Tennessee Department of Transportation

Last updated
Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
TDOT Logo Full Color.png
James K Polk building 2009.jpg
The administrative headquarters of TDOT is located inside the James K. Polk State Office Building in Nashville
Department of transportation overview
Formed1915 (1915)
Superseding agency
  • Tennessee Department of Highways (1915-1972) [1]
Jurisdiction State of Tennessee
Headquarters
Motto"To provide a safe and reliable transportation system that supports economic growth and quality of life." [2]
Employees3,400 [3]
Annual budget$2.1 billion [4]
Commissioner responsible
  • Butch Eley [5] , Commissioner
  • Steve Townsend, Chief of Staff
  • Paul Degges, Chief Policy Advisor
  • Joe Galbato, Chief Financial Officer
  • Preston Elliott, Chief of Environment and Planning
  • Will Reid, Chief Engineer
Department of transportation executives
  • Steve Borden, Assistant Chief Engineer (Region 1)
  • Joe Deering, Assistant Chief Engineer (Region 2)
  • Jay Norris, Assistant Chief Engineer (Region 3)
  • Jason Baker, Assistant Chief Engineer (Region 4)
Website http://www.tn.gov/tdot/

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is the department of transportation for the State of Tennessee, with multimodal responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. It was established in 1915 as the Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works, and renamed the Tennessee Department of Transportation in 1972. The core agency mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods, and services that supports economic prosperity in Tennessee. Since 1998, TDOT has been ranked amongst the top five in the nation for quality highway infrastructure. [3] It is primarily headquartered in downtown Nashville and operates four regional offices in Chattanooga, Jackson, Knoxville, and Nashville.

Contents

Major responsibilities

The major duties and responsibilities of TDOT are to:

History

Map of early federal--"interstate" highway system in Tennessee, circa 1927 Tennessee Map of Interstate Routes 1927.png
Map of early federal--"interstate" highway system in Tennessee, circa 1927

Prior to 1915, the state had no central authority governing construction and maintenance of roads. The governor, legislature, other road associations, and local governments all attempted to serve these tasks, leading to a lack of planning and management. In 1915, a State Highway Commission was created to organize transportation services. The original commission consisted of six volunteer members. As responsibilities of the commission grew, this became inadequate, and in 1919 the commission was replaced with three paid members. By 1922, roads in Tennessee were behind surrounding states. Governor Austin Peay created a new Department of Highways and Public Works and appointed J.G. Creveling, Jr. as the single commissioner. Peavy also implemented a tax of two cents per gallon to fund the new department. The collapse of the banking system in 1930 resulted in significant losses for the state and led to an inability to fund the department. All of its workers had to be released. However, in 1933 the New Deal projects gave $11 million of federal money for highway projects. Diversion of federal funds and military enlistment of personnel during World War II again crippled the department. Following the war, the construction of the new Interstate Highway system brought a massive boom to the department. In 1972, due to its expanding role in all modes of transportation, it was renamed the Tennessee Department of Transportation. In the 1980s, TDOT began the $3.3 billion Better Roads Program to clear a backlog of projects and improve aging roads. In 1989, the gas tax was set at 21.40 cents per gallon to help fund this project. Through the 1990s and early 2000s, the department began working on ways to improve efficiency and involve communities. [1]

Organization

TDOT is headed by a single commissioner who is appointed by the governor. The leadership level also includes the Deputy Commissioner, and leaders for legal, aeronautics, community relations, and legislation. Three bureaus exist under this level. Most administrative offices operate from the TDOT headquarters in downtown Nashville, the state's capital city. There are also four regional offices across the state. Each region is further divided into districts which are then subdivided into county facilities. [6]

The following table lists the regions, district offices, maintenance and construction offices for each region, and counties served.

TDOT Regions with their Constituent Districts [7]
RegionDistrictDistrict OfficeMaintenance OfficesConstruction OfficesCounties
1 (Knoxville)17 Johnson City Johnson City, Morristown Johnson City, Morristown, Elizabethton Carter, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, Washington
18 Knoxville Knoxville, Newport Knoxville(2), Newport Anderson, Cocke, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Sevier, Union
19 Harriman Harriman, LaFollette Harriman, LaFollette, Maryville Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott
2 (Chattanooga)27 Cookeville Cookeville, Crossville Cookeville, Crossville, Livingston Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, White
28 Tullahoma Tullahoma, Dunlap Tullahoma, Dunlap, McMinnville Bledsoe, Cannon, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren
29 Chattanooga Chattanooga, Benton Chattanooga(2), Cleveland Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, Polk, Rhea
3 (Nashville)37 Nashville Nashville, Gallatin Nashville(2), Gallatin Davidson, Macon, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson, Williamson
38 McEwen McEwen, Clarksville McEwen, Clarksville, Columbia Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Maury, Montgomery, Robertson, Stewart
39 Belfast Belfast, Lawrenceburg Belfast, Lawrenceburg, Murfreesboro Bedford, Giles, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Moore, Perry, Rutherford, Wayne
4 (Jackson)47 McKenzie McKenzie, Newbern McKenzie, Newbern, Trenton Benton, Carroll, Decatur, Dyer, Gibson, Henry, Lake, Obion, Weakley
48 Jackson Jackson, Bethel Springs Jackson, Bethel Springs, Brownsville Chester, Crockett, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Madison, McNairy
49 Arlington Arlington(2) Memphis(2), Covington Fayette, Lauderdale, Tipton, Shelby

Bureau of Administration

This bureau serves the administrative tasks of the department. It is further divided into the following divisions: [8]

Bureau of Environment and Planning

This bureau studies environmental effects and ensures compliance with environmental policy. It also collects and analyses data to develop long range project and safety plans. It contains the following divisions: [9]

Bureau of Engineering

This bureau designs, constructs, and maintains the state's highway system. This Bureau is directed by the Chief Engineer. The majority of the bureau is split into two categories: Design and Operations, with each overseen by an Assistant Chief Engineer.

The Assistant Chief Engineer of Design oversees the following divisions: [10]

The Assistant Chief Engineer of Operations is responsible for overseeing the four regional offices. They also oversee the following divisions: [11]

Additionally there are three independent divisions that report directly to the Chief Engineer: [12]

Transportation system

TDOT reports the following as Tennessee's transportation system: [13]

Highway system

Airport system

Rail system

Transit system

Waterways

Bicycle and pedestrian system

Funding

Funding for the state transportation system in Tennessee comes from a fund that is separate from the state's general fund which operates most of the other state agencies in Tennessee. Transportation revenues come from both federal transportation monies and from state funding resources. Those state funds come from a combination of dollars collected from gas and diesel tax revenues, titling and registration fees. Tennessee operates on a "pay as you go" system by using available revenues resulting in no debt service. Tennessee is one of three states in the nation that does not finance transportation through bonding. Critics of this mechanism claim that it inhibits the ability of the department to sufficiently complete necessary infrastructure improvements. [14]

Leadership history

The leaders of the department and its preceding organizations have been: [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 24</span> Interstate Highway in Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia

Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57, 10 miles (16 km) south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75. It travels through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. As an even-numbered Interstate, it is signed as an east–west route, though the route follows a more southeast–northwest routing, passing through Nashville, Tennessee. The numbering deviates from the standard Interstate Highway System grid, lying further north than its number would indicate west of Nashville. The short segment within Georgia bears the unsigned designation State Route 409 (SR 409).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69</span> Interstate Highway from Texas to Michigan

Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at 355.8 miles (572.6 km). The remaining separated segments are variously completed and posted or not posted sections of an extension southwest to the Mexican border in Texas. Of this extension—nicknamed the NAFTA Superhighway because it would help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—five pieces near Corpus Christi, Texas; Houston, Texas; northwestern Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; and Evansville, Indiana, have been built or upgraded and signposted as I-69. A sixth segment of I-69 through Kentucky utilizing that state's existing parkway system and a section of I-24 was established by federal legislation in 2008. This brings the total length to about 720 miles (1,160 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgia Department of Transportation</span> Government agency in Georgia, United States

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is the organization in charge of developing and maintaining all state and federal roadways in the U.S. state of Georgia. In addition to highways, the department also has a limited role in developing public transportation and general aviation programs. GDOT is headquartered in downtown Atlanta and is part of the executive branch of state government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 840 (Tennessee)</span> Highway in Tennessee

Interstate 840 (I-840), formerly State Route 840 (SR 840), is a freeway that serves as an outer bypass route around Nashville, Tennessee. Built by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), it is also designated as Tennessee National Guard Parkway. At 77.28 miles (124.37 km) long, it is the tenth-longest auxiliary Interstate Highway in the nation. The route serves the cities of Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Dickson, all suburbs of Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 640</span> Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

Interstate 640 (I-640) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves as a bypass for I-40 around Downtown Knoxville and is also an alternative route for traffic passing between I-40 and I-75. All trucks carrying hazardous cargo through Knoxville are required to use I-640. It has a total length of 10.80 miles (17.38 km) and runs approximately three miles (4.8 km) north of downtown through the northern neighborhoods of Knoxville.

The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) is a constitutional government principal department of the US state of Michigan. The primary purpose of MDOT is to maintain the Michigan State Trunkline Highway System which includes all Interstate, US and state highways in Michigan with the exception of the Mackinac Bridge. Other responsibilities that fall under MDOT's mandate include airports, shipping and rail in Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 440 (Tennessee)</span> Highway in Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Interstate 440 (I-440) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs through Nashville, Tennessee. It serves as a southern bypass around downtown Nashville, and is located on average about three miles (4.8 km) from the center of the city. I-440 is also known locally as the Four-Forty Parkway, and is designated as the Debra K. Johnson Memorial Parkway. At a length of 7.64 miles (12.30 km), I-440 runs between I-40 and I-24, and connects to I-65 and multiple U.S. Routes. Combined, I-440 and Briley Parkway, a controlled-access segment of State Route 155 (SR 155), form a noncontiguous inner beltway around downtown Nashville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pellissippi Parkway</span> Highway in Tennessee, United States

The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends 19.75 miles (31.78 km) from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ridge and Maryville from Interstates 40 and 75 in the western part of Knoxville, and also serves a major corridor that includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Y-12 National Security Complex, and a number of science and technology firms. The central portion of the Pellissippi Parkway is included in the Interstate Highway System and is designated Interstate 140 (I-140), while the remainder is designated as State Route 162. The entire highway is part of the National Highway System, a national network of roads identified as important to the national economy, defense, and mobility. It takes its name from an older name for the Clinch River of Native American origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Route 25E</span> Highway in Tennessee and Kentucky, United States

U.S. Route 25E (US 25E) is the eastern branch of US 25 from Newport, Tennessee, where US 25 splits into US 25E and US 25W, to North Corbin, Kentucky, where the two highways rejoin. The highway, however, continues as US 25E for roughly two miles (3.2 km) until it joins Interstate 75 (I-75) in the Laurel County community of North Corbin at exit 29. The highway serves the Appalachia regions of Kentucky's Cumberland Plateau and the Ridge-and-Valley section of East Tennessee, including the urbanized areas of Corbin and Middlesboro in Kentucky and Morristown in Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route 396</span> State highway in Tennessee, United States

State Route 396, commonly referred to as Saturn Parkway, is a 4.47-mile-long (7.19 km) east–west primary state route located in the city of Spring Hill in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The entire route is a controlled-access highway, and provides direct access between the General Motors Spring Hill Manufacturing plant and Interstate 65, as well as the business district of Spring Hill. It takes its name from Saturn Corporation, a subsidiary of General Motors that operated the plant from 1990 to 2007 as its sole manufacturing facility.

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a state agency in charge of state-maintained public roadways of the U.S. state of Illinois. In addition, IDOT provides funding for rail, public transit and airport projects and administers fuel tax and federal funding to local jurisdictions in the state. The Secretary of Transportation reports to the Governor of Illinois. IDOT is headquartered in unincorporated Sangamon County, located near the state capital, Springfield. In addition, the IDOT Division of Highways has offices in nine locations throughout the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development</span>

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is a state government organization in the United States, in charge of maintaining public transportation, roadways, bridges, canals, select levees, floodplain management, port facilities, commercial vehicles, and aviation which includes 69 airports, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The agency has approximately five thousand personnel on staff and an operating budget of $2.3 billion. DOTD operations are run through nine district offices across the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 81 in Tennessee</span> Section of Intersate Highway in Tennessee, United States

Interstate 81 (I-81) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 855.02 miles (1,376.02 km) northward from Dandridge, Tennessee, to the Thousand Islands Bridge at the Canadian border near Fishers Landing, New York. In Tennessee, I-81 serves the northeastern part of the state, running 75.66 miles (121.76 km) from its southern terminus with I-40 in Dandridge to the Virginia state line in Bristol. The route serves the Tri-Cities region of the state and the eastern parts of the Knoxville metropolitan area, terminating about 35 miles (56 km) east of Knoxville. I-81 bypasses most cities that it serves, instead providing access via interchanges with state and federal routes. It remains in the Ridge-and-Valley topographic region of the Appalachian Mountains for its entire length in Tennessee, and runs in a northeast to southwest direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho Transportation Department</span> State transportation department in Idaho, United States

The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) is the state of Idaho governmental organization responsible for state transportation infrastructure. This includes ongoing operations and maintenance as well as planning for future needs of the state and its citizens. The agency is responsible for overseeing the disbursement of federal, state, and grant funding for transportation programs in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 40 in Tennessee</span> Interstate Highway in Tennessee, United States

Interstate 40 (I-40) is part of the Interstate Highway System that spans 2,556.61 miles (4,114.46 km) from Barstow, California, to Wilmington, North Carolina. In Tennessee, I-40 traverses the state from west to east, from the Mississippi River at the Arkansas border to the northern base of the Great Smoky Mountains at the North Carolina border. At 455.28 miles (732.70 km), the Tennessee segment of I-40 is the longest of the eight states through which it passes, and the longest Interstate Highway in Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 65 in Tennessee</span> Interstate Highway in Tennessee, United States

Interstate 65 (I-65) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 887.30 miles (1,427.97 km) north–south from Mobile, Alabama, to Gary, Indiana. In Tennessee, I-65 traverses the middle portion of the state, running from Ardmore at the Alabama border to the Kentucky border near Portland. The route serves the state capital and largest city of Nashville, along with many of its suburbs. Outside of urban areas, the Interstate bypasses most cities and towns that it serves, instead providing access via state and U.S. Highways. The Interstate passes through the Highland Rim and Nashville Basin physiographic regions of Tennessee, and is often used as the dividing line between the eastern and western portions of the former.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 69 in Tennessee</span> Highway in Tennessee

Interstate 69 (I-69) is a proposed US Interstate Highway that will pass through the western part of the US state of Tennessee, serving the cities of Union City, Dyersburg, and Memphis. State officials have considered building parts of I-69 as a toll road. Currently, a 21-mile (34 km) section of already-existing freeway in Memphis has been approved for the I-69 designation and a section near Union City is also under construction and scheduled to be completed in Summer 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 75 in Tennessee</span> Highway in Tennessee

Interstate 75 (I-75) in the US state of Tennessee runs from Chattanooga to Jellico by way of Knoxville. I-75 enters the East Tennessee region from Georgia, following the Tennessee Valley all the way through Knoxville to near Rocky Top, then climbs into the Cumberland Mountains before crossing over into Kentucky at Jellico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tennessee State Route System</span> Highway system of Tennessee in the United States

The State Route System of Tennessee is maintained and developed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Currently the state has 14,150 miles (22,770 km) of state-maintained roadways, including 1,233 miles (1,984 km) of Interstate Highways and 13,077 miles (21,045 km) of State Highways. All of the U.S. Routes in Tennessee have a state route routed concurrently with them, though the state route is hidden and only signed along the green mile marker signs that display mileage within each county. The state route system in Tennessee was established in 1923. Since the 1983 renumbering, state routes have been divided into primary and secondary routes with separate shields used for each.

References

  1. 1 2 "Brief History of TDOT" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. "TDOT Strategic Direction". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "About TDOT". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  4. Baigert, Laura (March 7, 2017). "Senate Transportation Committee Approves 15 Percent Increase in TDOT Budget That Includes $278 Million From IMPROVE Act Funding". The Tennessee Star. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  5. "Tennessee Department of Transportation" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  6. "Organizational Chart" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  7. "Find Local Information". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  8. "Chief of Bureau of Administration". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  9. "Chief of Bureau of Environment and Planning". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  10. "Assistant Chief Engineer of Design". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  11. "Assistant Chief Engineer of Operations". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  12. "Chief of Bureau of Engineering". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  13. "Transportation System Overview". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  14. "Funding Tennessee's Transportation". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Archived from the original on 2018-01-12. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  15. "TDOT Commissioner History". Tennessee Department of Transportation. State of Tennessee. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  16. "Gov. Lee Appoints Clay Bright as Megasite Authority CEO".