Background Report

Transportation
Map 5: Existing Transportation System

Since the last North City Sector Plan in 1998, some transportation projects have taken place.
As noted in the previous sector plan, I-640 from I-75 to Broadway has been widened from 2 to 3 lanes by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Interstate 75 at Merchant Drive to north of East Emory Road has been widened from 2 to 3 lanes (TDOT). Callahan Drive and Dante Road at Central Avenue Pike have been given traffic signals with turn lanes through a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality project. Murphy road from Washington Pike to Tazewell Pike increased lane width and added turn lanes through the County Capital Improvement Project (CIP).

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has received funding from TDOT for a study of the Broadway corridor through Fountain City. The Complete Streets Planning Study will encompass the North Broadway corridor along with a similar corridor in Blount County.

Public Transportation
Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) operates three bus routes that serve parts of the North City Sector. These routes include 22, 90A/B, and 20A/B/C.

Sidewalks and Bike Lanes
Most of the roadways do not have sidewalks. Even where sidewalks exist, connectivity is poor and needs to be improved. Sidewalks are encouraged, especially when larger developments are under construction and when roads are widened or extended. Priority areas for constructing sidewalks are often within the Parental Responsibility Zones (PRZ) adjacent to public schools, where bus service does not exist. Parents are responsible for getting their children to school if they live within 1 mile of the elementary school or 1.5 miles if the child attends a middle school or high school. When sidewalks are not available to provide a safe walking environment, this translates to several added vehicular trips each school day.

Bike lanes currently do not exist along any roads and paths for bicycles are limited to the shoulders of Broadway, parks, and greenways. The bike facilities within parks and on greenways are limited to a recreational component, but could serve a transportation component if the system were expanded and connected to various destinations.