The Future of Transportation - Continuing the Conversation
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) Commissioner John Schroer recently hosted a briefing for local business leaders on the challenges facing our state’s transportation infrastructure - with remarks that sounded familiar to those involved in the regional transit discussion. The state’s annual transportation budget stands at about $1.8 billion, with 53 percent of funding coming from the federal government and 45 percent coming from the state. The challenge for state transportation officials is that their budget to pay for construction and maintenance of roads, bridges and other transportation programs has been relatively flat since 2006. That situation has forced TDOT to prioritize a backlog of projects totaling nearly $11 billion statewide.
Schroer’s speech to a gathering of Chamber members and elected officials from Nashville and Middle Tennessee made it clear that the state needs to address the current gasoline tax rate, a declining revenue source as vehicles become more fuel-efficient. And while he noted the importance of the bold, $6 billion nMotion regional transit plan for Middle Tennessee, he also made it clear local governments would need to provide the bulk of the funding for building and maintaining a regional transit network. Schroer pointed out TDOT didn’t object to legislation in the last session of the General Assembly which allowed public-private partnerships for mass transit projects. The legislation allows local transportation authorities to contract with private companies to design, build and manage public transit. He also said the state is ready to partner with local governments on infrastructure supporting transit, but that dedicated local funding would be key to making a transit system a reality.
"A public transit system will require debt, and that’s a difficult proposition for Tennessee’s pay-as-you-go approach to transportation,” Schroer said. But, at the same time, he acknowledged there are real costs to traffic gridlock, and the public is increasingly demanding a regional transit solution to Middle Tennessee’s growing congestion. The message that TDOT is eager to be a partner in addressing the region’s growing mobility challenges is welcome news to our business community.
