Tennessee needs at least $82.7 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements

Tennessee needs at least $82.7 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements during the five-year period of July 2024 to June 2029—a $5 billion (6.5%) increase from the year before—according to a new report by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR).  Transportation and Utilities infrastructure needs increased by $3.7 billion—74% of the overall increase in the total estimated cost of the inventory.  Five billion, six hundred and four million dollars is needed for new projects and $3.6 billion of cost increases in existing projects.  The increase was largely offset by $629 million in completed projects, $1.4 billion in cost decreases, and $1.6 billion in canceled projects.

The $978 million increase in needed improvements for Education also contributed to the overall increase in the total estimated cost of the inventory.  The increase was primarily driven by a $1.7 billion increase in post-secondary education—some of the largest projects include construction at the Tennessee Technology Center at Memphis ($89 million), Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology ($87 million), and Columbia State Community College – Williamson County Campus ($85 million).

Recreation and Culture infrastructure needs increased by $231 million (6.8%) to a total of $4 billion.  Within the Recreation and Culture category, recreation needs increased by $211 million because of new projects totaling $119 million and cost increases totaling $122 million. Two examples of large new recreation projects are construction of an athletic complex in Clarksville ($50 million) and a Recreation and Aquatics Center in Mount Juliet ($30 million).  Of the other types of infrastructure within the category, libraries, museums, and historic sites needs increased by $17 million mostly because of a $8 million increase in the cost of renovating historic Cobblestone Landing in Memphis and a new $8 million project to replace the HVAC at Sycamore Shows State Historical Park in Elizabethton.  Needs for community development increased by $3 million.

Needs also increased for Health, Safety and Welfare ($141 million), but decreased for General Government ($37 million), and Economic Development ($6 million).

The percentage of funded infrastructure needs reported at the time the inventory was conducted increased by 0.9% from 2023 to 2024.  Funding is often not identified until a project reaches the construction stage.  This year’s inventory shows $20.9 billion in funding that has been identified for the $58.9 billion in needs for which funding information is available.  Improvements needed at existing schools and those drawn from capital budget requests submitted by state agencies do not include funding information.

Total estimated costs for current infrastructure needs fall into six general categories:

• Transportation and Utilities:  $42.8 billion
• Education:  $19.8 billion
• Health, Safety, and Welfare:  $12.7 billion
• Recreation and Culture:  $3.6 billion
• General Government:  $3.6 billion
• Economic Development:  $199 million

The report includes one-page summaries for each county, which list the estimated cost for all types of needed infrastructure in each county by stage of development, highlight the top three types of infrastructure improvements needed in each county based on the total estimated cost, and provide comparisons of the infrastructure needed at public school systems to student enrollment.

The full report is available on TACIR’s website at https://www.tn.gov/tacir/infrastructure/infrastructure-reports-/building-tennessee-s-tomorrow-2024-2029.html.

For more information, contact Tyler Carpenter, Research Manager, at Tyler.Carpenter@tn.gov or 615.253.4095.

TACIR Mission

TACIR’s mission is to serve as a forum for the discussion and resolution of intergovernmental problems, provide high-quality research support to state and local government officials in order to improve the overall quality of government in Tennessee, and to improve the effectiveness of the intergovernmental system to better serve the citizens of Tennessee.