Tennessee Road Plan Mulls Toll Lanes
The Governor of Tennessee, Bill Lee, has put forward a new proposal to fund the tens of billions of dollars needed for new roadway projects after being reelected for the current term. These include tripling the fee levied on electric car owners and allowing express toll lanes on the highways of the state.
While some Nashville Bicycle Accident Lawyers would agree that the development of road infrastructure may help lower the number of accidents, the Governor’s proposal has received mixed reactions.
However, the Republican is of the opinion that road development is the need of the hour. The rapid growth of the state and the increasing number of trucks on the roads has resulted in heavy congestion, which the administration intends to address. As per state transportation officials, projects worth $26 billion are needed to tackle the worsening congestion.
Lee isn’t in favor of other approaches like raising the gas tax, adding fully tolled roads, or issuing debt instead of the pay-as-you-go road funding method of the state.
Like most other US states, many people in Tennessee have shifted to more fuel-efficient means of transport, such as electric cars. Therefore, raising funding for road projects through increasing gas taxes doesn’t seem like a very feasible method at present. In addition, the state is also developing as an electric vehicle production hub, thanks to an upcoming Ford electric vehicle project in partnership with a battery factory in the region.
However, if Lee wants things to go just as planned, he will need the support of other Republican lawmakers. Getting the lawmakers on board will help open up the possibility of allowing private companies to start the bidding process for building new express lanes on the state’s highways and imposing tolls to gain profit. Moreover, lawmakers also need to approve the proposal to raise the annual fee for electric vehicle owners from $100 to $300.
According to Butch Eley, the transportation commissioner, none of the existing carpool lanes will be turned into paid ones – the express toll lanes will be built separately. The state can also control driver eligibility and the pricing policy, which can increase or decrease depending on the congestion levels. People who want a quicker ride can get it by paying the charges.
All the responsibilities of designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining the lanes would lie with a private company. In Eley’s opinion, “There’s nothing, I think, more fair than people paying for what they use.”
As for the $300 electric vehicle fee, it’s going to be the most expensive in the country if approved. Around 31 states in the country levy similar fees on people owing electric vehicles (as of July 2022). And the charges, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, range from $50 to $225.
However, according to Lee, the fee of $300 hasn’t yet been fixed. In a statement to reporters, the governor said, “We want to make sure there’s a fair fee for everyone. We’ll figure out what that number is and move forward.”
Jeff Yarbro, the Democratic Senate Minority Leader, mentioned that he would be awaiting the specifics of the governor’s strategy. In the words of the Nashville lawmaker, “I’m looking forward to learning more and talking to the governor because there has been a lot of focus on the highways of the state”. “But the state needs a transportation strategy, not just a highway plan,” he added.
Debates and discussions regarding transportation and infrastructure in the state are ongoing. According to House Speaker Cameron Sexton, “We must have honest discussions on infrastructure in our state to solve the traffic congestion issue. Those must include expansion of rail access, shortening the decades-long timeline to build roads, as well as looking at express lanes on our interstates in highly congested areas.”
All these topics will be up for discussion when the lawmakers return for their annual legislative session in January 2023.
