TDOT outlines $30 billion needs, seeks recurring and one‑time funds to shore up pavements, bridges and safety

The Tennessee Department of Transportation told the House Transportation Committee on Friday that flat state revenue and rising construction and labor costs have left the agency unable to keep pace with a growing backlog of pavement, bridge and safety needs.

TDOT Commissioner Ealy told the committee the department’s long‑term funding model “has been able to eat what we kill,” meaning growth in gas tax receipts previously kept pace with needs, but that is no longer true. “That gas tax revenue stream that we’ve had is now flat,” Ealy said. He described the combination of flat revenues and rapidly rising construction costs as the central problem facing the agency.

Why it matters: TDOT officials said the state has roughly $30 billion in outstanding transportation needs and that continuing to rely on current revenue sources risks further deterioration of road and bridge conditions, higher construction costs later and safety consequences for motorists and pedestrians.

What TDOT proposed and why TDOT presented a mix of recurring and nonrecurring requests to address preservation, safety and project acceleration. Deputy Commissioner and chief financial officer Joe Galvato summarized the scale: “The statewide need … was about $30,000,000,000.” He noted federal surface‑transportation funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is due to expire in 2026 and that federal apportionments are fixed by formula.

TDOT’s recurring requests highlighted in the presentation included: - $16 million for pavement preservation to add roughly 50 lane miles of preservation work each year; - $16 million for bridge preservation to seal about 700,000 square feet of bridge deck annually; - $6 million for additional mowing and litter cycles on state routes; and - expanded rural service‑patrol coverage (number of trucks and shifts to be specified in follow‑up materials).

TDOT also proposed expanding a spot‑safety program that would fund projects not eligible under current federal safety programs; officials said that expansion could bring the total to about $20 million for targeted safety improvements such as turn lanes, signals, ramp work, signage and striping.

Nonrecurring requests and project acceleration TDOT asked for nonrecurring dollars to advance projects already in the pipeline and to establish an infrastructure bank for local partners. Among the nonrecurring items in the presentation were $109 million to advance roughly 47 paving projects, $59 million to advance about 15–18 bridge projects, and a proposed $50 million infrastructure‑bank seed to provide low‑interest loans to local governments.

Commissioner Ealy and staff said a sizeable nonrecurring infusion would let TDOT accelerate projects already scoped in its 10‑year plan and reduce long‑term costs by avoiding higher future repair bills. “The longer they go without attention, the more it costs to fix them when they do fail,” Deputy Commissioner and chief of planning Preston Elliott said when describing the age profile of Tennessee’s bridges and pavements.

Asset condition and safety outlook TDOT officials showed agency data that a large share of Tennessee’s bridges were built in the 1960s and have design lives that make aging a near‑term concern. “The majority of the bridges … were built in the sixties,” Elliott said, noting about 8,400 bridges are state‑owned and inspected and many more are local but still inspected by TDOT under federal requirements.

Staff emphasized preventive maintenance (crack sealing, bridge‑deck sealing) as cost‑effective measures to extend asset life. Will, described in the hearing as an agency engineer, told lawmakers the department is “always looking for ways that we can increase pavement life” and that crack sealing in particular is “a very effective method when it comes to extending the life of pavements.”

Questions from lawmakers and next steps Committee members asked about state versus local responsibilities for bridges, the effect on federal matching and discretionary grants, and whether indexes or user‑fee changes would have reduced the current funding shortfall. TDOT staff said more state liquidity can make grant packages more competitive for discretionary federal awards, but that federal apportionments by formula would not increase simply because state revenue rose.

TDOT told the committee it will provide a line‑item list in April–May of the specific projects that would be accelerated if the nonrecurring funds are approved, and staff provided follow‑up material breakdowns on help‑truck coverage, shifts and proposed numbers on request. The department asked the committee and the Legislature to consider both recurring revenue solutions and targeted nonrecurring investments to preserve assets and expedite critical projects.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the TDOT request during the hearing; staff said they stand ready to provide additional details to support appropriation decisions.