Tennessee 28th District Update

Transportation infrastructure will be a highlight of upcoming 2023 legislative session

The 2023 Legislative Session is set to begin on January 10, 2023. Lawmakers will address many different topics and issues in this first session of the 113th General Assembly. Governor Lee recently held budget hearings where government agencies provided updates on their budgets and identified needs for the future. Transportation funding and infrastructure needs emerged from these budget hearings as a significant need facing the state.

As Tennessee continues to grow, our transportation infrastructure needs and improvements also grow. Governor Lee has announced he plans to focus on developing a strategy to invest in Tennessee’s transportation network in both rural and urban areas, which will provide more opportunities and a higher quality of life for all Tennesseans. The Tennessee Department of Transportation highlighted a clear need for the state to meet the demands of a growing list of transportation projects in its budget hearing. In the 2023 legislative session, the General Assembly will discuss these issues and consider various solutions.

TDOT has identified a $34 billion need for infrastructure projects across the state. Currently, the state spends $1.2 billion annually to maintain current infrastructure, with about $500 million allocated for new construction projects. On the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee, we will look at the various needs of TDOT and weigh options of how a long-term, strategic plan can ensure Tennessee is able to meet growing infrastructure needs while also maintaining conservative fiscal management of the state’s budget.

In budget hearings, TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley highlighted 3 main areas of challenge facing Tennessee’s transportation system: congestion, delivery, and workforce.

Traffic in Tennessee’s urban areas is getting denser. A congestion study of Tennessee’s four main urban areas identified $26 billion in needed projects that directly relate to congestion. Without major improvements, it is estimated that intracity commute times will increase by 60% and intercity travel times between major Tennessee cities will increase by up to one hour. Eley noted that congestion is a statewide issue, not just an urban one. He noted that current two-lane interstates which run through rural areas are heavily traveled and need to be upgraded to three lanes.

The delivery times for projects to be completed is also lagging, according to Eley. Currently, the average completion time for a TDOT project is 15 years, but Eley says the state needs to cut that down to 5 years. A faster completion rate will not only save taxpayers money, especially since the prices of materials are rising due to inflation, but it will also allow the state to complete more projects.

One way to improve delivery times is to invest in a good workforce. TDOT currently has a 20% vacancy rate for jobs. Commissioner Eley said that increasing the pay for these dangerous jobs will help close gaps in the workforce.

Electric Vehicles

Ownership of electric vehicles in the state of Tennessee is growing, but it remains an insignificant percentage of the total registered vehicles in the state – only 0.2% or 16,300 electric vehicles. However, the state-led Drive Electric Tennessee coalition projects that electric vehicles registered in Tennessee will quickly grow to 200,000 by 2028, which would be 3% of the total registered vehicles. With 3% of registered vehicles paying no gas tax to use Tennessee’s roads, the state could lose $40 million in revenue.

This projected loss in revenue will warrant discussion among lawmakers in the upcoming session. State’s across the country are experiencing this same issue and there is a range of different options lawmakers might consider in the coming months and years to remedy the revenue loss.

Contact Senator Hensley at

425 5th Avenue North, Suite 746

Nashville TN 37243

615-741-3100

Toll Free 1-800-449-8366

ext. 13100

Fax 615-253-0231

855 Summertown Highway

Hohenwald TN 38462

Phone 931-796-2018

Cell Phone 931-212-8823

E-mail:

[email protected]