Reforming the Dept. of Transportation in Tennessee

TDOT shortchanged citizens on better transportation projects, planning

Tennessee has seriously shortchanged its spending of federal transportation funds on projects that promote clean air, public safety, transportation choices and better road conditions, according to a 2003 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project.

Tennessee received over $4.3 billion in surface transportation authorizations from the federal government between 1992 and 2001 for programs administered by the state. Of this amount, the report found that:

60% went to building new road and bridge capacity - the highest rate of any state in the country
24% went to road or bridge repair - the second lowest rate spent on maintenance in the U.S.
7% went to safety - barely half the national average
1% went to transit - among the lowest rates in the country and only one-fifth the national average.

Tennessee also ranks low for spending on innovative programs designed to improve the environment. During the study period, the state spent just 73% of the funds it was authorized to spend for a program to improve air quality. Yet the American Lung Association ranked all four of Tennessee's largest metro areas as among the 25 most polluted in the country for ozone pollution.

There has been progress in some areas. The percentage of Tennessee's major roads not in good condition dropped from 58.8% in 1994 to 31.9% in 2001. However, almost a third of the state's major roads are not in good condition.

The report, The $300 Billion Question: Are We Buying a Better Transportation System?, analyzes state-by-state spending of federal transportation funds on road and bridge repair, clean air and traffic safety. The analysis shows how states did or did not spend the federal funds they were eligible to receive, as well as road and bridge conditions, air quality and traffic fatalities and injuries.