Land Use, Community Facilities, and Transportation Plans

Transportation Plan
Map 10: Transportation Plan

The Transportation Plan provides an overview of the projects that are recommended in various adopted plans and those that have been identified during the process of updating this sector plan.

Prior to the implementation of some of these projects, there should be opportunities for additional public input to address issues of impacts related to adjacent land use, neighborhood protection, and environmental and historic resource preservation. These are principles that are important in developing a transportation system. It is vital to develop and maintain a transportation network that is accessible, provides mobility to all residents and does not adversely impact the environment. To meet this goal this plan recommends the following:

• Create and maintain sidewalks, bike lanes, greenways and other facilities for alternative transportation
• Maintain services for the elderly, disabled, and low-income residents. Promote programs provided by the East Tennessee Human Resources Agency, Community Action Committee and KAT

Additionally, the following two principles should be considered in designing the road cross-sections and intersections of transportation projects.

Context Sensitive Design
This is a process that addresses the physical setting of a potential project and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic, environmental and other resources, while maintaining mobility and safety. This facility planning should revolve around a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that incorporates the desires and concerns of a community in order to achieve solutions.

Complete Streets
Any road projects, public or private, should adhere to the principle of creating Complete Streets. Complete Streets are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a Complete Street. The pedestrian and bicycle facilities that are depicted on the Transportation and Community Facility Plans are priorities in establishing a complete streets program.

Some considerations for more detailed road designs are outlined below:

• Tazewell Pike with its historic residential district and cemetery. Maintain the ambience of a two-lane road, yet provide turn lanes at major intersections is important.
• Cedar Lane with its residential character and landscape, specifically the Eastern Red Cedar trees planted by James McMillan in the mid-19th century (recognized as Landmark Trees by the Tennessee Urban Forestry Council). If it were found that there will be significant increase in traffic and travel times along Cedar Lane, selected intersection projects (such as at Parkdale Road and Inskip Drive) should be a foremost consideration rather than widening the road for its entire length.
• Dry Gap Pike, which winds through the heavily forested Beaver Ridge, just north of the sector, needs to be improved for vehicular access and safety reasons. The current recommendation of four lanes should be reconsidered since the road cannot be extended north of Emory Road and to the south it would funnel into a two-lane road. Initial projects should focus on intersection realignments at Dante Road and Fountain City Road and Fountain City Road and Parkdale Road.
• Dante Road was once slated to be a business park connector, west to I-75. The business park never materialized and the parcel was transferred to the County Parks Department and developed as Tommy Schumpert Park. New neighborhoods have been developed adjacent to this site along with a two-lane road. Unless a continuous east-west connector is to be pursued along Rifle Range Road or Mynatt Road, the necessity of providing four lanes the length of Dante Road is questionable. An immediate need is to widen Dante Road at the Central Avenue Pike intersection, allowing two westbound through lanes to I-75. This project would help to relieve peak-hour congestion, especially in the morning. A project to take out the right angle turns of Dante Road (east of the power line) would also benefit vehicular traffic flow.

Recommended Projects
The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) makes recommendations for state and federally funded road projects. MPC and the community recognize that the projects to widen Dante Road, Cedar Lane, Tazewell Pike, and possibly other projects, may be inappropriate to the scale of the existing community and neighborhoods and therefore as the design and implementation of road projects occur alternatives to road widening should be considered (such as only widening at busy intersections for turn lanes).

Note: Dates shown in the Transportation Plan table indicate a projected completion date.