Tennessee roads need extreme updates

Tennessee has the seventh-highest traffic fatality rate in the country, with 2.59 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel on non-interstate, rural roads in 2022, almost twice as high as the state’s other highways. In 2022, there were 459 fatalities on rural, non-interstate roads in Tennessee. Roads in rural areas are more likely to have steep slopes, narrow lanes, few shoulders, abrupt curves, exposed hazards, pavement drop-offs, and few clear zones beside the road. Six percent of rural roads in Tennessee are classified as being in mediocre condition, and two percent are in poor condition. Five percent of rural bridges in Tennessee are classified as being in poor or structurally inadequate condition. Bridges with a low or structurally inadequate rating exhibit substantial damage to their main structural elements and are frequently restricted to traffic or marked for reduced weight, restricting or rerouting heavy vehicles, such as emergency services vehicles, commercial trucks, school buses, and agricultural equipment. The US confronts a $198 billion financing backlog for necessary repairs and enhancements to its rural transportation facilities even though the system needs to be modernized and maintained to sustain economic growth and increase traffic safety.