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Thanks to recent congressional appropriations, funding for Tennessee Department of Transportation road projects isn't looking as bad as it did a month ago. It's still not good, but it's not as bad as it could have been.

In 2006, $80 million in federal funds appropriated to TDOT were rescinded. For 2007, a shortfall of about $160 million was expected. The effect of the congressional action to keep funding levels at the 2006 level hasn't been determined yet, said TDOT spokeswoman Julie Oaks, but it looks like project delays aren't going to be as severe as had been projected.

"At this point, it's just really too early for us to tell exactly where the (project) cuts are going to be and what they're going to be for," she said. "But we are optimistic that it's not going to be — and we don't think it's going to be — as (serious) as we had originally thought."

Looking at a $140 million shortfall was a real issue, Oaks said.

"And it looks like that's not going to happen," she said. "So that's definitely a positive. We just don't have an overall picture yet."

Even if funding levels for the upcoming budget stay steady, TDOT projects a $40 million increase in inflationary cost increases. So, even retaining the current level of funds means a step backward for road projects in Tennessee. Federal funding accounts for about 50 percent of TDOT's budget.

There are $4.5 billion in TDOT projects currently in the works. To put that in tangible terms, the cost to construct a mile of interstate is about $10 million. So the current number of projects on the books is equivalent to about 450 miles of interstate — enough to build a road from Nashville to Pensacola, Fla., with seven miles of interstate left over.

Delay criteria

TDOT is currently looking at developing a set of criteria to determine which road projects go forward and which ones will have to wait. In a February release, TDOT Commissioner Gerald Nicely said funding federal issues would definitely mean numerous projects would have to be delayed, and the lack of money means the state "cannot prudently add new projects into the pipeline."

According to Oaks, Nicely's mandate on new projects would hold steady even considering recent actions in congress.

For the projects that are currently moving forward, timing and safety issues will have a lot of clout in determining which ones go first. For example, if a project was already experiencing delays, it would likely be one to be moved back in the line.

"You might look at that project and say, 'Well, this is going to be held up because of right-of-way (issues) anyway, so maybe we should bump another project up in the pipeline that's ready to be funded,'" Oaks said.

Projects with real safety concerns would get priority.

"That's a huge priority," she said. "Anytime we have a safety issue about a roadway, then certainly that makes us look at it a little more closely.

What about Blount?

There are currently two major projects in Blount County that will be funded by state highway money — an extension for Pellissippi Parkway (Interstate 140) which would tie Old Knoxville Highway (Tenn. 33) to East Lamar Alexander Parkway (U.S. 321) and a bypass for Alcoa Highway from Hunt Road to Singleton Station Road.

Both projects are currently being studied for the environmental impact their construction would have on the area. They are guaranteed state funding through the environmental impact stage, but beyond that Oaks didn't know where they would stand.

"I think beyond that, we'll be looking at those projects as we're developing our criteria," she added. "They'll certainly be part of the consideration and where they are in the environmental process will play a factor.

"Until we really get the criteria in place, it's really hard to say which projects are going to be impacted."