WayFinderTN: Strategic Mobility for a Growing Tennessee

About WayFinderTN
About WayFinderTN

Rising Transportation

Demand
  • Tennessee is projected to grow 4% faster than the national average, creating mounting pressure on the transportation network3.
  • Moments of transition, such as relocation or job changes, offer key windows to influence travel behavior4.

Expanding Workforce

 
  • From 2020 to 2023, the state experienced 12% job growth5, with the fastest growth in:
    • Arts, entertainment, and recreation (+42%)
    • Accommodation and food services (+32%)
    • Information (+30%)

 

Increasing Congestion

 
  • Between 2010 and 2022, the annual hours of delay for solo commuters increased6:
    • Knoxville: 19%
    • Memphis: +45%
    • Nashville: 57%

 

 

 

Program Purpose

WayFinderTN exists to drive meaningful, measurable change that empowers Tennesseeans to make smarter, safer, and more efficient travel choices - optimizing the existing transportation system without costly infrastructure expansion.

Why It Matters for Tennessee

Tennessee’s economy is booming, and the state’s population is estimated to increase to 7,739,000 by 2035. The state as a whole is estimated to experience a growth rate above the national average of almost 4%2; a closer look reveals that individual counties exhibit distinct patterns and trends.

  • "63 counties (66%) will gain population" 
  • "32 (34%) are projected to lose population"

TDOT Region 3 is expected to experience the most growth by 2035, with an increase of 517,000 people. Regions 1 and 2 are expected to gain about 100,000 people each, while Region 4 is expected to lose about 41,000 people.

Areas of high growth will need significant transportation investments while areas with a declining population may need new solutions to improve access to jobs and other important destinations as job and housing densities decrease.

How TDM Can Help Tennessee

WayFinderTN offers a practical and cost-effective solution to Tennessee's pressing transportation challenges. By encouraging and educating travelers on the use of travel modes, times, and routes with excess capacity, WayFinderTN can optimize the existing transportation system without the need for significant infrastructure investments. This helps ensure that resources allocated to multimodal travel options are maximized, thereby supporting current and future multimodal investments. TDM strategies can also be deployed quickly to target specific areas, industries, and travel needs, and can be easily adjusted or ended as circumstances and needs change.

Strategic Opportunity for the State

1. “Boyd Center Population Projections.” Tennessee State Data Center, tnsdc.utk.edu/estimates-and-projections/boyd-center-population-projections/.

2. “2023 National Population Projections Tables: Main Series.” United States Census Bureau, 12 Feb. 2025, www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/popproj/2023-summary-tables.html.

3. “2023 National Population Projections Tables: Main Series.” United States Census Bureau, 12 Feb. 2025, www.census.gov/data/tables/2023/demo/popproj/2023-summary-tables.html.

4. Larouche, R., Charles Rodriguez, U., Nayakarathna, R., & Scott, D. R. (2020). Effect of Major Life Events on Travel Behaviours: A Scoping Review. Sustainability, 12(24), 10392. https://doi.org/10.3390/su1224103923.

5. “Employment and Wages Data Viewer.” Bureau of Labor Statistics, data.bls.gov/cew/apps/data_views.htm#tab-Tables.

6. “Base Statistics.” Texas A&M Transportation Institute, http://tti.tamu.edu/documents/umr/congestion-data/complete-data-2023-umr-by-tti.xlsx.