Politics
Georgia lawmaker raises concerns over federal loan for Tennessee toll lane project
PN Team • 1 month ago
U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller (R-Ga.) has sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy questioning Tennessee's plans to use a Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loan to fund its Choice Lanes toll project on I-24 between Nashville and Rutherford County. Fuller warns that Tennessee could seek to borrow more than $10 billion, an amount he says could "crowd out" other transportation projects nationwide competing for federal financing. The TIFIA program has approved $52 billion in assistance since 1998, with the current record loan near $4 billion for Georgia's State Route 400 project.
Tennessee selected a consortium called DriveTN for the project after it outbid competitors by a wide margin, promising $24.8 billion in payments to the state versus a next-best offer of $7.4 billion, with roughly $9.2 billion in estimated construction costs. TDOT says the contract isn't finalized and declined to share loan figures, though Commissioner Will Reid has acknowledged talks with federal officials over what could become a record-setting TIFIA loan.
Sources:
Sentiment
- Tennessee Tennessee's borrowing plans and lack of transparency on loan figures are portrayed with some scrutiny and concern.
- Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is referenced factually as the location of a comparable TIFIA-funded highway project.
- Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is mentioned only as a geographic endpoint of the toll lane project.
- Sean Duffy Duffy is mentioned only as the recipient of the letter, with no portrayal of his actions.