Tennessee Candidate Calls for Electronic Tolling Lanes on I-40
Knoxville, Tennessee, 14th January 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, Elliott Schuchardt, a candidate for the Tennessee General Assembly, is calling for electronic tolling lanes on the I-40 corridor through Knoxville.
Knoxville, Tennessee is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Since 2010, nearly 80,000 people have moved to Knox County from elsewhere in the United States. Each day, more than 200,000 cars pass through the Knoxville corridor on Interstate 40.
According to Schuchardt, traffic on I-40 has increased dramatically. “Fifteen years ago – in 2010 – it was possible to drive through Knoxville on I-40 at rush hour without slowing down,” Schuchardt says. “There were two motorcycle cops out every morning, at the Papermill exit, to ensure that no one went too fast,” he says. Today, that is no longer possible. The 17-mile stretch of I-40 from Knoxville to Loudon County, in the west, is marked by congestion on most days.
Schuchardt says the solution is to add electronic tolling lanes to the I-40 corridor. According to federal law, Tennessee can add electronic tolling lanes to I-40, provided that the state does not reduce the number of pre-existing free lanes.
Schuchardt says that several states use electronic tolling lanes – side-by-side – with free lanes, to keep traffic moving. This is common on major corridors like I-95, near Washington, D.C. Virginia, Florida, California, Maryland, and Texas use systems like E-ZPass or FasTrak for congestion relief. These systems use dynamic pricing to enable faster travel.
According to Schuchardt, “more and more, this is not going to be an option.” “Our highways pose a common pool problem,” he says. A common pool problem occurs when individuals overuse a free, shared resource (like fish in the ocean or groundwater) because it’s in each person’s interest to do so. This leads to collapse of the resource for everyone.
“If we don’t implement electronic tolling, we simply won’t be able to use our highways efficiently during peak hours,” Schuchardt says. Schuchardt says that this will slow the region’s economy, and create a public safety hazard. “Electronic tolling will ensure that traffic will move at peak times during the day,” he says.
The State of Tennessee is studying electronic tolling for the I-40 corridor in Knoxville. The Tennessee Department of Transportation has been holding hearings to solicit community opinion on the idea. TDOT is expected to release its findings on the issue later this year.
Elliott J. Schuchardt is a candidate for the Tennessee General Assembly in the August 2026 primary. Schuchardt is the author of America’s Achilles Heel: How to Protect Your Family When America Loses the Reserve Currency.
Schuchardt studied government at Cornell University. He is also a graduate of Columbia Law School. Schuchardt practiced law for nearly thirty years, before running for office. He focused his legal practice on civil liberties issues in the courts.
CONTACT:
Elliott J. Schuchardt
2322 Jockey Run Trail
Knoxville, TN 37920
Campaign site: www.elect-schuchardt.com
Twitter or X: https://x.com/EJSchuchardt
Book Website: www.elliott-author.com
Campaign Blog: www.elliottschuchardt.blogspot.com