KNOXVILLE, TN Story courtesy of (WVLT) – Knox County leaders have plans to start construction along a piece of Northshore Drive this summer.
The project would be on a three-mile stretch from the Cove at Concord roundabout to the Choto Road roundabout.
Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay said, “It is absolutely ripe for this area for dangerous roads, wrecks and injuries with pedestrians.”
The plan includes fixing some side slopes and shoulders to make it safer for people driving. The county also wants to make it safer for people walking in the area.
“We have a project that’s shovel ready, ready to be done, and be done by next year that will really help pedestrians not die on Northshore Drive,” Jay said.
The plan would include building a greenway along the stretch and also add more sidewalks so people living near this area can walk to local parks.
Montgomery Cove HOA President Jack Shafe said he isn’t necessarily opposed to the idea, but he feels the county should focus more on the road first.
“If we get an accident, then the police and fire crew can not get through because of traffic, so it’s a major issue especially for young drivers,” Shafe said. “The other thing we’re concerned about is ‘Where are we going to be in 5 years’ because the development in Tennessee and all of the people we’ve got moving into Tennessee.”
Knox County Commissioner Angela Russell brought her concerns about the plan to Jay on Monday.
“Loudon County is just a couple miles away, and we have no ability to control over what they do with their development, so we could have a lot of traffic coming from Loudon County,” Russell said.
Jay said the road will need to be improved, but that is something they’d tackle in the future. He said they already have the funding to start this project soon.
“I think there’s plenty of opportunity for more roundabouts and more improvements on the road, but one of the things we run into is that there’s only so much money. It’s a big county, and there’s a lot of capital improvements that are needed,” Jay said.
He added the county has spent around $4 million on Northshore projects. It falls right behind Schaad Road as one of the most expensive roads the county has invested funds to.
County leaders said around 20,000 cars use this stretch of Northshore everyday.
The county will start looking at bids this month with the hope construction will start next month.
The plan is to have the project complete by March of 2026.
Story courtesy of WVLT
