New report finds Tennessee with $61.9 billion in infrastructure needs, Hamilton County with $3.44 billion

Jan. 25—NASHVILLE — A just-released inventory of Tennessee's public infrastructure needs reveals $61.94 billion in demands, with over half the money required for transportation, followed by higher education, K-12 school renovations, water and wastewater projects and new public schools and additions.

Generated by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the report is based on information provided by the state and Tennessee's 95 counties. The newly released inventory includes projects that need to be in some stage of development during the five-year period from July 2020 through June 2025.

Tennessee's statewide estimated needs for transportation projects totaled $34.12 billion, including costs associated with phases of conceptualization, planning, design and construction. Higher education came in at No. 2, totaling $6.59 billion. Coming in at No. 3 were K-12 school renovations, with $5.28 billion in needs.

Water and wastewater infrastructure was fourth at $4.93 billion in stated needs, while new public schools and additions came in fifth at $3.2 billion.

The report shows Hamilton County with $3.44 billion in total estimated infrastructure needs.

Topping the county's infrastructure list was $2.254 billion for roads, bridges and other transportation needs that are in the conceptual, planning, design or construction phase.

That was followed by higher education with $2.17 billion over the five-year period. Water and wastewater projects accounted for another $252.85 million. Both Hamilton County Mayor Jim Coppinger and Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly are having to commit huge amounts of money to address decades-old sewer and wastewater problems.

Hamilton County public health facilities came in at No. 4 with $165.32 million in funding for undefined "conceptual" needs. County public school renovations came in at fifth place with a projected $59.36 million in needs. In yet another public school category that ranked seventh, new public schools and additions in a system with a total of 91 portable classrooms in use, lists $29.8 million in needs.

Bradley County's needs were pegged at $386.89 million, with the largest category, again, being $256.31 million for transportation projects in the conceptual, planning and design or construction phases.

Bradley's No. 2 need was $47.72 million for public health facilities, while higher education came in third at $31 million for conceptual and planning, design and construction needs. Ranking No. 4 were school renovations at $21.42 million. New public schools and additions ranked fifth at $11.5 million.

TACIR Executive Director Dr. Cliff Lippard told Senate Finance Committee members Tuesday that lawmakers in 1996 charged TACIR with developing and maintaining an inventory for public infrastructure needs. The purpose, Lippard said, is so state, municipal and county governments can develop goals, strategies and programs to improve its citizens' quality of life, support livable communities while enhancing and encouraging overall economic development across the state.

This year's annual report on infrastructure needs for the five-year period represents a $3.4 billion increase over its previous study.

During the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations' presentation before the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, Chairman Bo Watson, R-Hixson, noted that some of what the inventory includes "are needs, some of them are wishes, wants, so how do we take this tool and apply it to projects?"

Watson noted that the state Fiscal Stimulus Accountability Group, which is comprised of the governor, himself and other state officials, has focused in particular on water and wastewater projects. He noted those rank fourth on the list, with some $4 billion in conceptual costs.

"Are we doing any cross-referencing between the projects that locals are actually doing versus the projects that they have said they wanted to do that are recorded in the inventory?"

Tyler Carpenter, a research manager for the commission, noted that there were about $4 billion in needs for water and wastewater. The dollar figure coming from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation on grants it plans to issue is "about a quarter of that," Carpenter said, adding, "they have laid out requirements for grants, but I don't believe they've begun awarding those grants. We won't be able to compare until that process begins.

"Anything that is done, any grants that are awarded and projects begun should be captured in the inventory in the coming years," Carpenter said.

He said Tennessee's nine development districts, which have on-staff professionals in areas including planning and economic development, worked with local governments in compiling the lists.

Sen. Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, who serves on the Finance Committee, said in looking at Hamilton County's estimates, he noted that Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga are both under U.S. Environmental Protection Agency orders involving sewer and wastewater costs of about $400 million.

"I look at the numbers that you have, that's not a wish list, that is an absolute dictate that the federal government told them they got to do. Where's the $400 million. I don't see it on here?

Carpenter said if it's not included in the total category in the report, "it's probably planned out beyond the five-year window" of the new report. While data is collected for 20 years out, the legislature's directive in generating the report is to cover five-year spans.

This is a developing story. Stay with the Times Free Press for updates.

Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com or 615-255-0550. Follow him on Twitter @AndySher1.