At its first meeting of the new year, City Council voted to approve $1.6 million to fund a new sidewalk project in East Knoxville and to remove and replace 35,000 square feet of sidewalk at 32 sites across the city.

The Wilson Avenue Sidewalk Project will construct 1,500 linear feet of new sidewalk with a curb and drainage system along the north side of Wilson Avenue, connecting existing sidewalks between the corner of South Chestnut Street and South Harrison streets.

“This project will make it safer for students walking to Austin-East Magnet High School and neighbors going to Paul Hogue Park,” said City Engineering Director Jim Hagerman. “The new sidewalk will contribute to the walkability, accessibility and safety of the neighborhood.” 

Recently completed work in the vicinity created about 1,300 linear feet of sidewalk along nearby South Castle Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and the entrance of Claude Walker Park.

The Wilson Avenue Sidewalk Project will also involve installing two concrete pads for future bus shelters on Knoxville Area Transit’s Burlington Route 34. The 5-by-10-foot concrete pads will be poured at the Chestnut Street stop (2501 Wilson) and the Cherry Street stop (2601 Wilson). Sidewalk improvements at the Harrison Street stop (2701 Wilson) will also benefit transit riders and area pedestrians. 

Additionally, the project includes construction that will widen the existing bridge over Williams Creek and relocate a KUB gas main. 

The City has contracted with Bell & Associates Construction to complete the work for $1,062,397.50, of which KUB will contribute $213,205 for the gas main replacement.

At the Jan. 14 meeting, City Council also approved a $548,655 contract with Design and Construction Services Inc. to remove and replace approximately 35,000 square feet of sidewalk in multiple locations, most heavily concentrated in the city’s older neighborhoods.

Design and Construction Services Inc. (DCSI) is close to completing a similar $497,499 project to remove and replace sidewalk – also approximately 35,000 square feet – at 34 sites. The current work, scheduled to be complete this spring, includes sections of Brandau Street and Knoxville College Drive in Mechanicsville, the 1700 and 2300 blocks of Woodbine Avenue in Parkridge, and the medallion in Market Square.

And in late December 2019, the City contracted with DCSI to construct 4,150 linear feet of new sidewalk on the north side of Sheffield Drive in West Hills. The project, which will cost an estimated $437,702, is expected to be finished in the spring of 2020.

During the 2018-2019 fiscal year, the City Civil Engineering Division managed the construction of 9,871 linear feet of new sidewalk and 9,442 linear feet of sidewalk replacement.

A city-wide sidewalk study to help prioritize sidewalk connections is in the final stages and is expected to be published for public review in March. Visit www.KnoxvilleTN.gov/sidewalks for more details about that survey and its results as they become available.