Knoxville (WVLT) - You may soon have to open your wallet to hit the open road in Tennessee.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation's looking at toll roads. That might pave the way for one right here in Knoxville.

Volunteer TV's Mike McCarthy spoke with TDOT.

TDOT works, pay-as-you-go. It doesn't bond road projects and doesn't carry debt. TDOT's looking at eight possible toll road options. This could be the way a long-talked about Knoxville project hits the pavement.

The pump prices already pinching Sony Garrett.

"I don't go to far anymore," Garrett.

...could cost him...and you...on new Tennessee roadways.

"To keep our roads maintained, to keep expanding, to keep the transportation needs met in Tennessee, it's going to take some creative thinking," said Travis Brickey from TDOT.

Part of that creative thinking includes this: The long-talked about Knoxville Parkway. Now being studied as a toll road. It'd connect I-40 west to I-75 North, by-passing the downtown area.

"I think our taxes are supposed to be taking care of that. We're paying enough taxes through the gasoline right here," Garrett said.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation does get much of it's funding through the state's 21-cent fuel tax. TDOT says near-four-dollar a gallon gas guzzles the odds of raising the tax, but the state agency's lost nearly 238-million bucks in federal funding since 2005, and T-DOT estimates construction and maintenance costs have sometimes tripled.

"Tolling's certainly in the toolbox that we're looking at right now. But it's just looking," Brickey said.

TDOT says existing roads, like I-40 wouldn't become toll roads. Drivers would also have access to free, alternate routes. That's enough to convince some drivers.

"Because it'll be a matter of convenience. So people who can't afford it can still take the old way, for free," driver Sharla Stuart said.

And TDOT says the Knoxville Parkway's geared toward out-of-towners who might not make a pump-pit-stop.

"If you don't buy a gallon of gas, you're just driving on our infrastructure for free," Brickey said.

For Garrett, gas prices are enough.

"I don't like paying any more than I have to," Garrett said.

So his way's the freeway.

TDOT will ultimately choose two pilot toll projects: One will be a bridge, the other a road.

TDOT's set to present the options to the legislature in January, but before it does that it wants to hear what you think. TDOT plans to have public meetings about the possible toll projects across the state next month. Knoxville's date and time hasn't be scheduled.

When we know, we'll pass it along to here and on our webchannel, www.volunteertv.com.