Mayor Madeline Rogero today announced the launch of the City's Accelerated Bus Corridor (ABC) project, which will improve traffic flow and enhance the transit experience along North Broadway between downtown and Fountain City, as well as make Knoxville’s air cleaner by reducing vehicle emissions.
Mayor on Board: From left, Director of Transit Dawn Distler, City Councilman Daniel Brown and Mayor Madeline Rogero
The ABC initiative is being funded initially by a $6.4 million federal grant. Mayor Rogero, members of City Council, Chief Traffic Engineer Jeff Branham and Director of Transit Dawn Distler announced the grant and the ABC project at a KAT bus shelter on North Broadway in Fountain City.
The ABC project will complement the City’s ongoing $9 million investment in an Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), which is installing “smart” interconnected traffic control signals along Broadway, Chapman Highway and Kingston Pike. The automated system will analyze where cars are backing up and make second-by-second adjustments in the timing of the signals to best optimize traffic flow.
The Accelerated Bus Corridor project will be a second step that extends the ATMS technology on Broadway to track Knoxville Area Transit buses, coordinate their movements with other motorists in real time, and synchronize signals to allow the buses to stay on schedule.
"We’re excited to be installing cutting-edge technology to help resolve decades of frustration with gridlock on Broadway,” Mayor Rogero said. “Everyone’s commute will improve, and less time sitting in traffic means reduced emissions of pollutants.”
The three-year ABC project also will mean better pedestrian access to key KAT stop locations, new shelters and LED panels with precise information about when buses will arrive – and even the arrival times at destinations using connecting routes.
The Broadway Corridor is serviced by KAT’s Route 22, which carries 23,000 passengers monthly. The bus route has 45 bus stops and runs every 15 minutes during peak hours (6 to 9 a.m. and again from 3:30 to 6 p.m.) on weekdays from Knoxville Station downtown to Garden Drive at Jacksboro Pike in Fountain City. During other weekday hours, the buses run every 30 minutes until 10:15 p.m. Route 22 buses also run every 30 minutes on Saturdays and every hour on Sundays.
“We’re anticipating an increase in ridership on Route 22 by eliminating the uncertainty of bus arrivals and providing improved access to our stops,” Distler said.
For more details about the ABC project, click HERE.
