A bill allowing more studies of toll roads and bridges will be up for a vote next week in the the Senate Transportation Committee, state legislators said today.

State legislators were prepared to vote on the bill today, but sponsor Tommy Kilby, D-Wartburg, asked for more time to discuss the project with other state senators.

A similar bill passed last week in the House Transportation Committee. Sen. Kilby said during the committee meeting the Senate version could die from lack of support.

“I’ve been around long enough to know there’s a cold wind blowing,” he said.

A bill passed last year by the Tennessee General Assembly allows the Tennessee Department of Transportation to study two pilot projects — a bridge and a road. The new bill would drop the limitation and allow an unrestricted number of projects.

Projects being considered for study are all bridges. One would cross the Tennessee River between Soddy-Daisy and Harrison, one is near Hendersonville, Tenn., and one connects Memphis and Arkansas across the Mississippi River.

Committee Chairman Jim Tracy, R-Shelbyville, said this week the bill has opposition because TDOT has yet to recommend the two pilot projects and legislators feel it could be too soon to open the bill for more requests.

“I think it’s going to have a hard time getting through,” Sen. Tracy said this week.

For full coverage, see tomorrow’s Chattanooga Times Free Press.

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