Lawmaker asks state comptroller to investigate I-24 toll lane deal after AG declines # Lawmaker asks state comptroller to investigate I-24 toll lane deal after AG declines ##### Representative Clemmons says he wants the Division of Investigations to review the $9.2 billion contract.
wsmv.com · Stacey Cameron · September 8, 2026
Lawmaker asks state comptroller to investigate I-24 toll lane deal after AG declines
# Lawmaker asks state comptroller to investigate I-24 toll lane deal after AG declines
##### Representative Clemmons says he wants the Division of Investigations to review the $9.2 billion contract.
By Stacey Cameron
Published: Sep. 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM CDT| Updated: 30 minutes ago
What This Story Is About
- State Rep. John Ray Clemmons has sent a letter to Tennessee Comptroller Jason E. Mumpower requesting an investigation into the $9.2 billion I-24 Choice Lanes contract, after the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office said it lacked authority to investigate.
Why It Matters
- Clemmons says the procurement involved a revolving door between TDOT and Ferrovial Cintra, the company leading Drive-TN, which was awarded a 50-year, $9.2 billion contract to build and operate the toll lanes.
What Happens Next
- The request now goes to the Comptroller’s Division of Investigations. TDOT has said details of the I-24 agreement still need to be finalized.
For Context
- Tennessee lawmakers passed the Transportation Modernization Act, giving TDOT new tools to pursue public-private partnerships like the I-24 project. TDOT said last month it found nothing improper after vetting every company in the Drive-TN group.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - State Rep. John Ray Clemmons has sent a letter to Tennessee Comptroller Jason E. Mumpower requesting an investigation into the procurement process behind the $9.2 billion I-24 “Choice Lanes” contract.
The Sept. 8 letter follows a Sept. 4 response from the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office, which said it does not have general investigative authority to conduct the review Clemmons had requested.
“I previously requested such an investigation be conducted by the Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter, but he advised me by letter dated September 4, 2026, that his office does not have general investigative authority of this type,” Clemmons wrote. “Therefore, I hereby request that your Division of Investigations conduct this investigation.”
In the letter, Clemmons said the toll lane contract and 50-year lease were awarded amid public reports raising questions about financial relationships between the winning companies and former Lee administration officials.
“This is a significant project that will consume large amounts of public funds and resources for many years to come, and the people of Tennessee deserve to know whether this process was handled according to the letter of the law,” Clemmons wrote, continuing on to state that a formal investigation “would demonstrate our collective commitment to governmental transparency, fair business dealing and compliance with the applicable laws.”
## AG cited lack of investigative authority
Phil Buehler, press secretary for the Attorney General’s Office, said the office considered whether it has the power to independently investigate state procurements, including the Choice Lanes procurement.
“The Office does not have general investigative authority. Instead, it only has authority to conduct investigations into certain matters,” Buehler said, citing a 2005 opinion from the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. “This does not include an investigation along the lines of what Chairman Clemmons requested.”
## How the choice lanes model began
Back in 2023, during his State of the State Address, Governor Bill Lee said Tennessee’s traditional approach to road construction needed to change.
“Simply put, we are way behind. We have to change the way we fund and build our roads and our bridges,” Lee said.
The state’s response was a choice lanes model, allowing private companies to finance, build and operate new lanes, with drivers paying a toll if they choose to use them.
## Eley’s path from private industry to TDOT
Butch Eley helped shape the new approach. Before joining Lee’s administration, Eley was a private-sector transportation executive who founded Infrastructure Corporation of America, a company that managed public infrastructure for government clients.
Eley joined Lee’s administration in 2019, first as chief operating officer, then finance commissioner, then deputy governor, before becoming TDOT commissioner in 2022.
“They would come in and design, build and finance that project,” Eley said, describing the model.
“We know that there are potential projects throughout Tennessee that will lend themselves to these choice lanes,” Eley said during a 2023 interview.
## Lawmakers pass Transportation Modernization Act
In April of 2023, state lawmakers passed the Transportation Modernization Act, giving TDOT new tools to pursue public-private partnerships, including the I-24 project.
At that time, Steve Townsend served as Eley’s chief of staff at TDOT and helped steer Tennessee’s transportation strategy toward private funding.
But in 2025, Townsend left government to work for Ferrovial Cintra. That company now leads Drive-TN, the group Tennessee recently selected to build and operate the I-24 Choice Lanes for the next 50 years under the $9.2 billion deal.
Clemmons said Townsend’s move raised questions for him.
“I don’t want to accuse anyone of anything, but I do think that we deserve answers,” Clemmons said. “It’s a convenient coincidence for his bank account, I guess, but it very well may be.”
## Eley also left state government in 2025
Eley exited state government in 2025 and moved back into the infrastructure industry as a strategic adviser. Who he is advising is not publicly known.
But 10 months after Eley left TDOT, Tennessee announced its I-24 partnership with Drive-TN.
Clemmons said the pattern involving both Townsend and Eley raises fairness questions about the bidding process.
“You could have had someone in TDOT write the blueprint, design the bid process, understand that process better than anyone, then leave state government, and then go compete in the process that he or she designed,” Clemmons said. “Now, is that fair? I would argue it’s not. But is it legal? Maybe. And if it is, do we need to change the law? I would say probably so.”
TDOT said last month it found nothing improper after vetting every company in the Drive-TN group.
“We would not have shortlisted them had we found red flags,” said TDOT Commissioner Will Reid.
Clemmons questioned that conclusion.
“I’m sure they looked into these companies, but the question is whether or not they cared about what they found, or whether or not this goose was cooked from the outset,” Clemmons said. “Why didn’t they care about the legal troubles of these companies? Why didn’t they care that they’re primarily foreign-owned companies who’ve had issues following through on projects, who’ve had to file bankruptcy?”
## What’s still unresolved
At the press conference announcing the Drive-TN partnership, TDOT said details of the I-24 deal still need to be finalized.
Clemmons said he wants transparency about how the bidding process was designed and who had access to it.
“Who put this idea in Governor Bill Lee’s head to begin with? Who convinced him that this was the path he needed to go down?” Clemmons said. “Did any of these former employees speak to the administration or TDOT while this process was going down? What was the substance of those communications? Was any information shared?”
“The people of Tennessee deserve an answer,” Clemmons said. “They deserve to know whether there’s been some unethical conduct, potentially illegal conduct here that resulted in people financially benefiting from this state contract, or whether it’s on the up and up.”
WSMV4 Investigates has tried contacting both Eley and Townsend to comment on Clemmons’ concerns, and as a series of questions about whether they were involved in the procurement process in any manner after leaving state government. At the time of publication, we have not heard back.
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