Officials update TPO on I‑40/I‑75 PEL study; Choice‑lane procurement draws national attention

TPO staff summarized the PEL (planning‑level) study for the I‑40/I‑75 corridor, noting the study screened alternatives and reduced the list to interstate widening and a choice‑lane option; TDOT’s public meetings and staff presentations were described as providing the board with about a 90% preview of findings. Staff emphasized key outstanding questions: total project cost, whether construction would proceed as a single project or be phased, how long construction would take and how the work would be funded if the selected alternative is costly.

Senator Massey, introduced to the meeting as chair of the state Transportation Safety Committee, told the board she carried the legislation that authorized choice lanes and described both the policy rationale and procurement interest. She said the choice‑lane approach aims to preserve general‑purpose lanes while offering a managed lane that typically maintains higher speeds and can prioritize buses and emergency vehicles. "We took the word toll out of state code because it was a 4 letter word," she told the board, and described strong bipartisan support for the enabling legislation.

Massey also described recent procurement bids and large concession figures reported in other markets, citing the Nashville project cost estimates (about $9.2 billion) and saying a comparable 16‑mile project in this region could be in the $5–6 billion range. She cautioned that these large sums do not solve the state’s full transportation funding gap and urged continuing attention to revenue‑stream reforms.

Staff noted the PEL study will be finalized in the fall and that some alternatives (or elements such as technology or targeted improvements) may be incorporated into a final recommendation. Board members raised concerns about right‑of‑way timing, impacts from local growth (especially west Knox County), and the need to coordinate with TDOT on heavy‑equipment and freight needs during construction.