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TDOT holds second public meeting on Interchange
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On January 11th, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) held its second public input meeting concerning a proposed interchange between the
Hall of Fame Blvd. (HOF) and Broadway. At present, work on the HOF is scheduled to begin in July 2005 and be completed by the end of 2006. At this meeting, two versions (3A and 3B) of the five interchange alternatives were removed from consideration due to cost and the destruction they would do to Old North Knoxville. Those alternatives would have created an interchange connecting HOF and Grainger Ave. Though TDOT was asked to consider traffic impact beyond the 1/4-mile radius of the interchange, Teresa Estes of Gresham, Smith and Partners said that it is up to the local community to contact their "local planning commission" about traffic issues outside this 1/4-mile radius, and these are "not TDOT's concern." Gresham, Smith and Partners is the private firm working with TDOT on this interchange project. Residents from both Fourth and Gill and Old North Knoxville were at the meeting. Several asked why none of the remaining proposed alternatives remove the southbound fly on ramp from Broadway onto what will become HOF and remove the northbound fly off ramp from what will be HOF onto Broadway, replacing them with a fully traffic-light controlled interchange. This would make crossing Broadway safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, they said. TDOT representatives said the ramps were kept in order to prevent huge backups in traffic trying to get on Broadway. This backup might then cause drivers to cut through Fourth and Gill and Old North Knoxville, looking for alternate routes. TDOT said it would look into designing an intersection that would allow pedestrians and bicyclists to cross easier. With the exception of Alternative 1, all the other alternatives call for making Kenyon one-way going toward Broadway. This will supposedly reduce cut through traffic on this street. Another public hearing is planned, though the exact time has not yet been set. For further details, please go to www.oldnorthknoxville.org/HOF.htm and www.oldnorthknoxville.org/HOF2.htm. You can also contact Teresa S. Estes, Project Planner, Gresham, Smith and Partners, 1400 Nashville City Center, 511 Union St., Nashville, TN 37219, 615-770-8467 or . Editor's Note: Usually this space is where you will find the Things to be Thankful column. We plan to bring that back with the next issue, but we felt the information on this proposed interchange needed to be reported.
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