Opinion Piece on Potential Road Construction in South Knoxville

Conrad Plaut: TDOT should cancel parkway extension, improve Chapman corridor � Knoxville News Sentinel:

The CHAFE route will plow directly through a 36-mile network of wilderness trails and greenways that have been and continue to be built on 1,000 acres of public park (more acreage than Central Park in New York) and public easements on hundreds of acres of private land.

It is interesting to read some of the user-submitted comments to see the spectrum of opinions on the topic.

My personal opinion is that any community has roads, bypasses, and freeways.  The community that preserves green space such as the Urban Wilderness is the community which attracts both tourism and new residents, as well as promote quality of life and recreation for established locals.

Freeways are a dime a dozen - although $105 million quoted in the article suggests freeways are a bit more expensive than a dime.

Interesting Further Reading:

• TDOT James White Parkway Extension Plan: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/sr71/
• MPC Chapman Highway Corridor Plan: http://archive.knoxmpc.org/plans/corridor/chapman2006.pdf
• Development Boom on Chapman Highway Spurs Road Improvements: http://www.wate.com/story/6622130/development-boom-on-chapman-hwy-drives-road-improvements?clienttype=printable

First Creek Greenway Plan - How to Move Forward?

Current First Creek Greenway

From the latest city of Knoxville Greenways Map, the plans for First Creek Greenway are included as a full panel.

First Creek Greenway has been a source of enjoyment for residents of the surrounding historic neighborhoods of Old North Knoxville, Fourth and Gill, and Parkridge.

Yet, it has also been a source of frustration.

The reason?  From the city's Web site:

Plans for this greenway to connect south underneath I-40 to Lower First Creek Greenway in Caswell Park are underway. The connection portion of this trail is expected to be built in the near future.

 "In the near future."  This is the frustrating part.

Over four years ago, work on the portion of Interstate 40 through downtown Knoxville commenced to upgrade the 1960s era infrastructure to modern technology and safety standards.  The project was expected to be completed in summer of 2009, but actually finished early, awarding the contractor a performance bonus.

Many residents see the Interstate's construction as a missed opportunity to complete the link between the Upper and Lower First Creek Greenway.  To be fair, the Tennessee Department of Transportation did create an asphalt sidewalk along Sixth Avenue, where in the Summer of 2013, local residents partnered with the City of Knoxville and TDOT to install a four-part mural to celebrate the historic neighborhoods.  Matching funds were provided by the City as part of the Parks and Recreation Challenge Grant, awarded on the basis that the asphalt strip serves as the community entrance to the First Creek Greenway.

Frustration has grown as this Greenway could perhaps be the most successful example of an urban greenway, linking several of Knoxville's most populous neighborhoods, from Fountain City in the North, down towards the Tennessee River.

Envisioned First Creek Extension

Even the City is aware of the potential, since First Creek Greenway Plan is featured prominently on the most recent version of the greenway map.

The text reads:

First Creek Greenway could connect Fountain City to the Tennessee River through the Downtown area.  There are 18 parks along First Creek within 9 miles of greenways in place, so the longer connection could become a reality with the right planning and support.

Residents of the first creek watershed are united in feeling that the community support is there.

So why has the greenway plan not proceeded?

One possibility might be a lack of funding.

Some possible funding ideas to look into are available on these Web sites:

http://www.railstotrails.org/ourwork/trailbuilding/toolbox/informationsummaries/funding_financing.html

http://www.americantrails.org/resources/fedfund/
Are you aware of funding sources that the City of Knoxville should be aware of?

Please leave your ideas in the comments section.

Love's Creek Greenway Cost Per Mile, Model for First Creek?

Recent correspondence with Lori Goerlich, City of Knoxville Greenways Coordinator:

Hi Lori,

Congrats on the Love's Creek Greenway opening.

I'm very interested that it is made of crushed limestone.

My hope is that significantly reduced the cost of greenway miles I have been quoting people, $100,000 per mile.

I had a question from a community member concerning applying for a challenge grant towards extending the First Creek Greenway from the 6th Avenue Mural Site to Caswell Park.

I'm not sure that is the best use of Challenge Grant funds, since Greenways are better funded by massive grants like the TDOT Transportation Alternative Grant Clevelend was recently awarded in the amount of $495,978.

However, since I was asked if it's "possible" then I thought I might as well look at the idea.

Because the grant is small, I thought it might be worthwhile to look at a small parcel that could have a big impact.

So, I looked at the small piece of city-owned land connecting 6th Avenue across the Norfolk Southern tracks to Caswell Park.

It appears this parcel used to be part of the Southern railway spur to the old city.

A property map is below:

http://www.kgis.org/PropertyMapAndDetailsReport/PropertyReport2.aspx?parcelid=082PD00401

The Parcel connects Abilene Pl. to Caswell Park. According to KGIS the length is 248 feet.

My thinking is by creating a direct connection from 6th Avenue to Caswell Park, the $5,000 from a Challenge Grant might actually have an impact on Greenway Connectivity, since 6th Avenue is already well-suited for bike and pedestrian travel.

If the cost of the crushed limestone approach is under 248 feet per $5,000, I believe this might be something worth pursuing for the 2013 Challenge Grant.

Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

Tanner

Newest Greenway in Knoxville - Loves Creek Greenway

Love's Creek Greenway in Northeast Knoxville [Photo: Mayor Rogero]

Love's Creek Greenway is the city of Knoxville's newest greenway mileage at .4 miles.  Located at 5201 Parker Drive in North Knoxville,  The greenway is ideal for walking, running, bicycling, walking dogs, and using strollers.


View Larger Map

City of Knoxville Press Release:

Loves Creek Greenway is located within the City limits and begins at the Knox County-owned Spring Place Park. Built in-house by City of Knoxville crews, the trail is approximately a half-mile of crushed limestone and is the first phase for the greenway plan that will eventually reach from Spring Place to New Harvest Park.

More coverage from WBIR:

"We want to move people. We want them to have access to greenways and other exercise facilities. This is a cheap way to get people out and exercise, get out and walk. We want to connect people with places. So, we're trying to connect people to places of employment to places of retail. We're trying to connect this trail down to Knoxville Center," - David Brace, city public service director

4.4 miles of road or 1,000 miles of greenways? Up to us.

Another greenway that's feasible for completion seems to be the Knoxville - Townsend Greenway via Maryville.

Local News | The Daily Times - Great Smoky Mountains Regional Greenway Council shaping trail extension to Townsend:

In 2009, Barge Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon Inc. (BWSC) created a draft Greenway Master Plan for a trail system running from Knoxville to Townsend. Community and landowner opposition led to one alternative route, a proposed stretch along the Little River to Heritage High School, to be struck from the plan.The current plan being developed is a partnership of the Knoxville Regional TPO, the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Greenway Council, local governments, Maryville-Alcoa-Blount County Parks and Recreation, the Blount Partnership and Tennessee Department of Transportation.

From the comments section of the news article, there seems to be a lot of opposition to the regional greenway in that the project will require investment of public monies.

I find that odd, as greenways are actually less expensive than some of the major road construction projects proposed for the same area, such as the Pellissippi Parkway extension: http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/pellissippi/, which would cost nearly $100 million to construct.

That's 100 Million for 4.4 miles of proposed extension to U.S. 321.

A greenway of the same length would cost less than $500,000 at $100,000 per mile of greenway.

100 million would equal 1,000 miles of greenway.  What would you rather have: 4.4 miles of new controlled access freeway, or 1,000 miles of greenway?

The question here is the return on the investment.  Greenways offer an inexpensive transportation alternative, along with recreation and water quality enhancement opportunities.

Transportation investment impacts quality of life as well.  If we choose to build communities centered on Freeways, traffic problems will worsen.  Southern California has no shortage of freeways but is notorious for traffic congestion.  Turning to new roads or widening roads doesn't solve the underlying problem of connecting people with the resources needed for everyday living. And, it sets us up for long-term economic problems when fuel costs add to the cost of a simple trip for basic needs like schools, work, and groceries.

More on the impacts our transportation planning now will have on our community futures: http://www.planeasttn.org/GrowStronger/GrowthConcepts.aspx