The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. The mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation system for people, goods, and services that supports economic prosperity in Tennessee.
The major duties and responsibilities of TDOT are:
to plan, build, and maintain the state-owned highway and Interstate system of over 14,000 miles (23,000 km);
administer funding and provide technical assistance in the planning and construction of state and federal aid road programs for cities and counties;
provide incident management on Tennessee’s Interstate system through TDOT SmartWay, an intelligent transportation network of cameras and dynamic message signs;
staff transportation management centers in the four largest urban cities in Tennessee;
provide motorist information;
construct and maintain 19 rest area facilities and 17 welcome centers;
administer program for control of outdoor advertising adjacent to Interstate and state highways;
issue and administer special permits for movement of overweight and over-dimensional vehicles;
prepare and distribute city, county, and state road maps, aeronautical charts, and airport directories;
promote safe driving behaviors on highways;
provide management, technical and financial assistance, and supervision to public, private, and nonprofit public transportation agencies in the state
administer funding and assistance in location, design, construction, and maintenance of the state's 80 public airports;
support improvements in Tennessee’s railroads and rail service;
inspect over 19,000 bridges, 80 public airports, and all of the state's railroads;
maintain state park roads;
operate Reelfoot Airpark and ferry operations;
respond to initiatives of the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission;
provide aerial photography and mapping services to all state agencies;
provide aircraft for state executive transportation and economic development recruiting;
administer highway beautification programs;
provide grants to all Tennessee counties for litter abatement and litter prevention education; and
provide cycling trails that connect or go through state parks and natural areas.
TDOT is headed by a single commissioner who is appointed by the governor. The department is organized into four regions of the state: Knoxville (Region 1), Chattanooga (Region 2), Nashville (Region 3), and Jackson (Region 4). Each region is subdivided into three districts and those districts are further subdivided into county facilities. TDOT has at least one facility in all of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Several administrative offices, including the commissioner and staff, operate from the TDOT headquarters in downtown Nashville, the state’s capital city. TDOT has approximately 3,900 employees.
TDOT is organized into four regions, which are divided into districts and then further subdivided into county facilities. The table below indicates the region, the districts in each region, the counties in each region and district, and the locations of the district offices.
The predecessor to TDOT was created by legislative action in 1915 when the first administrative agency for highways and the first highway commission to guide the administrative agency's activities were created. The highway commission was directed by six non-compensated commissioners which included the governor, the state geologist, and the dean of the University of Tennessee Engineering School. In 1919, transportation was organized under a three-commissioner structure which remained in place until 1923. The agency was reorganized in 1923 with the establishment of a single commissioner in Chapter 7 of the Public Acts of 1923. Under the single commissioner structure in 1923, J.G. Creveling, Jr. was appointed by Governor Austin Peay. In 1972, the agency name was changed to the Tennessee Department of Transportation to reflect other modes of transportation in addition to highways.
Highway system
Bridges: 19,500, more than most southern states, including 8,150 state owned bridges and 11,419 locally owned bridges
Interstates: 1,104 miles (1,777 km)
19 Interstate rest areas
17 Interstate and U.S. Route welcome centers
9 truck weigh stations
State highways, 13,884 miles (22,344 km)
Total highways, 93,523 miles (150,511 km)
Airport system
74 general aviation
5 commercial
142 heliports
Rail system
18 short line railroads on 842 miles (1,355 km) of rail
6 major rail lines on 2,098 miles (3,376 km) of rail
Transit system
28 transit systems serving all 95 counties
Waterways
946 miles (1,522 km) of main channel navigable waterways
Bicycle and pedestrian system
231 miles (372 km) of greenways, sidewalks, and trails
9 bicycle trails on 1,500 miles (2,400 km) including a single across state trail totaling 500 miles (800 km)
4,497 miles (7,237 km) of greenways, sidewalks, and trails
Funding for the state transportation system in Tennessee comes from a fund that is separate from the state’s general fund which operates most of the other state agencies in Tennessee. Transportation revenues come from both federal transportation monies and from state funding resources. Those state funds come from a combination of dollars collected from gas and diesel tax revenues, titling and registration fees. Tennessee operates on a "pay as you go" system by using available revenues resulting in no debt service.
Six-commissioner structure, 1915–1919
Ex-officio members: Tom C. Rye, Governor; A.H. Purdue, State Geologist; Charles, E. Ferris, Dean of Engineering, University of Tennessee Appointed: Authur Crownover, Charles W. Williams, William H. Crox (succeeded by C. F. Milburn)
Three-commissioner structure, 1919–1923
W.P. Moore, W.W. House, W.T. Testerman
Single-commissioner structure, 1923–present
J.G. Creveling, Jr., January 1923 – October 21, 1925
C.N. Bass, October 21, 1925 – February 16, 1928
Harry S. Berry, February 16, 1928 – February 27, 1929
R. H. Baker, February 27, 1929 – January 17, 1933
F.W. Webster, January 17, 1933 – December 11, 1934
H.S. Walters, December 11, 1934 – September 20, 1935
Briggs Smith, September 20, 1935 – January 18, 1937
M.O. Allen, January 18, 1937 – January 11, 1939
C.W. Phillips, January 11, 1939 – January 16, 1949
E.W. Eggleston, January 16, 1949 – August 10, 1950
Charles Wayland, August 10, 1950 – September 1, 1951
C.W. Bond, September 1, 1951 – September 18, 1952
Herbert A. McKee, September 18, 1952 – January 15, 1953
W.M Leech, January 15, 1953 – November 15, 1958
Herbert M. Bates, November 15, 1958 – January 19, 1959
D.W. Moulton, January 19, 1959 – January 15, 1963
David M. Pack, January 15, 1963 – January 16, 1967
E.W. Speight, January 16, 1967 – January 16, 1971
Robert F. Smith, January 16, 1971 – January 18, 1975
Eddie L. Shaw, January 18, 1975 – January 20, 1979
William B. Sansom, January 20, 1979 – June 30, 1981
Robert E. Farris, July 1, 1981 – October 31, 1985
Dale R. Kelley, November 1, 1985 – January 17, 1987
Jimmy M. Evans, January 17, 1987 December 7, 1992
Carl Johnson, December 28, 1992 – October 21, 1994
Carl Wood (acting), October 21, 1994 – January 21, 1995
J. Bruce Saltsman, January 21, 1995 – January 18, 2003
Gerald F. Nicely, January 18, 2003 – January 15, 2011
John Schroer, January 15, 2011 – present