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Final Draft of the FY 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program Available

Let us know what you think about the draft FY 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)! The TIP is a short-range plan which includes all of the transportation projects that will be funded, designed, and built over the next four years. The TIP implements the transportation system vision established with the long-range Mobility Plan 2040. Where can I find the draft TIP?: How can I give feedback on the Draft TIP?:
  • Email or call Craig Luebke at craig.luebke@knoxtpo.org or 865-215-3825.
  • Attend the TPO Executive Board meeting at 9:00am on September 25th in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building (400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN).
  • Attend the TPO Technical Committee meeting at 9:00am on October 8th in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building (400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN).
  • Attend the TPO Executive Board meeting at 9:00am on October 23rd in the Small Assembly Room of the City County Building (400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN).
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TPO Participates in Road Safety and Engineering Training

Eighteen officers from 12 different law enforcement agencies came together Aug. 27 and 28, 2019, in Knoxville to learn about road safety and engineering fundamentals. The training was organized by the Knoxville Regional TPO in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration and Bike Walk Tennessee. Its purpose was to give law enforcement officers tools to recognize and report road safety hazards, with the goal of preventing fatal and life-changing traffic crashes. The trainer, Craig Allred, is a longtime Federal Highway Administration employee with a law enforcement background. Craig emphasized the need for law enforcement officers to speak up when they see unsafe road conditions that may be remedied by engineers or other experts. Also attending the training were engineers from three local governments (Knoxville, Knox County and Oak Ridge), who expressed their interest in working more closely with law enforcement on safety issues. Other organizations who had staff attend are Bike Walk Tennessee, the Federal Highway Administration, the Knox County Health Department, the TPO, and the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research. The following law enforcement agencies sent officers to the training:
  • Maryville Police Department
  • Alcoa Police Department
  • Blount County Sheriff’s Office
  • Jackson Police Department
  • Knox County Sheriff’s Office
  • Knoxville Police Department
  • Metro Nashville Police Department
  • Oak Ridge Police Department
  • Pigeon Forge Police Department
  • Pittman Center Police Department
  • Tennessee Highway Patrol
  • White Pine Police Department
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Chapman Highway Implementation Plan Available

As a key commercial area and entry point into Knoxville and Knox County, the Chapman Highway corridor affects tens of thousands of people each day. The recently completed Chapman Highway Implementation Plan provides a prioritized list of projects intended to transform and improve the corridor.

Final Report

A 40-page final report for the Chapman Highway Implementation Plan that summarizes the process and recommendations is available on the project page. The plan identifies and prioritizes projects that improve livability and safety for all modes of transportation along the corridor within the Knoxville city limits. For more details on specific City-funded Chapman Highway projects, visit the city’s Chapman Highway project page.
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How Does Knoxville’s Parking Inventory Compare?

A recent article, “Parking has Eaten American Cities,” compares the amount of land consumed by automobile parking in five U.S. cities.

Intrigued by this work, the TPO wanted to know how Knoxville compares. Staff coordinated with the University of Tennessee – Knoxville to start the project through an undergraduate GIS class. More than 142,000 parking spots were identified after reviewing less than half of off-street parking in the city!

To complete this project, TPO hired Brennan Wilson as an intern to continue counting parking spots and analyze the final data. Brennan graduated from UT – Knoxville in May with a bachelor’s degree in geography. Working in the KGIS database, he is reviewing and counting parking areas and parking lots, developing methods to inventory on-street parking, and developing analyses such as parking per capita and parking per gross floor area on commercial parcels.

“I’m hopeful that my work can help make Knoxville a more environmentally conscious and efficient city while also exploring alternative travel methods,” Brennan said when asked about the project.

We’re looking forward to digging into his findings once the project is complete. We expect that the results will help guide future planning efforts and could eventually change the landscape of our city.
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Public Hearing Notice: Proposed Program of Projects

The Executive Board of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) will hold a public hearing at its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. in the Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, Tennessee, for the purpose of considering public comment both written and oral on the proposed Program of Projects (POP) funded by Fiscal Year 2019 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Transit Grant funds and Section 5339 Bus and Bus Facilities Grant funds.  The City of Knoxville is the official designated recipient of the FTA funds.  The public involvement process, including the times established for public review and for allowing comment on the POP, follows the TPO’s Transportation Improvement Program public involvement process, as allowed by FTA and in accordance with appropriate federal transit regulations.  If there are no changes to the POP it will be considered final. a The proposed POP can be viewed on the TPO’s website at www.knoxtrans.org.  Interested persons or agencies and particularly private transportation providers are encouraged to participate in the process.  For information, to be mailed or faxed a copy of the POP, or to provide comments in advance of the meeting contact Dori Caron at the TPO at 400 Main Street, Suite 403, Knoxville, TN 37902; or by telephone at (865) 215-2694; or by e-mail at dori.caron@knoxtrans.org.  Comments submitted in advance of the meeting by 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21, 2019 will be read into the minutes at the meeting. If you need assistance or accommodation for a disability, please contact the TPO and we will be glad to work with you in obliging any reasonable request.  Ph. 215-2694 or dori.caron@knoxtrans.org. When: Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. Where: Small Assembly Room of the City-County Building, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, Tennessee
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TPO Distributes Funds, Providing Transportation Options to Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

For the past six years, the TPO has distributed 5310 program funding to regional nonprofits and government agencies to enhance mobility options for seniors and persons with disabilities.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) provide funding for the program, and each recipient is required to provide some level of local match. The TPO administers the program by overseeing the application process, distributing funds, and managing follow-up reporting. Projects selected must be consistent with the goals of the TPO’s Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan, which identifies gaps in services, proposes projects to help fill those gaps, and examines ways services can be coordinated. The application process for the grants is competitive, and final approval is given by the TPO Executive Board. Though the program is not limited to nonprofits, most of the funding is distributed to local organizations, such as Emory Valley Center, Sertoma Center, Cerebral Palsy Center, and ARC Knox County – Sunshine Industries. The 5310 program allows these groups to purchase vans that are used to transport clients to essential services.
To date, the TPO has helped nonprofits purchase 35 vans or mini-buses in the Knoxville urban area, which covers portions of Knox, Anderson, Blount, Loudon, and Sevier Counties.
The TPO is currently soliciting new projects to be funded.  Applications can be found on the TPO website at www.knoxtrans.org and are due by 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 25, 2019. Question can be addressed to: Mr. Doug Burton Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization 400 Main Street, Suite 403 – Knoxville, TN 37902 865-215-3824 or doug.burton@knoxplanning.org