RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WGNS)- A Tennessee House Democratic leader is asking Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to review the bidding and selection process for the multibillion-dollar I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes project after questions surfaced about a former Tennessee Department of Transportation official who later went to work for a company on the winning development team.

State Rep. John Ray Clemmons, D-Nashville, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, is calling for an investigation into the procurement process involving DriveTN, the private-sector group selected by the state to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the project.

The questions center on Steve Townsend, a former TDOT chief of staff who left state government and joined Cintra, a Ferrovial company. Cintra and Ferrovial are both members of the six-company DriveTN consortium selected for the I-24 project.

The Tennessean reported that Townsend left TDOT roughly 10 months before final proposals were submitted for the Choice Lanes project. While at TDOT, Townsend had been involved in work related to transportation policy and public-private partnerships. Cintra currently lists him as vice president of commercial development.

Clemmons said the situation warrants closer scrutiny because of the amount of money involved and the length of the proposed agreement.

“Taxpaying citizens deserve to have some governmental transparency,” Clemmons said. He questioned whether the procurement process adequately protected taxpayers from potential conflicts involving former state officials.

TDOT, however, says safeguards were put in place to prevent Townsend from participating in the I-24 procurement on behalf of DriveTN.

“Consistent with TDOT procurement requirements, the DriveTN team implemented screening procedures and communication protocols that prohibited Steve Townsend’s engagement in, access to, or receipt of any information related to the I-24 Southeast Choice Lanes procurement,” TDOT said in a statement.

The department said DriveTN disclosed the situation under organizational conflict-of-interest requirements and that TDOT reviewed the disclosure. TDOT said it remains committed to following applicable procurement requirements and protecting the integrity of the process. Procurement documents also place responsibility on participating teams to disclose and address potential conflicts.

TDOT Commissioner Will Reid previously said the agency found no red flags that would have prevented the finalist teams from moving forward in the selection process.

The Transportation Modernization Board selected DriveTN on Aug. 19. The group includes Cintra, Transurban, Tikehau Star/Infra/Capital, Ferrovial, Webber and AECOM. The estimated project cost is $9.2 billion, while DriveTN’s proposal projects $24.8 billion in concession value for Tennessee during the proposed 50-year partnership. The final agreement is still being negotiated.

For Rutherford County drivers, the project would add two optional Choice Lanes in each direction along approximately 26 miles of I-24 between Nashville and I-840. Drivers choosing the new lanes would pay a user fee, while the existing general-purpose lanes would remain available without a toll.

The state is also studying a possible future southern extension that could carry Choice Lanes farther along I-24 through Murfreesboro and along I-840 toward U.S. 41. That extension is not part of the current 26-mile project.

No formal investigation by the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office had been publicly announced as of Tuesday night.

Rutherford County residents will soon have an opportunity to ask questions directly about the project. TDOT will hold an open-house meeting Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 12:30 to 6 p.m. at the Smyrna Event Center, 100 Sam Ridley Parkway E. The meeting will allow residents to review project information and speak with TDOT’s technical team about the Choice Lanes proposal.