by John Styf
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed fiscal year 2023 budget includes $626.5 million in road projects for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The proposal includes 22 new projects that are categorized under the State Highway Partnership Program ($226 million), Rural Interchange Improvement Program ($176 million), IMPROVE Act Acceleration ($100 million) and economic development projects ($77 million).
The economic development projects, in what are characterized as some of the state’s fastest-growing counties, include a Cleveland Street extension and Interstate-24 underpass in Davidson County ($40 million), a Sullivan County alignment project ($22 million) and widening State Road 334 in Blount County ($15 million).
“We have an obligation to future generations to invest in our roads and bridges and propel economic growth,” Lee said in a statement. “Tennessee’s strong fiscal position allows us to make strategic investments in infrastructure and ensure progress on critical projects across the state.”
The state partnership program will involve $266 million to work on State Route 386 in Sumner County ($76 million), extend State Route 449 in Sevier County ($39 million) and improvements on one I-24 and four I-40 interchanges
Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Joe Galbato said Tennessee is one of five states without transportation debt.
“We are excited and grateful for the additional funding that will no doubt keep us in good financial health and accommodate the ever-growing needs of our citizens,” Galbato said.
Galbato recently explained how the $6.2 billion coming to Tennessee as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) really amounts to only $185 million more in federal funding for Tennessee each year for the next five years.
Lee is proposing the state also give $100 million to IMPROVE Act project acceleration, a program from former Gov. Bill Haslam that uses a state gas tax increase to fund infrastructure projects. It replaced some grocery and business taxes in the state, and Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, recently proposed rescinding those gas tax increases.
Lee touted the infrastructure spending in his state of the state speech, saying, “We have an obligation to future generations to invest in our roads and bridges to accommodate that economic growth.”
Some Democrats were skeptical of the claims, with Sen. Heidi Campbell, D-Nashville, tweeting, “Lee taking credit for Biden’s funding.”
Lee’s $52.6 billion budget proposal for fiscal year 2023, which was released Tuesday, includes $19.8 billion in federal funds. This fiscal year’s budget, including $22.7 billion in federal funds, pushed spending to $51.2 billion, according to a summary released by the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.
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Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Styf contributes to The Center Square.
