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Photo courtesy of Flickr user jimmywayne.

On August 21, Smart Growth America and the Tennessee Department of Transportation released Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments, a detailed policy analysis of Tennessee’s transportation infrastructure and projects.

Tennessee’s leaders are already looking to the document for guidance. “We now have a road map to a better transportation program that will promote job growth, stronger communities and a cleaner environment while using tax dollars more wisely,” Trip Pollard and Anne Davis, both of the Southern Environmental Law Center, wrote in an op-ed in The Tennesseean.

The report provides specific, personalized recommendations that will allow the state of Tennessee to make every dollar invested in transportation and infrastructure count, eliminating wasteful spending and streamlining projects to improve performance and get projects done in less time for less money.

Pollard and Davis sum up the excitement about this report and what it would mean for the future of Tennessee:

“The efforts of Commissioner Schroer and others offer an exciting new direction, and it will be a significant step forward if these recommendations are fully implemented. Tennessee would become a national leader in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its transportation system. More importantly, we all would benefit.”

The report was produced as part of Smart Growth America’s technical assistance program. If your town is interested in working with Smart Growth America or just wants to learn more about our technical assistance, contact us.

Download the analysis: Removing Barriers to Smarter Transportation Investments (PDF).