TDOT reveals ‘choice lane’ location priorities in Tennessee

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Dept. of Transportation (TDOT) unveiled its new choice – or toll – lane locations for the future.

In Middle Tennessee, the top priority will be between Nashville and Murfreesboro on I-24 and between Nashville and Spring Hill on I-65.

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The others were in East Tennessee, on I-24 west of Chattanooga and on I-40 west of Knoxville.

Of the three, the first one to be instituted is expected to be the Nashville-Murfreesboro corridor, according to TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley.

There were no corridors identified in West Tennessee. You can see TDOT’s entire 10-year plan here.

“There was not a corridor in and around Memphis that really met the criteria for a managed lane type solution,” TDOT Chief Engineer Will Reid said. “But we knew there were other areas that needed to be addressed.”

RELATED: TN Democrats file bill to cede final say of ‘choice lane’ locations to local governments

One of those areas is the I-55 bridge from Memphis to Arkansas.

“It is in serious need of repair,” Reid said. “It is also up for replacement, it is 75 years old.”

So, how much will these toll lanes cost you as a driver? The short answer—TDOT says it doesn’t know yet. “We’re still very early in the process,” Eley said. “So there’s no estimate or there’s no number as to what that could be.”

Democrats thrashed the plan, saying it lacked courage and vision.

Read the latest from the TN State Capitol Newsroom

In a full statement, House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Ray Clemmons (D-Nashville) wrote:

‘Gov. Bill Lee’s “10-Year Fiscally Constrained Transportation Project Plan” lacks the courage and vision necessary to address one of the biggest quality of life issues facing Tennessee families.

Today, while Tennessee workers are spending an inordinate and unnecessary amount of time sitting in traffic, they are concerned about the rising cost of living, gas and food prices and whether they’re going to be able to make ends meet. Instead of presenting a long-term plan with forward-thinking solutions to one of the biggest challenges facing workers, Gov. Lee has presented a plan with several fundamental flaws.

First, Lee proposes spending $15 billion over ten years to address only one-third of our current transportation infrastructure needs, so the plan will be outdated before it is fully implemented. Having provided no plan to pay most of the $15 billion tab he’s conveniently leaving for the next administration, Lee is essentially writing a check he cannot cash for a poorly crafted plan that he will not be around to execute.

Next, Gov. Lee’s proposal to construct new toll lanes is primarily designed to enrich private corporations on the backs of workers rather than actually address traffic congestion. Tennesseans already pay high gas taxes and vehicle fees, yet Gov. Lee now wants to make workers to pay even more just to get to work on time or home for dinner with their family.

We cannot pave our way out of the traffic problems that workers experience every day on our state’s busiest interstates and highways. Yet, this governor has failed to provide any details about the “multimodal solutions” that his plan merely references. Notably, Lee’s plan fails to even mention interstate or regional commuter rail.

Without real leadership and a substantive plan to address our existing and long-term transportation infrastructure needs, it will become increasingly difficult for our state to recruit skilled workers and well-paying jobs. This failure will have serious detrimental impacts on our local economies and every Tennessean’s quality of life.

Our House Democratic caucus will continue to introduce and work on solutions to improve the quality of life and lower costs for Tennessee’s working families. Our legislative efforts will again include plans to invest in modern and more affordable transportation alternatives beyond the antiquated re-pave and widen model, build a sustainable transportation system for our urban and rural communities, and better protect the lives of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.’

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