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TDOT says new 'choice lanes' and King's Crossing bridge will be transformative; warns funding levels will dip after TMA
Summary
TDOT Commissioner Reed told the committee the department delivered an unprecedented number of projects after recent general fund transfers; choice lanes (26 miles I-24) and the $1 billion Kings Crossing bridge in Memphis were highlighted as transformative, but Reed warned that letting levels will return to earlier levels once one-time funds end.
TDOT Commissioner Reed told the Finance, Ways and Means Committee that recent state investments have allowed the department to accelerate projects and restore resurfacing and safety efforts. "We have the most ambitious program in TDOT's history before us to deliver," he said.
Reed highlighted three priorities funded this year: spot safety projects (28 new projects), a large increase in resurfacing jobs and new rural service patrol procurement. He described two headline projects under development: the King's Crossing Bridge in Memphis (described as a roughly $1 billion project) and the I-24 Choice Lanes project (26 miles of managed lanes between downtown Nashville and Murfreesboro). "This will be the largest project in our history," Reed said of King's Crossing.
Commission members pressed on procurement pipelines, P3 shortlists and funding durability. TDOT officials said procurement work is active for the Choice Lanes and that four shortlisted teams remain in contention; they expect bids in late spring and commercial close in 2025. Reed warned the recent TMA and general-fund transfers are one-time boosts: once those funds lapse, annual contract lettings will likely return toward 2018 levels unless new revenue sources are adopted.
Members asked about local impacts around Blue Oval City and the West Tennessee Mega Site; TDOT and TDOT partners said water and wastewater plants at the site are operational and rail/remaining infrastructure timelines depend on private-sector production and final agreements.
