Blog: City Blog

Three Greenway Improvements Make Trails Safer and (Literally) Smoother

In response to community requests, there are several greenway improvement projects underway throughout the City.

Lakeshore Greenway – Smooth sailing along the river

Many avid runners and walkers are celebrating the fact that a 1,300-foot segment running parallel to the Tennessee River is getting replaced. The portion of the trail has long been plagued by water damage, which allowed tree roots to compromise the asphalt, creating an uneven surface.

Repairs to Lakeshore Greenway

(Forefront) Tree roots in a segment of Lakeshore Greenway that will soon be permanently removed once the new segment (constructed in the background) is completed next week.

The City’s Greenways Service Crew has already cut the new path for the rerouted (parallel) segment, shifting it slightly uphill to avoid future water damage. Crews are scheduled to pave the new segment toward the end of the week of Sept. 17 (assuming the rains finish up mid-week as expected).

Once the new portion is paved, crews will remove the older, damaged section.

Ten Mile Creek Greenway – Safer crossing at Bridgewater Road

Staff in City Traffic Engineering are preparing to shift Ten Mile Creek Greenway’s crosswalk on Bridgewater Road about fifty feet southward to help the flow between pedestrians and drivers turning onto the road.

Currently, the crosswalk is in close proximity to the Bridgewater Road/Cross Park Drive intersection. The new crosswalk’s location will shift to the northern side of the creek, giving drivers more room to complete their turn onto Bridgewater Road before having to look for potential pedestrians.

Ten Mile Creek Greenway Crosswalk Adjustment

Ten Mile Creek Greenway Crosswalk Adjustment

When the adjustment is made, crews will make new curb cuts and paint new road markings for the crosswalk. The work is expected to take place in October and should be completed within a few days.

Parkridge Park Trail – Completing broken links

The Greenways Service Crew has already cut and laid rock down for a 100-foot trail link within Parkridge Park. The project completes a small trail that once connected the parking lot to an amenity that has long since been removed, giving the sense of “a path to nowhere.”

Parkridge Park Trail Link

The new trail segment in Parkridge Park links two existing pieces.

The connection links to a sidewalk on the other end of the park, allowing patrons to stroll from the Briscoe Avenue entrance to the Bertrand Street sidewalk.

Crews are expected to pave the segment later this month.

“These three projects will make a noticeable impact for those who use these greenways,” said Tim Hester, City Parks and Greenways Coordinator. “This showcases the real value of having a Greenways Service Crew, because we would have been contracting these projects out in the past.”

For more information on the City’s greenways, including construction schedules and detours, visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/greenways.

Posted by On 14 September, 2018 at 9:34 AM