I-69 in TN

[GreenLanternCorps]

The Union City Bypass should be complete later this year:

https://www.wbbjtv.com/2023/02/15/update-given-on-new-interstate-69-in-west-tennessee/



(Link originally posted in I-69 Texas thread.)

[The Ghostbuster]

Now if they can just get a bypass of Troy constructed without the process taking forever.

[triplemultiplex]

Now if they can just get a bypass of Troy constructed without the process taking forever.

Coming fall, 2037!

[GreenLanternCorps]

Now if they can just get a bypass of Troy constructed without the process taking forever.

Troy bypass and the interchange rebuild in Fulton, KY/South Fulton, TN.

Kentucky is moving on the upgrades to Future I-69 just North of the State Line.

KY and TN need to get the I-69/US 45W/US 51 interchanged fixed  This is a joint project IIRC.

[ZachCrouchScott]

I live in Dyersburg. Feels like I'll be waiting another 30 years before I can finally use this as a quick route to Memphis. I mean, I am grateful for the utility of US 51, and thank God for I-155, but I-69 still definitely needs to happen. Tipton County is a clusterf***. Here's to hoping the new Ford plant ignites some more growth in that area. Will probably be the only thing that could light a fire under the ass of the legislature to finally put a priority on it.   

[civilengineeringnerd]

I live in Dyersburg. Feels like I'll be waiting another 30 years before I can finally use this as a quick route to Memphis. I mean, I am grateful for the utility of US 51, and thank God for I-155, but I-69 still definitely needs to happen. Tipton County is a clusterf***. Here's to hoping the new Ford plant ignites some more growth in that area. Will probably be the only thing that could light a fire under the ass of the legislature to finally put a priority on it.

don't count on it, before tennessee can do anything rn, gas taxes have to be raised considerably by at least 30-50 cents and have a electric tax for charging EVs of the same as gas taxes.
theres still a backlog that TDOT is going through, and honestly it should be worth noting that it won't happen because state lawmakers have yet to be honest with the public and grew a backbone regarding gas taxes and adding to the gas tax law, the charging of EVs. if you charge a EV, you should be taxed the same tax rate as gas taxes. from what i can tell, we haven't got proper lawmakers still.

[The Ghostbuster]

I believe the days of the gas tax are numbered. The federal gas tax hasn't been raised in 30 years, and the diminishing revenues that gas taxes provide are increasingly diverted to non-road uses. It is time for new types of user fees to fund transportation projects in the United States.

[civilengineeringnerd]

I believe the days of the gas tax are numbered. The federal gas tax hasn't been raised in 30 years, and the diminishing revenues that gas taxes provide are increasingly diverted to non-road uses. It is time for new types of user fees to fund transportation projects in the United States.

personally i think you are right. a travel tax might be better, that allows for all fuels, not just gasoline powered vehicles.

[abqtraveler]

I believe the days of the gas tax are numbered. The federal gas tax hasn't been raised in 30 years, and the diminishing revenues that gas taxes provide are increasingly diverted to non-road uses. It is time for new types of user fees to fund transportation projects in the United States.

personally i think you are right. a travel tax might be better, that allows for all fuels, not just gasoline powered vehicles.

The problem with a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax is how to accurately account miles traveled in one state versus another in calculating the tax to be paid to each state. Requiring a GPS tracker in people's vehicles for the purpose of determining an owner's VMT liability introduces serious privacy concerns, and would likely be unconstitutional.

Alternatively, the VMT could be based on the vehicle's odometer reading at the time of registration, regardless of where the vehicle was driven, and the VMT would only be paid to the state in which the vehicle is registered. That would eliminate privacy concerns, but smaller states (in land area) would likely scream bloody murder over that proposal, as they would likely lose out on a lot of potential revenue for out-of-state vehicles driving through their states.

If a VMT is not pursued, then we need to figure out a way to apply a "charging tax" to electric vehicles. Just like a fuel tax for ICE vehicles, a charging tax would be applied for the amount of electricity an EV consumes for charging at a commercial charging station.

[seicer]

An odometer tax is problematic for anyone that's done any sort of modifications to a vehicle (within legal limits). I'm considering putting new tires on the car but jumping from a 225 to a 235 or 245 size may throw off my speed by 3 MPH. That adds up.

[hbelkins]

If a VMT is not pursued, then we need to figure out a way to apply a "charging tax" to electric vehicles. Just like a fuel tax for ICE vehicles, a charging tax would be applied for the amount of electricity an EV consumes for charging at a commercial charging station.

But how would you tax those who charge at home? Someone who buys an EV and only drives it locally would have no need for fueling up at a charging station.

[abqtraveler]

If a VMT is not pursued, then we need to figure out a way to apply a "charging tax" to electric vehicles. Just like a fuel tax for ICE vehicles, a charging tax would be applied for the amount of electricity an EV consumes for charging at a commercial charging station.

But how would you tax those who charge at home? Someone who buys an EV and only drives it locally would have no need for fueling up at a charging station.

Perhaps an additional levy to your property taxes if you have an EV charger. For rental properties, that bill would go to the landlord, and the landlord can decide whether to pass that along to the tenant.

[seicer]

That gets into a lot of privacy concerns. Would you allow an inspector on your property to see if you are plugging into your 120V at night to top off your battery? What about a Level 2 charger?

There really isn't a good answer. A flat tax for usage on EV owners has so far been the easiest solution that doesn't present privacy concerns, but even that comes with drawbacks. Vehicles would need to be taxed based on their weight if they are EVs. A battery-efficient EV, such as a Nissan ARIYA, shouldn't be levied as much of a tax as a Hummer which is obscenely large and heavy.

[vdeane]

The simple answer: tax the electricity.  Yeah, you'd hit non-charging usage too, but our grid needs to be modernized, so I have no problem parceling out the money between the highway fund and a hypothetical grid modernization fund.

[abqtraveler]

That gets into a lot of privacy concerns. Would you allow an inspector on your property to see if you are plugging into your 120V at night to top off your battery? What about a Level 2 charger?

There really isn't a good answer. A flat tax for usage on EV owners has so far been the easiest solution that doesn't present privacy concerns, but even that comes with drawbacks. Vehicles would need to be taxed based on their weight if they are EVs. A battery-efficient EV, such as a Nissan ARIYA, shouldn't be levied as much of a tax as a Hummer which is obscenely large and heavy.

Not necessarily. The taxing authorities would know you have an EV charger since in most jurisdictions, you would have to pull an electrical permit to have one installed, and then get it inspected before it can be used to make sure everything was done up to code. After the installation is completed and the EV charger passes its final inspection, the building inspector sends that information to the tax assessor, who would then add the "charger tax" to your property tax bill.  To address the privacy concerns, I would envision such a tax being imposed at a flat rate for simply having the charger, rather than trying to tax on a per kilowatt-hour basis.

[civilengineeringnerd]

I believe the days of the gas tax are numbered. The federal gas tax hasn't been raised in 30 years, and the diminishing revenues that gas taxes provide are increasingly diverted to non-road uses. It is time for new types of user fees to fund transportation projects in the United States.

personally i think you are right. a travel tax might be better, that allows for all fuels, not just gasoline powered vehicles.

The problem with a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) tax is how to accurately account miles traveled in one state versus another in calculating the tax to be paid to each state. Requiring a GPS tracker in people's vehicles for the purpose of determining an owner's VMT liability introduces serious privacy concerns, and would likely be unconstitutional.

Alternatively, the VMT could be based on the vehicle's odometer reading at the time of registration, regardless of where the vehicle was driven, and the VMT would only be paid to the state in which the vehicle is registered. That would eliminate privacy concerns, but smaller states (in land area) would likely scream bloody murder over that proposal, as they would likely lose out on a lot of potential revenue for out-of-state vehicles driving through their states.

If a VMT is not pursued, then we need to figure out a way to apply a "charging tax" to electric vehicles. Just like a fuel tax for ICE vehicles, a charging tax would be applied for the amount of electricity an EV consumes for charging at a commercial charging station.

unless your car gets connected to a government database that scans the odometer on the car for miles traveled, i don't think a VMT tax is something that you can do.
personally a travel tax that is similar to gas tax but relies on all fuels, not just gasoline or diesel, to be taxed and convenience store items and lodging can be taxed under it as well.
its why i call it a "travel tax".
as for charging your tesla at home, i don't think that should be taxed, that should just be on your electric bill, just charging stations outside of the home, like at tesla superchargers or at those walmart charging stations.

[civilengineeringnerd]

That gets into a lot of privacy concerns. Would you allow an inspector on your property to see if you are plugging into your 120V at night to top off your battery? What about a Level 2 charger?

There really isn't a good answer. A flat tax for usage on EV owners has so far been the easiest solution that doesn't present privacy concerns, but even that comes with drawbacks. Vehicles would need to be taxed based on their weight if they are EVs. A battery-efficient EV, such as a Nissan ARIYA, shouldn't be levied as much of a tax as a Hummer which is obscenely large and heavy.

Not necessarily. The taxing authorities would know you have an EV charger since in most jurisdictions, you would have to pull an electrical permit to have one installed, and then get it inspected before it can be used to make sure everything was done up to code. After the installation is completed and the EV charger passes its final inspection, the building inspector sends that information to the tax assessor, who would then add the "charger tax" to your property tax bill.  To address the privacy concerns, I would envision such a tax being imposed at a flat rate for simply having the charger, rather than trying to tax on a per kilowatt-hour basis.

most homes in tennessee are not built to modern code, and haven't had a proper update in decades.
a lot of newer built homes like ones recently built in the last 20 years could in theory have a EV charger without must cost and instant approval by local code enforcement, the problem is charging a EV at home is just gonna rare in tennessee, since, again most homes are old and most of the growth is going to nashville and surrounding areas. even apartment buildings in west or east tennessee are rare to find thats recently renovated and even then, the landlord themselves probably ain't thinking bout getting a charger installed. the only ones that would think like that, are already thinking green and are investing money more in getting their own homes off the grid instead of the ones that they lease out.
so even if you could get any tax revenue from at home charging, you are much better off taxing only the commercially owned charging stations thats in the state already.

[civilengineeringnerd]

The simple answer: tax the electricity.  Yeah, you'd hit non-charging usage too, but our grid needs to be modernized, so I have no problem parceling out the money between the highway fund and a hypothetical grid modernization fund.

well thats a great way to get people to go off grid faster here in the south.

[vdeane]

How are people getting their homes off the grid?  I don't think people are doing that around here.  Even people with solar on their roof still have electric bills (and usually the solar panels benefit the utility company more than the homeowner).

Seems weird that they'd be more opposed to a buried electricity tax that you'd need to dissect your bill to notice over a VMT tax that would require them to file paperwork and write checks just like income tax.  Then again, as I understand it, car registration costs in the South tend to be MUCH higher than they are in NY (I pay ~$55 every other year), so maybe they're used to paying significant costs to drive that are unrelated to gas or maintenance.

[Rick Powell]

well thats a great way to get people to go off grid faster here in the south.

Getting completely off the grid takes a substantial amount of money these days, requiring a lot of battery storage and more solar panels than a grid tied system to ensure that all the electricity you need to run your house can be collected and stored. A grid tied system is less money but is monitored by the power company.

[The Ghostbuster]

Even though the Interstate 69 Union City Bypass has not yet been completed, two businesses named Interstate 69 Marine and Interstate 69 Motorsports have set up shop on TN 22: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.4287797,-89.0745161,1006m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu.

[abqtraveler]

Even though the Interstate 69 Union City Bypass has not yet been completed, two businesses named Interstate 69 Marine and Interstate 69 Motorsports have set up shop on TN 22: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.4287797,-89.0745161,1006m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu.

News articles from earlier this year indicate the Union City Bypass will open some time this year, but I haven't seen any updates recently. Anyone have insider info on when the bypass around Union City might open up, or when work on the Troy Bypass will start?

[TNObion]

Even though the Interstate 69 Union City Bypass has not yet been completed, two businesses named Interstate 69 Marine and Interstate 69 Motorsports have set up shop on TN 22: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.4287797,-89.0745161,1006m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu.

News articles from earlier this year indicate the Union City Bypass will open some time this year, but I haven't seen any updates recently. Anyone have insider info on when the bypass around Union City might open up, or when work on the Troy Bypass will start?

Here's a press release from a few days ago-

   https://www.thunderboltradio.com/obion-county-update-on-highway-51-and-i-69-road-work/

[roadman65]

This project is in a close race with Texas' Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge as far as time goes to be under construction.

[civilengineeringnerd]

Even though the Interstate 69 Union City Bypass has not yet been completed, two businesses named Interstate 69 Marine and Interstate 69 Motorsports have set up shop on TN 22: https://www.google.com/maps/@36.4287797,-89.0745161,1006m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu.

News articles from earlier this year indicate the Union City Bypass will open some time this year, but I haven't seen any updates recently. Anyone have insider info on when the bypass around Union City might open up, or when work on the Troy Bypass will start?

Here's a press release from a few days ago-

   https://www.thunderboltradio.com/obion-county-update-on-highway-51-and-i-69-road-work/

glad that bypass is finally getting finished.