” to address critical transportation needs across the state.  

The proposed legislation will ensure the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), under the leadership of Commissioner Butch Eley, meets the state’s current and future transportation challenges – both urban and rural – to prepare for increased economic advantages.  

“As Tennessee continues to experience unprecedented growth, it’s critical we invest in roads and bridges to fully harness our state’s success,” said Governor Bill Lee. “I asked Commissioner Eley to look at best practices around the country to see what’s working and what isn’t. The Build With Us plan will provide quality infrastructure in both rural and urban communities and blunt congestion without raising the gas tax or going into debt.”  

Tennessee’s growth is far outpacing roadway capacity investments. 

Over $26 billion is needed above the 2017 IMPROVE Act to address both urban and rural congestion in Tennessee. The IMPROVE Act enacted the largest tax cut in state history while working towards a safe and reliable transportation network.  

The billions needed today include nearly $14 billion in the four major urban areas – Nashville, Memphis, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. This also includes over $12 billion for Tennessee’s rural interstates commissioned for these urban areas.  

To address the state’s transportation needs, the Lee administration is developing a modern approach to tackle urban congestion while preserving funds to address rural transportation challenges, providing an expanded set of project delivery tools, and creating a new paradigm for running a high-performance department of transportation.  

The proposal seeks the use of Public-Private Partnerships (P3s) that allow private investment in new roadway infrastructure. Tennessee is the only state in the southeast that does not allow such partnerships for developing roads and bridges. 

State Sen. Shane Reeves commented, “We clearly have a massive infrastructure and traffic problem in Middle Tennessee… I want to be open minded to all ideas to re solve this issue.”  

Choice lanes  

Under these arrangements, a private sector partner contracts with TDOT under a lease agreement to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain Choice Lanes.  

Choice Lanes give drivers the option to pay a user fee to access an additional lane with more reliable trip times, while keeping the option to use traditional highway lanes. These lanes are used in states like Georgia, Texas, and Florida.  

The rate, which would be set by an oversight committee, could fluctuate with traffic. This is called “dynamic pricing.”  

Looking at Georgia, which uses a Peach Pass, toll costs could fluctuate between $0.50 up to $6. The more traffic, the higher the cost. The Georgia Department of Transportation website says this helps manage demand of the lanes to give a reliable travel time. According to the state website, Georgia has experienced a 20-mph speed increase in their general-purpose lanes.  

Workforce  

The Build With Us plan also includes reshaping TDOT’s workforce.  

The TDOT website explains they continue to lose workers “fast,” while salaries are 10-15% below market level. 

They explain how they hope to eliminate vacancies and use those dollars to increase salaries towards market level. They are also moving away from the assembly line, which causes delays, and moving toward a “team-based” approach that allows for faster and more efficient projects.  

In a similar vein, they also hope to tackle projects faster, which on average take 15 years to complete and typically cost 40% overbudget.