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The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is the department of transportation for the
State of Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
, with multimodal responsibilities in
roadways A carriageway (British English) or roadway (North American English) is a width of road on which a vehicle is not restricted by any physical barriers or separation to move laterally. A carriageway generally consists of a number of traffic lane ...
,
aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' include fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air aircraft such as h ...
,
public transit Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of wh ...
,
waterway A waterway is any Navigability, navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other ways. A first distinction is ...
s, and
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
s. 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 A transport network, or transportation network, is a network or graph in geographic space, describing an infrastructure that permits and constrains movement or flow. Examples include but are not limited to road networks, railways, air routes, ...
for
people The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...
, 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. It is primarily headquartered in downtown
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
and operates four regional offices in
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
,
Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...
,
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
, and Nashville.


Major responsibilities

The major duties and responsibilities of TDOT are to: * plan, build, and maintain the state-owned highway and Interstate system of over ; * administer funding and provide technical assistance in the planning and construction of state and federal aid road programs for cities and counties; * provide incident management on Tennessee's Interstate system through TDOT SmartWay, an intelligent transportation network of cameras and dynamic message signs; * staff transportation management centers in the four largest urban cities in Tennessee; * provide motorist information; * construct and maintain 19 rest area facilities and 17 welcome centers; * administer program for control of outdoor advertising adjacent to Interstate and state highways; * issue and administer special permits for movement of overweight and over-dimensional vehicles; * prepare and distribute city, county, and state road maps, aeronautical charts, and airport directories; * promote safe driving behaviors on highways; * provide management, technical and financial assistance, and supervision to public, private, and nonprofit public transportation agencies in the state * administer funding and assistance in location, design, construction, and maintenance of the state's 80 public airports; * support improvements in Tennessee's railroads and rail service; * inspect over 19,000 bridges, 80 public airports, and all of the state's railroads; * maintain state park roads; * operate Reelfoot Airpark and ferry operations; * respond to initiatives of the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission; * provide aerial photography and mapping services to all state agencies; * provide aircraft for state executive transportation and economic development recruiting; * administer highway beautification programs; * provide grants to all Tennessee counties for litter abatement and litter prevention education; and * provide cycling trails that connect or go through state parks and natural areas.


History

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 The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
projects gave $11 million of federal money for highway projects. Diversion of federal funds and military enlistment of personnel during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
again crippled the department. Following the war, the construction of the new
Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
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.


Organization

TDOT is headed by a single commissioner who is appointed by the
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
. 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 Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, 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. The following table lists the regions, district offices, maintenance and construction offices for each region, and counties served.


Bureau of Administration

This bureau serves the administrative tasks of the department. It is further divided into the following divisions: *Division of Central Services *Division of Finance *Division of
Internal Audit Internal auditing is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve an organization's operations. It helps an organization accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach t ...
*Division of
Human Resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...
*Division of Strategic Planning *Division of Information Technology *Division of Procurement and Contracts


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: *Environmental Division *Long Range Planning Division *Freight and Logistics Division


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: *Roadway Design Division *Right of Way Division *Structures Division The Assistant Chief Engineer of Operations is responsible for overseeing the four regional offices. They also oversee the following divisions: *Traffic Operations Division *Materials and Tests Division *Construction Division *Maintenance Division Additionally there are three independent divisions that report directly to the Chief Engineer: *Bid Analysis and Estimating Office *Program Administration and Development Division *Strategic Transportation Investments Division


Transportation system

TDOT reports the following as Tennessee's transportation system:


Highway system

*Bridges: 19,500, including 8,150 state owned bridges and 11,419 locally owned bridges *Interstates: (Centerline Miles) *19 Interstate rest areas *17 Interstate and U.S. Route welcome centers *9 truck
weigh station A weigh station is a checkpoint along a highway to inspect vehicular weights and safety compliance criteria. Usually, trucks and commercial vehicles are subject to the inspection. Weigh stations are equipped with truck scales, some of which are ...
s *State highways, (Centerline Miles) *Total highways, (Lane Miles)


Airport system

*74 general aviation *5 commercial *142
heliports A heliport is a small airport which has a helipad, suitable for use by helicopters, Powered lift, powered lift, and various types of VTOL, vertical lift aircraft. Designated heliports typically contain one or more touchdown and liftoff area ...


Rail system

*18
shortline railroad A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...
s on of rail *6 major rail lines on of rail


Transit system

*28 transit systems serving all 95 counties


Waterways

* of main channel navigable waterways *2
ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...


Bicycle and pedestrian system

* of greenways, sidewalks, and trails *9
bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
trails on including a single across state trail totaling * of greenways, sidewalks, and trails


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.


Leadership history

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


References


External links


Official websiteTDOT FacebookTDOT Twitter pagesTDOT Smartway CamerasTennessee 511TDOT HELP programTDOT Civil Rights DivisionGovernor’s Highway Safety OfficeSmartCommuteStop Litter
{{authority control Department State departments of transportation of the United States Transportation in Nashville, Tennessee
Transportation Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...
1915 establishments in Tennessee Government agencies established in 1915