In 2012, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) found itself with a capital plan that cost nine times more than anticipated revenue. Smart Growth America worked with TDOT to evaluate the agency’s project development processes and establish an audit strategy to right size planned projects to achieve desired outcomes at significantly lower cost.

The result is a series of recommendations designed to pin down areas for improvement, prioritize projects and streamline processes.

“Transportation investments are invaluable to driving economic recovery and prosperity across Tennessee,” says TDOT Commissioner John Schroer. “But as this report shows, we cannot be limited to old ways of doing business. We must enable and encourage more flexible, innovative and lower-cost solutions to state’s transportation needs. Prioritizing and designing projects to add the most value for their cost is smart, common sense policy in a time of fiscal constraint, and all Tennesseans stand to benefit from an even more effective Department of Transportation.”

Read the full report: Transportation Process Alternatives for Tennessee: Removing barriers to smarter transportation investments