Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer is part of the dedicated team working to make Tennessee’s transportation system more efficient and a better value for Tennessee taxpayers. As part of our new analysis, Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments, released in partnership with the Tennessee DOT, Commissioner Schroer writes an open letter to Tennesseans on how and why the department is working to improve its services. From the report:
Dear Fellow Tennesseans:
It is critical that our state continues to provide better services and infrastructure to our citizens and businesses, and more importantly in a financially responsible manner. I also recognize that the services provided by our transportation system are absolutely critical to sustaining and growing our state’s economy. It is therefore essential that all of us plan, build and operate our transportation system in a manner that balances the needs of rural and urban areas, businesses and communities, and preserves our way of life.
While we are all concerned about maintaining the current infrastructure at an acceptable level, we must also wisely use our limited funding sources to provide a transportation system that is efficient, dependable and safe for all users of the system. TDOT is focused on a planning a statewide, multimodal transportation system that enables both rural and urban communities to grow and prosper taking into account business needs, access to jobs, access to freight ports and airports, needs of transit riders, bicyclists, pedestrians, tourism and quality of life.
This report, Transportation Process Alternatives for Tennessee – Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments, will serve as a guide for our department’s programs and activities as we continue to evaluate our transportation needs and priorities with the goals of better stimulating our economy, protecting our environment, and building our communities.
Many groups were involved in this planning effort – from a broad cross-section of statewide and regional community representatives, local and state officials, transportation constituency groups and many other transportation interest groups. The commitment from these groups and their representatives exceeded our expectations and their input has provided critical insight into the transportation issues and needs of our state. To all those who participated in this process, I thank you for your dedication and service to our department and the State of Tennessee.
Sincerely,
John C. Schroer
Commissioner
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Download the analysis: “Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments” (PDF)