Governor Bill Lee (R) and the Tennessee Department of Transportation recently highlighted a “historic investment” in infrastructure incorporated within the state’s just-passed $59.5 billion annual budget.
[Above photo by Tennessee DOT]
In a statement, the agency said that, for the first time in Tennessee’s history, that state’s annual budget will now include additional dedicated and recurring General Fund dollars – $80 million in recurring and additional $1 billion in non-recurring funding – that Tennessee DOT said would allow it to “accelerate, leverage, and add” new transportation projects to its 10-year plan unveiled by the agency in January 2024.
The Tennessee DOT noted that this 10-year plan is also supported by a new “data-driven prioritization process” that allows for a more objective review of infrastructure projects statewide. That helps the agency reevaluate the plan every year to account for the “changing needs” of Tennessee’s “people, economy, and infrastructure.”
“We’ve passed strategic legislative and budget measures to improve infrastructure, invest in education, strengthen our workforce, and solidify Tennessee’s position as a leader in next-generation nuclear energy,” said the governor in a separate statement. “I thank the General Assembly for its partnership and continued commitment to responsible fiscal stewardship and innovation to improve the lives of the people we serve.”
That funding is in line with the strategic view of transportation investments outlined by Gov. Lee in an address before the state legislature over two years ago.
“It’s time to invest in a transportation strategy,” he said in his remarks before the state legislature. “Here’s the bottom line – there is a great cost to doing nothing. We can easily kick the can down the road … but Tennesseans will pay the price for it with more potholes, longer commutes, and less economic activity.”
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