One item on the legislative agenda for the 113th General Assembly is adding choice lanes to Nashville and Memphis.
Drivers in Tennessee’s major cities would pay to get around traffic by taking the toll lanes on the interstate.
Leaders believe the toll lanes will not only fix traffic problems but it could also improve the state’s crumbling infrastructure by using the money it costs to take tolls to fund it.Here Are the Bills Filed in the Tennessee General Assembly
However, opponents of adding choice lanes across the state point out former Gov. Bill Haslam’s $10 billion infrastructure plan, the IMPROVE Act, which increased the state’s gas tax to help pay for it.
Where did that money go?
“That’s a great question,” Lee Mills, a Fed Ex pilot and former state representative candidate, told “Wake Up Memphis” Tuesday.“Historically, I think in West Tennessee gets the short end of the stick,” Mills continued. “In general, it’s usually Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee that sees the bulk of the road projects and West Tennessee has been shafted a little bit.”
The IMPROVE Act promised to complete 926 road projects in all 95 counties in 10 years, but Mills said the improvements have been “slow in coming”
“In 2021, TDOT reported that instead of 10 years, which was the original projection… but now it’s going to take over 20 years,” Lee said.Listen to the full conversation with Lee Mills below:
