U.S. Transportation Secretary Foxx visits Knoxville

The head of the U.S. Department of Transportation visited Knoxville on Tuesday, May 12, to highlight the need for transportation funding that is sufficient to maintain our infrastructure and allow for good planning. 

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx cited the example of Alcoa Highway, where projects to increase capacity and improve safety have been delayed because of uncertainty around federal transportation funding. He made his remarks at a reception and special meeting prior to the TPO’s Technical Committee meeting.

From left: Jeff Welch, Director of the Knoxville Regional TPO; Anthony Foxx, U.S. Transportation Secretary; Madeline Rogero, City of Knoxville Mayor

Daniel Oliver, Director of Project Development for TDOT Region 1, provided details about the projects planned for Alcoa Highway, which he called a “vital artery for the region.” The various capacity and safety projects would cost an estimated $420 million.
Foxx touted the Obama Administration’s Grow America plan, which proposes a six-year transportation bill that would boost overall spending by 45 percent, and would increase transit funding by 76 percent. 

More investment in transit is needed, Foxx said, because it meets the needs of many millennials and baby boomers, the two biggest demographics in the U.S. 

The last multi-year transportation bill passed by Congress was MAP-21, a two-year bill passed in 2012. Since then, federal transportation funding has been authorized via short-term extensions of MAP-21. 

Jeff Welch, Executive Director of the TPO, spoke about the difficulties in doing long-range transportation planning when the future of federal funding is uncertain. He emphasized the importance of transportation investments in both rural and urban places throughout our region in order to increase opportunities and improve quality of life. 

Several elected officials from around the region attending the meeting, including Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, Farragut Mayor Ralph McGill, Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse, and Knoxville City Council members Nick Pavlis, Daniel Brown, Finbarr Saunders, Brenda Palmer, Marshall Stair, Nick Della Volpe, and George Wallace. Afterward, Secretary Foxx attended Leadership Knoxville’s Mayors’ Leadership Luncheon, along with Mayors Rogero and Burchett, and Governor Bill Haslam.