NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation is set to focus on maintenance and projects if Gov. Bill Lee's allocated $1.18 billion budget is approved.

A large portion of the nearly $1.2B budget will be going toward new projects, however, $80 million will be necessary to maintain the transportation infrastructure the state already has in place.

Upon approval, TDOT would receive an additional $80 million in recurring funds to use for:

The state department would also receive $778 in non-recurring funds to expedite 10-year plan projects, add more projects to the plan, and help local governments pay for road projects that are low on money.

Rep. Ryan Williams (R-Cookeville) questioned why the recurring funds wouldn't be used on new projects with all the growth in Tennessee during Monday's TDOT budget hearing.

"We've learned to do so much with so little for so long, we can do just about anything with absolutely nothing, so I'm a little bit concerned about that, because I was hoping that $80 million would be adding new projects to the list, but it's not necessarily doing that," Williams said.

Commissioner Butch Eley replied by saying, "The state of good repair is paramount...we're beginning to fall behind on that front so this $80 million being put into bridge preservation, pavement preservation, and the things that we need to invest in just to maintain what we have, that is a recurring expense. It was the best way to spend those dollars."

During the hearing, it was also brought up that the state has a backlog of projects that need to be done. The department wants to keep its assets in good shape and continue to receive additional investment to do so.

According to a report from the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, the state needs about $78 billion worth of public infrastructure improvements. This need comes as the report states that Tennessee has a $38 billion backlog in road projects, many involving maintenance and repairs.