Project Impact
Abstract
This paper describes a government’s project and the
effects on the operating budget. It will describe the agency and the type of
government project and the implementation process. The paper will address the
advantages and disadvantages of the project on the agency’s operating budget.
The authors will summarize findings and make recommendations about the effects
of capital projects on operating budgets.
An operating budget is the annual budget that contains
estimates of the total value of resources required for the operation including
reimbursable work or services for others. The operating budget itemizes income
and expenses that a business generates following start up. Operating budgets
are significant in that they enable one to assess personal finances one year at
a time. Operating budgets include sales costs, commissions, overhead,
utilities, taxes, labor costs, salaries, etc.
Overview of the Agency
TDOT is a multimodal agency with statewide accountabilities
in roads, air, public transportation, waterways, and railways. The Tennessee
Department of Transportation utilizes roughly 3400 employees with four
statewide facilities in Jackson, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. TDOT implemented
a calculated administration methodology to business development by mixing
tactical planning with operational management practices. Organizational
strategic management calls for constant procedures where assets, outcomes,
crucial issues, developments, and citizen needs are intermittently reviewed to
help gauge and establish significances (TDOT, 2019).
U.S 27 reconstruction in downtown Chattanooga is a
construction that began in 2015 with a starting budget of $126 million dollars.
This is a budget that has been projected to update a freeway and a bridge. This
is a much-needed change that will serve close to 70,000 traveling vehicles
daily. The freeway was originally built in the 1950s and 1960s that spans over
2.3 miles. This project will not only provide updates to the freeway, but it will
also widen the Olgiati Bridge that stretches across the Tennessee River. The
updates will add consist of traveling lanes and ramp lanes in each go in each
direction. By also adding collector-distributor roads, it provides access to
other roads. Overall, the roadway will run along 1.623 miles and the bridge
will be a total of 0.665 miles, for a total project length of 2.288 miles. This
project is projected to have some road blockage and lane closures for the
safety of motorist travelers (TDOT, 2019).
Government Project and
Implementation Process
The state of Tennessee began a
$2.2 million highway safety project proceeded July 26, 2019. Jennifer Flynn,
TDOT Community Relations Officer explained that the project will make State
Route 293 intersections into a J-turn. The first phase will see workers
operating in the median. Traffic will close Highway 111 to one lane and the
speed limit will drop from 65 mph to 55 mph (Cleary, 2019).
According to Overton County News
(2019), the project is for safety enhancements on SR-111 at SR-293 in Overton
County, Tennessee. The project affects Tennessee’s operating budget at a cost
of $2, 183,248.71. TDOT explains that a J-turn is an alternate to conventional
intersections on a four-lane highway. Drivers will turn right (instead of left)
in the same direction of traffic, merging into a left lane, then into the
J-turn where drivers will then be going in the desired direction. Using
J-turns, drivers experience less time than pausing for a safer and suitable
space to cross traffic. The point of J-turns is to significantly lessen and
cease crashes common when drivers must cross over hectic highways to get to
another road. Basically, J-turns reduce the need for drivers to cross over
high-speed lanes to get to opposite lanes.
The second phase will position
new drainage formations, including catch basins and storm drainage pipes
followed by forming extensive asphalt shoulders along SR-111. Traffic will
remain one lane until conclusion of the project (Overton County, 2019). The operating
budget is impacted positively and negatively with the implementation of J-turn
intersections. J-turns can replace signal lights which decreases maintenance
expenses significantly, no retaining walls or special gradings are required.
However, additional pavement width or reinforced shoulders are common in J-turn
designs, therefore, extra resources should be budgeted.
More road signage is required,
along with temporary signage, to provide illumination to foreign drivers. These
may create substantial added costs. Citizen involvement and media costs can be
a significant factor of the operating budget and should not be ignored (MDOT,
2010).
Advantages and Disadvantages of Project on the
Operating Budget
Tennessee’s
TDOT Commissioner John Schroer states that capital investments should
not be obsolete in 10 years (Buie, 2017). Increasing taxes on gas and diesel
fuel is one advantage to paying for the $10 billion accumulation needed for road
repairs initiated by then governor Bill Haslam. Another advantage is related to
safety and economic development that takes priority over factors such as long
commutes.
One
disadvantage is that Tennessee’s current transportation system is insufficient
to support the increase anticipated in Tennessee – a 10-county district will expand
by a million people by 2035 as explained by Commissioner Schroer. Another
disadvantage is that TDOT does not perceive residential growth as economic
development. Therefore, these safety projects take years to implement and years
to finish, creating havoc on taxpayers and motorists.
The Effects of Capital Projects on Operating Budgets
Capital projects have effects on operating budgets. Capital
projects affects the operating budget in numerous distinct ways. An expansion
in capital expenses can trigger an increase in the operational budget. This
occurs because resources often require maintenance. While the acquisition of
the assets comes from the capital budget, maintenance comes from the
operational budget. Capital budgets are funded from future cash flows from the
projects, and they embody the sources of financing and the purchases of the
fixed assets. Planning for capital purchases is normally done for one to three
years (Woodruff, 2019). Operational
budgets project the actions of the firm in procuring, trading and paying bills,
and usually, is done on an annual basis.
Financing highway maintenance positively affects the
economic landscape in Tennessee and other states. The transport program in
Tennessee is funded by state highway user taxes and fees, as well as federal
funding. In 2017, then Governor Bill Haslam, cut the state’s portion of the
highway fund. Gas and diesel tax revenues support state highway projects but
are shared with other cities and counties across the state. These shared
revenues cannot be diverted to alternate uses but must be utilized for road and
mass transit projects (Burton, et.al., 2015).
Conclusion
It is important to conclude with vigilance. The present
condition of Tennessee thoroughfares offers an advantage; it is funded with
user taxes and fees as well as federal funding. To continue, it will be
necessary for TDOT to acknowledge citizen growth and expansion. If, however,
Tennessee does not act by raising extra money to enlarge and retain its highway
projects, this funding advantage could be lost. Additionally, degradations in
highway performance is a slow process and not immediately noticed by the eye or
driving experience. Unfortunately, by the time one observes failing road
capacity, a timely response will be gone.
References
Buie, J. (2017). TDOT chief: Road investments must
not be obsolete in 10 years. The Tennessean. Retrieved from https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2017/06/30/tennessee-gas-tax-increase-roads-construction-nashville-memphis-highways/405616001/
Burton, M.L.,
Greene, D.L., & Murray, M.N. (2015). The future of roadway funding in
Tennessee. The Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy. Retrieved
from http://bakercenter.utk.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/PolicyBrief-4-15-Gas.11.24.15.pdf
Cleary, R. (2019). TDOT begins $2.2m highway 111
safety project. Stonecom Cookeville LLC. News Talk 94.1. Retrieved from
newstalk941.com/tdot-begins-2-2m-highway-111-safety-project/
MDOT. (2010).
Synthesis of J-turn design standards and criteria. Mississippi Department
of Transportation. Retrieved from http://sp.mdot.ms.gov/Roadway%20Design/documents/FINAL%20Synthesis%20of%20J-Turn.pdf
Overton County News. (2019).
State installing J-turn on highway 111. Retrieved from https://www.overtoncountynews.com/news/state-installing-j-turn-on-hwy/article_aa617daa-b30a-11e9-8cff-b78b2ed31fa8.html
TDOT. (2019).
Transportation projects. Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Retrieved from https://www.tn.gov/tdot/projects/region-2/us-27-reconstruction-in-downtown-chattanooga.html
Woodruff, J. (2019
). Differences and similarities of capital and operational budgeting. Retrieved
from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/differences-similarities-capital-operational-budgeting-33149.html
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