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Tennessee

The Rural Context For Transportation Consultations

Tennessee is the 34th largest state in the U.S. in land area, 17th largest in population, and 19th most densely populated. However, approximately 55 percent of Tennessee's population and jobs, and 95 percent of the land, is non-urban. About 82 percent of Tennessee's roads are rural. Federally owned lands amount to only 6 percent of the land in Tennessee.

Tennessee is a slowly growing state, as measured by population, and has moderate growth in employment. The portion of the state's jobs in the uniquely rural agriculture and mining sectors is small (3 and less than one percent, respectively). Most of the state's non-urban employment is in sectors also common in urban areas: the manufacturing (31 percent), services & government (28 percent), business & trade (23 percent), and construction, transportation & utilities (14 percent).

Demographically, Tennessee's non-urban population is largely white (92 percent) and African American (7 percent). Compared to the other states, the proportion of Tennessee's non-urban adult population who did not graduate from high school is the 2nd highest, and the proportion who did graduate from college is the 6th lowest. The 16 percent of Tennessee's non-urban population who are poor is greater than most other states. About 40 percent of the state's non-urban population is in non-working age groups (27 percent 18 years or younger, and 13 percent 65 years or older).

Governmentally, Tennessee has 93 counties, the 10th largest number among the states. The state has 343 municipalities but no towns or townships. Tennessee ranks in the middle in terms of the number of sub-county governments (24th lowest). Tennessee does not have any recognized Indian tribes.

In addition, the 1997 U.S. Census of Governments has identified 24 independent, special-purpose governments in Tennessee that have transportation responsibilities. This number is lower than in many other states. These special-purpose governments include 23 for airports and one for water transport. Tennessee also has 11 other public transit providers serving rural areas and an additional 92 organizations that provide specialized transit services to elderly and disabled populations in those same areas.

There are 9 regional councils within Tennessee that cover 100 percent of the state, and 9 MPOs. These regional units help to coordinate the other local governments and play a role in rural transportation programs as described below.

Tennessee has a total of 85,144 miles of roads of which approximately 17 percent are state-controlled and less than one percent are federal. Of the total miles of non-federal rural roads 16 percent are state, 78 percent are county, none are township, and 6 percent are municipal or other.

Processes For Consultation And Cooperation With Local Officials In Non-Metropolitan Areas

Rural transportation planning is conducted primarily through the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TnDOT) Planning Division's Small Urban Area Planning Unit. TnDOT is entirely responsible for planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining interstate, state, and State Park roads. The department is also responsible for providing financial assistance and technical assistance to local governments for planning, construction, and operation of facilities under their authority, including local roads, airports, transit systems, railroads, and water ports. However, under a strategic planning process begun in 1996, TnDOT is developing a systematic multi-modal transportation planning and programming process for non-urbanized areas centered on the state's nine development districts.

TnDOT has prepared small area plans for over 30 years. Studies are conducted to define the needs and to develop project concepts and improvement costs for use in establishing the annual budget and STIP. Advanced planning is also done using forcasted traffic usage data to investigate the feasibility of future projects. Planning in rural and small urban areas is not as formally structured as in the metropolitan areas. Through the Small Urban Planning Unit, incorporated towns and cities with a population of 5,000 to 50,000 are provided technical assistance in determining local highway and street needs. Consultation and coordination with local officials and planning agencies is routine. Local elected officials may recommend projects to TnDOT for the STIP; they may also influence planning by approaching the Transportation Commission or their state legislators. The rural portions of MPOs are represented by their local elected officials, who serve on the MPO policy committee. A consultative process is maintained with various federal land management agencies, including the Forest Service. Forest Highway System projects are included in the STIP.

A non-metropolitan planning process is being developed as part of TnDOT's Strategic Plan for 1999-2000. The new planning process will be multi-modal and cover all aspects of planning. Under the prototype approach, a long-range needs assessment identifies, analyzes, and documents the existing multi-modal transportation network within each of the state's nine development districts. Several transportation committees consisting of local citizens and public officials are invited to take an active role by offering their views and comments on anticipated needs and problem areas in the district. The existing transportation system and its functional characteristics form the basis for a plan for the development district.

The draft STIP is distributed to the state's nine development districts for review and comment. The nine district plans will provide the framework for a 20-year district plan and a long-range plan for the state. As part of the TnDOT Strategic Plan, a plan for stakeholder involvement and improving planning coordination with other agencies will be formulated.

A recent state law establishes a comprehensive growth policy for Tennessee that has the objective of minimizing urban sprawl and closely matching the timing of development and the provision of public services.

Funds are distributed by TnDOT and the legislature on a project basis. A small portion of state transportation funds is distributed to counties. Funds for the STP and bridge programs are allocated at the state level. Transit funding decisions are based on an annual application process that includes public hearings.

Tennessee uses these practices:

State Processes to Compile Transportation Needs: TnDOT conducts local studies to identify needs and develop cost information; transportation commissions in different areas are requested to identify needs.
State Hearing: The draft STIP is distributed to development districts for review and comment; public review and comment are requested through the media
State Policy-Making and Advisory Bodies: State Transportation Commission.
Other Practices: TnDOT staff routinely consult with local officials and planning agencies.

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