Tennessee Toll Lane, Road-Funding Bill Advances In Senate Committee

Image Credit: capitol.tn.gov

The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –

A bill to add toll lanes and fund future highway and road improvements in Tennessee passed a key Senate committee Tuesday.

The Tennessee Transportation Modernization Act passed the Finance, Ways and Means Committee with a 10-1 vote and will head to the full Senate after it goes through the Senate Calendar Committee. The House Finance, Ways and Means Committee is set to hear the companion House bill Wednesday.

Senate Bill 273 will open the door for toll lanes operated by private companies to build new lanes on the state’s highways and install tolling on those lanes. Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knoxville, presented the bill and said terms on the toll lanes will be negotiated, giving an example of an 80% to 20% split of road construction costs with a private company paying the larger portion and then getting the first dollars that come in from tolls.

“They will not just build it, they will have to keep it up to our standards,” Massey added.

The companies cannot be from four restricted countries – China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. The company will lease the lanes and the state will retain ownership.

Massey said the Tennessee Department of Transportation normally receives $500 million annually for construction and the state has more than a $26 billion backlog of road infrastructure work, which would take 52 years to complete using that funding if inflation did not exist.

The bill includes a one-time contribution of $3.3 billion to TDOT’s Transportation Modernization Fund to quicken road work. That number will be divided into approximately $750 million for each of the state’s three grand divisions.

It also includes a stipulation to have electric vehicles be charged a $200 registration fee starting next year that will rise to $274 and then begin rising with the consumer price index up to 3% annually starting in 2027. Hybrid vehicles will begin at $100 and rise in cost starting in 2027.

“We can’t tax our way out of this,” said Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston. “This is a great alternative that will solve some problems.”

About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – 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. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.

3 thoughts on “Tennessee Toll Lane, Road-Funding Bill Advances In Senate Committee

  • March 15, 2023 at 6:49 pm
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    This is a great idea. When government lawyers and politicians negotiate leases with the private sector, the taxpayers always come out on top, like with the Titan’s stadium lease. I was disappointed that Nashville didn’t finalize its deal to lease all of its parking meters to a private company, so this could be a great consolation prize. It is about time that Tennessee creates two classes of taxpayers: 1) elites that can afford the tolls, and 2) the non-elites who can’t afford the tolls but are still allowed to pay taxes for the roads. This notion that all men are created equal never made any sense if you think about it. The best part is that we know historically that private companies in the road building business never pay bribes or rig bids, and we know that politicians never get kickbacks on infrastructure projects, so lets get on with this legislation! Atlanta has these lanes, and so should we!

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  • March 15, 2023 at 10:49 pm
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    Excited for the inevitable surge pricing of $50 to drive a couple miles on our own roads.

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  • March 18, 2023 at 8:03 pm
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    The taxpayer does not get the better end of the deal in any government bright ideas! We will pay for these new roads, pay again to use them (extra cost) and continue to pay more for the upkeep. (Ohioans were told tolls would last a short time with the Ohio Turnpike, the tolls will end when it’s paid for. Well, tolls never ended.) Didn’t the TN legislators just increase the cost on gasoline for roads? The private company that will ‘manage’ these new toll roads will not pay for the upkeep, we the taxpayers will pay for it. The 80/20 rule presented will end up being smoke and mirrors, back room deals are standard fair in politics. Remember, new taxes imposed on corporations are not paid out of their profits, the cost of the products and services are increased and paid by the consumers. These toll roads will cost us more then the figures the proponents are projecting. I am just stating how everything costs more then we’re told. This is all about sucking more money out of the Tennessee citizenry. For retirees, increased costs of food alone is hurting us. Why do the legislators think we can afford an open ended toll road bill? What else are they cooking up for us to pay for next? It’s a sad day when we realize our greatest enemy is our state (and federal) government.

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