• Transportation
  • Map 7: Street and Highway System

Transportation

Several major transportation projects have been completed since the mid-1990s, including the Henley Street and South Knoxville connectors, and the widening of Western Avenue and Middlebrook Pike. Improvements to I-640 are nearing completion. However, a variety of transportation challenges still need to be addressed.

Some of the challenges stem from the ongoing trend in increased interstate traffic and the central position of downtown and the university, which attract thousands of vehicles each day. Those factors put significant pressure on the transportation system. Secondly, much of the transportation infrastructure is old. Most of the streets have been in place for over 100 years. In addition to streets, many bridges, viaducts, and sidewalks are in need of rehabilitation or replacement.

New programs and facilities are also needed to create a comprehensive transportation system. These include additional transit services and facilities, bikeways and pedestrian linkages, particularly those that enhance access between downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

Streets and Highways
A mix of grid streets and arterial roads radiating outward from downtown characterize the road network. The grid pattern defines the older neighborhoods. The arterial streets are the main corridors that separate neighborhoods and funnel traffic between downtown and the suburbs. Some arterials, such as Broadway, attract more traffic because they are lined with commercial development. Thus, they are often congested because traffic is not merely passing through but entering and exiting adjacent businesses. Cross-town travel is difficult in some portions of the sector, such as the area between Broadway and North Central Street, due to a lack of street continuity.

An overview of major problems follows:

• Henley Street Bridge: Traffic along the Henley Street Bridge has been at congested levels. The bridge is scheduled to be upgraded, and, following the Gay Street Bridge restoration, will be shut down for a year for reconstruction.
• Gay Street: The restoration of the bridge will be completed in 2003. Also, at the north end, the Gay Street Viaduct is to be replaced. This will also cause a portion of Gay Street to be closed during construction.
• Broadway: Congestion and delays occur frequently along this busy arterial. The section from downtown to North Central Street has no turn lane, which often causes congestion.
• Western Avenue: A major concern is the narrowing of Western Avenue from four lanes to two between Keith Avenue and Texas Avenue. The widening of the section is proposed in the Transportation Improvement Plan.
• Kingston Pike: Congestion at the Neyland Drive intersection should be partially alleviated with the completion of on-ramp improvements; however, this area is likely to continue to be congested because it is a major entrance to the university and Alcoa Highway.
• Cumberland Avenue: A major concern is pedestrian safety, particularly for university students. Several pedestrian accidents have occurred along “The Strip.” A three-lane cross-section with wider sidewalks is proposed in the Fort Sanders Neighborhood Plan.
• Interstate 40: Traffic tends to be congested in the I-275 connector and the James White Parkway vicinity. Of significant concern is the section near the Broadway Connector, where I-40 narrows from four lanes to two in each direction and where oncoming traffic from the James White Parkway merges into the left-hand lane of west bound I-40. There are plans for a major construction project to widen I-40 and reconfigure the Broadway Connector.

Rehabilitation of the bridges and viaducts is necessary.

Various improvements are needed along Cumberland Avenue to enhance pedestrian safety and business development, and to create a more attractive gateway to the university.

Transit Services
Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) is the largest provider of public transportation in Knoxville/Knox County, making approximately two million trips per year. Most of KAT’s service is provided with buses on fixed routes running within the City of Knoxville. Two neighborhood routes operate with mini-buses, supplementing the larger system. KAT also provides fixed-route, rubber tire trolley service in downtown Knoxville and on the UT campus.

KAT also operates a combination of fixed route and demand response services during the evening hours and on Sundays, as well as a paratransit service for those passengers who are eligible for the “LIFT” program. The recently adopted KAT Action Plan 2010 provides an overview of needed improvements. Those pertaining to this sector include:

• additional late evening and Sunday services (in part to meet the needs of service workers)
• more trolley services to move residents, students and visitors around the downtown area
• 15-minute service on Kingston Pike, Broadway, Magnolia Avenue and Chapman Highway
• superstops” at key locations, including Keith Avenue and Western Avenue (such stops would include more substantial shelters and would be located where several routes meet)
• more neighborhood routes using smaller vehicles.

Downtown Knoxville Transportation Linkages Study
The Downtown Knoxville Transportation Linkages Study (DKTLS) is a comprehensive, multi-modal transportation plan for downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. The downtown is blessed with a compact scale and a wealth of cultural resources, visitor attractions and development opportunities. With the new attractions and more residents, accessibility will become increasingly important. The goals revolve around improved transit and pedestrian connections, so people can move about downtown or reach it from adjacent neighborhoods by a five-minute trip on foot or by transit.

Key elements of the plan are more trolley service, Smart Shuttles, three new transfer centers, including one centrally located downtown, strategically placed parking, improved pedestrian connections and more greenways.(4) Although rail is not a feature of the immediate plan, a Gay Street line is not ruled out as a long-term consideration.

“Knoxville Central Station”: this intermodal center is at the heart of the linkage proposals. The proposed location is the block between Gay and State Streets, north of Clinch Avenue. This location brings passengers closer to the center of downtown, improving overall accessibility and access to new trolley routes. To better serve and attract bus patrons, the city plans to design the center with commercial and publicly-oriented spaces, potentially including a day care center, police precinct offices, cinemas and retail services. The structure will also have three levels of parking.

Sidewalks
Knoxville’s suburban growth began in an era when walking and transit were the primary means of travel. From 1890 to the 1920s, Knoxville expanded along roads that had electric streetcar lines In this era, sidewalks were almost always provided. In the automobile age following World War II, sidewalks were rarely constructed, and as a consequence there is a discontinuous network. A second problem is their poor condition. Some are in such disrepair that they have crumbled and are overgrown with grass.

Areas like the downtown, Fort Sanders, Old North Knoxville and East Knoxville are well served by sidewalks. The Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has a sidewalk plan for Knox County. It identifies a base network and locations of needed additions and improvements.

Currently, there are substantial gaps in the sidewalk system. Streets with transit routes, such as Chicamauga Avenue, should have continuous sidewalks.