MARCH 2011PART III

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION

IN TENNESSEE

Tennessee Advisory Commissionon Intergovernmental Relations

T A C I R

Senator Mark Norris, ChairmanHarry A. Green, Executive Director

226 Capitol Boulevard, Suite 508Nashville, TN 37243

Phone: 615.741.3012Fax: 615.532.2443

E-Mail: tacir@tn.gov

www.tn.gov/tacir

ARE WE THERE YET?TRAVEL TIMES IN TENNESSEE

by Reem Abdelrazek, M.P.A.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

This staff brief is part of a transportation and land use series by TACIR. Moving Forward: Public Transportation in Tennessee (2010) and Land Use and Planning in Tennessee (2010) address public transportation history, land use, planning, and emerging issues in the state (both publications available on the TACIR website). A forthcoming report will focus specifi cally on land use and transportation planning, particularly how land use infl uences transportation patterns and vice versa. This series of reports comes from the staff-initiated projects in the fi scal year 2010 work program. The work program was approved by TACIR commission members at the June 2009 meeting.

INTRODUCTION

Traffi c jams and congestion are a major part of travel and usually cannot be avoided. Smart drivers discover new, alternative paths to get to the same point with less traffi c. However, the majority of drivers in Tennessee use the most obvious routes: major roads and highways. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) SmartWay program offers up-to-date traffi c information to help drivers avoid congested areas. It is no surprise that the top two emerging issues described by local government offi cials are unmanageable congestion and longer travel times, based on a 2009 survey.1

The purpose of this brief is to illustrate travel times to common destinations across Tennessee using simple tools drivers can readily access. TDOT and the state’s 11 Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) collect traffi c count and volume data, have maps of congested roads, and CMP (congestion management process) documents that may include travel times. However, these fi gures vary based on each MPO, so staff chose to use a popular, easily accessible tool (Google Maps) for data uniformity in this report. The intention is not to promote one method of travel over another but simply to show average travel times. In the following pages, you will fi nd maps from fi ve parts of the state and typical travel times for residents in and around the illustrated area.

The issue of travel time is integral to the quality of life for Tennesseans. Time spent behind the wheel is particularly important, given that Nashville and Memphis were ranked the worst and sixth worst (respectively) among the top 51 metropolitan

2 TACIR

areas in the nation for longest peak travel times by CEOs for Cities.2 CEOs for Cities developed an alternative method of measuring commute times, a departure from the oft-used Urban Mobility Report (UMR) by the Texas Transportation Institute. The method used by CEOs for Cities ranks cities for total peak travel time while the UMR focuses on estimated hours of congestion using the Travel Time Index.3 The UMR ranked Nashville 32nd, Memphis 43rd, and Knoxville 73rd of 101 urban areas for travel delay in 2009.4 Regardless of the method, the state’s major urban centers rank high for congestion. Furthermore, concentration trends affect commuting patterns. Certain regions of the state (typically urban cores and their suburban fringes) have higher rates of population, employment, and commuting (i.e., concentration) than their neighbors.5 These trends are becoming more concentrated in Tennessee’s regions,6 indicating that if jobs and population growth continue to increase, congestion will also increase.

QUICK FACTS

Despite the CEOs for Cities rank, Tennessee is usually ranked in the middle for road and travel statistics compared to national fi gures. According to the American Community Survey, in 2008 the average travel time to work was 24 minutes in Tennessee, the 24th highest in the nation.7 Table 1 highlights Tennessee’s rank in relation to the nation.

Generally, the most common trip purposes are pleasure, personal business, and work.8 Trip

purpose trends have shifted in the last decade with work-related trips receding in magnitude. In Tennessee, like most states, the majority of work trips are taken in the morning, contributing to highway congestion. The following two charts feature statewide travel time to work, the percentage of workers who leave home at certain times, and their modes of transportation.

Before 9:00 a.m. the most popular travel time is 7:30-7:59, with almost 14% of workers leaving home for work. The greatest percentage of workers travelled 15 to 19 minutes to work.

METHODOLOGY

Travel times for this brief were calculated very simply. TACIR staff chose various points across the state and used the popular Maps feature on Google to compute travel times to industry, retail, education, and housing destinations. Coordinates were taken from Google Earth. Travel time data was then illustrated using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The following maps demonstrate travel times for multiple trip purposes: pleasure

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (American FactFinder, American Com-munity Survey S0802. Means of Transportation to Work by Selected Characteristics, 2009 1-year Estimates)

Category Rank% of U.S. TN Figures

U.S. Figures

Percentage of Workers Who Travel to Work by Public Transportation (2008)

40 0.7% - 5.0%

Average Travel Time to Work (2008)

24 n/a 24.0 minutes 25.5 minutes

Vehicle Miles of Travel (2008)

14 2.3% 69.4 billion miles

2.9 trillion miles

Annual Miles per Vehicle (2008)

13 n/a 13,626 miles 11,982 miles

Interstate Highway Mileage (2008)

16 2.4% 1,105 miles 46,750 miles

Source: CQ Press's State Fact Finder Series (2010)

Table 1. Tennessee Road & Travel Rankings

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (American FactFinder, American Com-munity Survey S0802. Means of Transportation to Work by Selected Characteristics, 2009 1-year Estimates)

10

15

20

25

Car, Truck, Van - Drove AloneCar, Truck, Van -Carpooled

Chart 2. Time Leaving Home for Work - Percent by Mode of TransportationTennessee (2009)

0

5

10

15

20

25

Car, Truck, Van - Drove AloneCar, Truck, Van -CarpooledPublic Transportation

Chart 2. Time Leaving Home for Work - Percent by Mode of TransportationTennessee (2009)

12.7

14.8

16.6 16.3

6.9

14.3

6.06.9

Chart 1. Travel Time to Work in MinutesTennessee (2009)

Percentage of Total Workers

12.7

14.8

16.6 16.3

6.9

14.3

6.06.9

< 10 mins 10-14 mins 15-19 mins 20-24 mins 25-29 mins 30-34 mins 35-44 mins 45-59 mins

Chart 1. Travel Time to Work in MinutesTennessee (2009)

Percentage of Total Workers

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(including tourism, shopping and entertainment), work, and education. Please note the times presented do not account for travel during peak times, congestion, and/or time associated with parking—so commuters familiar with the routes may believe the projected travel times are too conservative or liberal. Just as there are disparities between Tennessee’s rank in the reports by CEOs for Cities and the Texas Transportation Institute, the methodology used for this report yields results that may vary depending on the measure of congestion used. While the issue at hand is overall transportation system congestion, this report serves as a snapshot of a typical Tennessean’s experience on the road.

[Note: the bus timings listed in the maps below do not refl ect mileage due to limitations of the Google Maps feature.]

RETAIL

To demonstrate travel time to a retail destination, TACIR staff focused on the Shops at Turkey Creek, a very popular retail and entertainment center, which spans 300 acres and is located in west Knoxville in the Farragut area off Interstate 40. Knox County is part of the fi ve-county Knoxville metropolitan statistical area (MSA). The Shops at Turkey Creek were designed as a mixed-use center in late 1999 with the fi rst stores opening shortly after construction began the following year.

The Shops at Turkey Creek feature several retailers and physicians’ offi ces as well as a neighborhood of new homes. TACIR staff estimated travel times to Turkey Creek from four communities in east Tennessee using various routes, seen in Map 1.

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The Shops at Turkey Creek

West Hills

Downtown Knoxville

Halls

Carter25-45 minutes

25-35 minutes

Knox

14-15 minutes

33-35 minutes

§̈¦40

§̈¦75

§̈¦640

Map 1. Travel Times to the Shops at Turkey Creek (Knoxville, TN)

Place of OriginHighway

(distance/time)Roads

(distance/time) Bus* (time)Bike

(distance/time)North: Halls 23 miles/25m 30 miles/45m 65mins 22 miles/2hSouth: Downtown Knoxville 18 miles/25m 18 miles/35m 30mins 20 miles/2hEast: Carter 28 miles/33m 31 miles/35m n/a 33 miles/3hWest: West Hills 8 miles/14m 7.5 miles/15m 70mins 8 miles/45m*Bus trips may require residents to drive to an initial bus stop and at least one line switch en route to the listed destinations.

Pop. Density (sq.mi.)0 - 2,000

2,001 - 4,000

4,001 - 6,000

6,001 - 8,000

8,001 - 10,000

Ü0 6 123 Miles

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INDUSTRY

Historically, work-related trips represented the majority of commuter activity. In the last 20 years, however, this trend has shifted as personal and recreational purpose trips have become more frequent.9 However, most congestion is a result of work-related trips during peak travel times. Nationally, work peak travel (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.) accounts for 64% of all work travel.10 In Tennessee, the impact of work trips is more obvious in Shelby, Davidson, and Knox counties due to the employment concentration in those regions. In 2006, 30% of all employment in Tennessee was located in Shelby and Davidson counties.11 Employment concentration can also be found along the major interstate corridors (I-24, I-40, I-65, I-75, and I-81).12

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan’s U.S. headquarters) is located in the City of Franklin in Williamson County off I-65 (in the Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin MSA). [Note: the Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation Franklin (the consumer fi nance branch) offi ce is also located in Franklin, while there is a Nissan production plant in Smyrna.] A new plant for electric car batteries is currently under construction in Smyrna, which will reportedly create over 1,300 jobs.13 In addition to the Nissan headquarters, several ancillary companies also have a presence in Tennessee, helping the state’s economy. Tennessee’s borders, after all, are within one day’s delivery of 76% of the major United States markets.14

Nissan North America, Inc. is the seventh largest employer in the state with 2,500 employees who commute from all over the Middle Tennessee

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Cheatham

Davidson

WilliamsonRutherford

Maury

Sumner

Nissan Headquarters

Murfreesboro

Downtown Nashville

Ashland City

Goodlettsville

Columbia

35-45

minu

tes

25-2

8 m

inut

es

32-51 minutes33-35 minutes

51-56 minutes §̈¦24

§̈¦40

§̈¦65

§̈¦24/40

§̈¦24

§̈¦40

§̈¦24

§̈¦65

Map 2. Travel Times to Nissan Headquarters (Franklin, TN)

Place of OriginHighway

(distance/time)Roads

(distance/time) Bus* (time)Bike

(distance/time)North: Goodlettsville 32 miles/35m 30 miles/45m 85mins 32 miles/3hNorth: Downtown Nashville 18 miles/25m 19 miles/28m n/a 20 miles/2hSouth: Columbia 30 miles/32m 32 miles/51m n/a 29 miles/3hEast: Murfreesboro 28 miles/33m 31 miles/35m 1h 50mins 33 miles/3hSouthwest: Ashland City 40 miles/51m 43 miles/56m 80mins 38 miles/3h 45m*A rider would have to take additional transportation from the bus stop in Franklin to the Nissan Headquarters.*Bus trips may require residents to drive to an initial bus stop and at least one line switch en route to the listed destinations.

Ü

0 10 205 Miles

Population Density (per sq. mi.)0 - 500

501 - 1,500

1,501 - 3,000

3,001 - 8,000

8,001 - 12,000

region.15 TACIR staff estimated travel times to Nissan headquarters from communities in middle Tennessee using various routes, seen in Map 2.

EDUCATION

Across Tennessee, there are 10 public universities, 13 community colleges, and 27 technology centers—in addition to several independent colleges, universities, and professional and special purpose schools.16 Some of Tennessee’s higher education facilities are among the top ranked in the nation, with students enrolled from every state.

Memphis, located in Shelby County and part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA, is home to the University of Memphis and University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, accessible by both I-40 and I-69. These two schools, whose main campuses

are located within 15 minutes of each other and have over 22,000 students combined. Memphis is also a major transportation hub, with its roads, river, railways, and runways. Reducing travel times and congestion is especially important for its residents. TACIR staff estimated travel times to the University of Memphis main campus from residential communities around Memphis using various routes, seen in the Map 3 below.

Map 3 includes Olive Branch, Mississippi which is just outside the Tennessee border, is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR MSA, and has many residents who work and attend school in Memphis.

Additionally, the University of Memphis is home to the Intermodal Freight Transportation Institute (IFTI), which pursues both research and public-private partnerships to study local logistical challenges and improve the movement of goods.

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Shelby

DeSoto

University of Memphis

Germantown

Mud Island

Millington

Arlington

Olive Branch

38-4

0 m

inut

es

33-4

0 m

inut

es

24-27 minutes

15 minutes

26 minutes

Tennessee

Mississippi

UT Health Science Center

§̈¦55

§̈¦69

§̈¦40

§̈¦240

Map 3. Travel Times to University of Memphis (Memphis, TN)

0 6 12 18 243Miles

ÜPlace of Origin

Highway (distance/time)

Roads (distance/time) Bus (time)

Bike (distance/time)

North: Millington 19 miles/38m 20 miles/40m n/a 18 miles/1h 40mNortheast: Arlington 23 miles/33m 26 miles/40m n/a 22 miles/22mSouth: Olive Branch, MS 14 miles/24m 16 miles/27m 1h 45mins 15 miles/1hh 15mEast: Germantown n/a 9 miles/15m 50mins 8 miles/41mWest: Mud Island n/a 10 miles/26m 1h 30mins 11 miles/1h

Population Density (per sq. mi.)0 - 500

501 - 1,500

1,501 - 3,000

3,001 - 8,000

8,001 - 12,000

Freight movement is particularly relevant to reducing congestion and is an important challenge for Memphis and its neighbors.

TOURISM

Tourism is a leading industry in the state of Tennessee. It generates over $14 billion a year for the state’s economy and employs over 180,000 Tennesseans.17 In Sevier County, which hosts one of the most-used entrances to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, over 30% of residents are employed in the accommodation and food services industry, with another 20% in retail trade.18

According to the state Department of Tourist Development, Tennessee is within a day’s drive of 65% of the country.19 While every grand division has its fair share of tourist traffi c, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in East Tennessee is the

most visited national park in the country.20 At 814 square miles, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of the largest protected land areas in the nation. Since 1995, it has had over 9 million visitors each year.21 It has multiple entrances in both Tennessee and North Carolina, with main entrances located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina.22

The city of Pigeon Forge (Sevier County) is at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park less than ten miles from Gatlinburg. Both cities offer retail shops, amusement and entertainment attractions, restaurants, hotels, and many other tourist draws. While many tourists come from out-of-state to visit Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, many Tennesseans travel there, too. Though there are different ways to enter the park, staff calculated travel times from three cities in East Tennessee to the park

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Knox

Jefferson

Bradley

Sevier

Great Smoky Mountains

Jefferson City

Knoxville

Cleveland

50-5

5 m

inut

es

2 hours-2 hours 20 minutes

41-45 minutes

Rhea

Meigs

Roane

McMinn

Monroe

Polk

Loudon

Blount

Anderson

Sevierville

§̈¦75

§̈¦40

§̈¦140

§̈¦40/75

§̈¦81

§̈¦640

§̈¦75

§̈¦40

Map 4. Travel Times to Great Smoky Mountains (Sevierville Entrance)

Place of OriginHighway

(distance/time)Roads

(distance/time)Bike

(distance/time)North: Jefferson City 33miles/50m 34miles/55m 30miles/3h 30mSouth: Cleveland 114miles/2h 105 miles/2h 20m n/aNorthwest: Knoxville 35miles/45m 31miles/41m 32miles/3h 30m

0 10 20 30 405MilesÜ

Population Density (per sq. mi.)0 - 500501 - 1,5001,501 - 3,0003,001 - 8,0008,001 - 12,000

entrance located in Pigeon Forge, given the tourist attractions located there.

The travel times represent travel on both interstates and back roads. Unlike employment hubs, peak travel times in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg occur during afternoons and Friday through Sunday.

RESIDENTIAL

To offer a different perspective, staff calculated travel times from two residential areas to education, employment, and entertainment destinations in the city of Jackson (Madison County). Jackson is part of the Jackson MSA. Sixty-seven percent of Madison County workers reside in Madison County, with the remaining 33% of workers commuting from surrounding counties.23 Eighty-nine percent of workers residing in Madison County work in

Madison County while the remaining residents work in surrounding counties (Gibson and Shelby being the top two counties).24

Beech Bluff and Medina are residential areas both located in Jackson. The map below shows travel times from Beech Bluff, located in the southern part of Jackson, to one of the main and centrally located hospitals in Madison County—since this is both an employment and trip destination—and to a movie theater in the north, an entertainment destination. It also shows travel time from the Medina area to one of the local high schools. The trips illustrated below range from a quick 10 minutes to over 30 minutes depending on the point of departure.

[Note: Map 5 includes the certifi ed Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) “megasite” in Haywood County due to its potential as an employment

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^Haywood

Madison

TVA Industrial Area

Medina Area

JMC Gen Hospital

Madison Magnet HS

Hollywood 16 Cinema

Beech Bluff Area

10-12 minutes

28-35 minutes

20 minutes§̈¦40

Map 5. Travel Times in Jackson, TN (Madison County)

Origin - DestinationHighway

(distance/time)Roads

(distance/time) Bus* (time)Bike

(distance/time)Medina - Hospital 5.4 miles/9m 4.8 miles/10m 40mins 4.6miles/26mMedina - High school 6.6 miles/11m 7.1 miles/11m 25mins 6.4miles/34mBeech Bluff - Hospital 12.2 miles/19m 13.8 miles/23m 30mins 12.5 miles/1h 5mBeech Bluff - Movie Theater 15.2 miles/25m 15.1 miles/27m 1h 15mins 15.2 miles/1h 20m*Bus trips may require residents to drive to an initial bus stop and at least one line switch en route to the listed destinations.

0 5 10 15 202.5Miles Ü

Pop. Density (per sq.mi.)14 - 150

151 - 500

501 - 1,000

1,001 - 2,000

2,001 - 5,000

center in West Tennessee. A megasite, like the new Volkswagen plant in Hamilton County, is industrial property suitable for major automotive manufacturing or a similar use.25 The Haywood megasite is almost 2,000 acres and is located 30 minutes east of Memphis with proximity to both Interstate 40 and the CSX railroad.]26

CONCLUSION

These maps are just a snapshot of travel times Tennessee drivers may experience on the road. They are not exhaustive but offer a simple example of travel times to typical destinations. Again, these times are not meant to promote one form of transportation over another. As the state continues to spend billions of dollars on improving transportation infrastructure and increasing mobility, the research on timing and the types of trips residents take, combined with ways to mitigate congestion, will play an important role in shaping Tennessee’s transportation future.

ENDNOTES1Cumberland Region Tomorrow. 2009. Survey of area lead-ers. http://www.slideshare.net/crtomorrow/survey-of-ar-ea-leaders (accessed October 26, 2010).2CEOs for Cities. 2010. Driven apart: How sprawl is length-ening our commutes and why misleading mobility measures are making things worse. http://www.ceosforcities.org/pagefi les/MeasuringUrbanTranspoTechnicalReportFINAL.pdf (accessed October 26, 2010).3CEOs for Cities. 2010. Driven apart: How sprawl is length-ening our commutes and why misleading mobility measures are making it worse. http://www.ceosforcities.org/page-fi les/DrivenApartXSFINAL.pdf (accessed February 23, 2011) and Texas Transportation Institute. 2010. Urban mobility report 2010. http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/mobility_re-port_2010.pdf (accessed February 23, 2011). 4 Texas Transportation Institute. 2010. Urban mobility report 2010. http://mobility.tamu.edu/ums/congestion_data/ta-bles/national/table_2.pdf (accessed October 29, 2010).5Lippard, C. and H. Green. 2008. Growth concentration in Tennessee regions. Nashville: Tennessee Advisory Commis-sion on Intergovernmental Relations.6Ibid. 7U.S. Census Bureau. 2008. M0801. Mean travel time to work of workers 16 years and over who did not work at home (minutes): 2008. http://fastfacts.census.gov/servlet/ThematicMapFramesetServlet?_bm=y&-geo_id=01000US&-tm_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_M00604&-ds_name=ACS_2008_3YR_G00_&-_MapEvent=displayBy&-_dBy=040 (accessed October 21, 2010).

8Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 2006. Table 2: Percent of trips by trip purpose for long-distance modes. http://www.bts.gov/publications/america_on_the_go/long_dis-tance_transportation_patterns/html/table_02.html (ac-cessed October 21, 2010).9Pisarski, A. 2002. Transportation trends and smart growth. Washington, DC: Transportation Research Board. http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/archive/conferences/SG/Pisarski.pdf (accessed October 27, 2010).10Pisarski, A. 2006. Commuting in America III: The third national report on commuting patterns and trends. Washington,DC: Transportation Research Board.11Lippard and Green. 2008. 12Ibid.13Williams, G. C. May 26, 2010. Nissan’s gamble on electric cars revs up. The Tennessean. 14Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Devel-opment. 2010. Tennessee fact sheet. http://www.tn.gov/ecd/pdfs/TN_FactSheet.pdf (accessed October 13, 2010).15Tennessee Department of Economic and Community De-velopment. 2010. Manufacturing and distribution center headquarters. http://www.tn.gov/ecd/pdfs/Top50MfgDis-tHq_10.pdf (accessed October 13, 2010).16Tennessee Higher Education Commission. n.d. Public uni-versities. http://www.tn.gov/thec/Index/Institutions/PublicUniv.html (accessed October 15, 2010).17Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. n.d. A message from Commissioner Whitaker. http://www.tn.gov/tourdev/about.html (accessed October 6, 2010).18Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Re-lations. n.d. TACIR county profi les. http://www.tn.gov/tacir/county_profi les.html (accessed October 6, 2010).19Tennessee Vacation. n.d. About Tennessee. http://www.tnvacation.com/about/ (accessed October 15, 2010).20U.S. National Park Service. 2009. Annual summary report for 2009. http://www.nature.nps.gov/stats/viewReport.cfm (accessed October 11, 2010).21Ibid.22U.S. National Park Service. 2010. Great Smoky Mountains National Park. http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/di-rections.htm (accessed October 11, 2010).23Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Re-lations. n.d. TACIR county profi les. http://www.tn.gov/tacir/County_Profi le/madison_commute.pdf (accessed Oc-tober 11, 2010).24Ibid.25Tennessee Valley Authority Economic Development. Me-gasites. http://www.tvaed.com/megasites.htm (accessed October 19, 2010).26Ibid.

8 TACIR