As construction continues on the City of Knoxville's Cumberland Avenue Corridor project, a new app can keep you up to date on road conditions, traffic routes and special offers from local merchants.

The CumberlandConnect app is available online as a free download for Android and Apple devices. It was created by Vaughn & Melton, the City's construction engineering inspections contractor on the project. It includes regular updates, contact information for any questions about the project, and coupons from Cumberland Avenue merchants. (Apps for other devices -- Blackberry, Windows and Kindle - will be available at the end of May.)

"We are doing everything we can to keep people informed and engaged as this project continues," said Anne Wallace, Project Manager with the City's Office of Redevelopment. "This app is an easy way to share updates and keep people connected to the merchants in the area."

Vaughn & Melton has also created a website www.cumberlandconnect.com), a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cumberlandconnect), and a Twitter account (@VisitCumberland).

Wallace also maintains a project blog with regular updates at www.cumberlandconnections.blogspot.com.

The Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project is a City of Knoxville initiative to redesign Cumberland Avenue from Alcoa Highway east to 17th street, changing the existing four-lane street to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections. Sidewalks will be widened and landscaped, and utilities will be buried, to create a more attractive, pedestrian-friendly corridor.

Construction will proceed in two phases, with Phase I (from Alcoa Highway to 22nd Street) to be completed by the end of 2015, and Phase II (from 22nd Street to just east of 17th Street) scheduled for completion in August 2017.