State Rep. David Hawk officially announced on Wednesday a funding plan to help address the state’s transportation and infrastructure needs. He was joined by Rep. Glen Casada and other House leaders.
Currently, the Tennessee Department of Transportation faces a reported $10.5 billion backlog of road and bridge projects across the state that have been approved, but that do not currently have funding.
Under the Hawk plan, a quarter of 1% of the state general sales tax would be solely dedicated to the state transportation fund, creating a reliable and sustainable funding source that does not raise taxes on Tennesseans. In total, the plan would transfer $291 million per year to the Tennessee Department of Transportation and local governments to be used on road construction projects and infrastructure.
“I believe this plan will create a dedicated, recurring fund that prioritizes both the taxpayer dollar and our long-term infrastructure needs,” said Rep. Hawk. “I look forward to working with the Governor’s administration on this and other ideas over the coming months.”
“We must find a permanent solution to our transportation funding problems,” said Rep. Casada. “What I like about David Hawk’s plan is that it is simple, it is predictable, and it is a conservative approach using existing dollars in the state budget.”