WALKER BLVD

On February 3, 2025 a 75-year-old Knoxville woman was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while crossing Walker Boulevard in North Knoxville. 

The City completed a thorough fatal crash review and, based on those findings, installed a Pedestrian Gateway Treatment along with other improvements. These improvements are intended to slow vehicle speeds, increase pedestrian visibility, and improve pedestrian safety for area residents.

SUTHERLAND AVE. AT TOBLER LN.

In early 2024 a student was struck by a vehicle while walking to West High School. This student was crossing Sutherland Ave in a marked crosswalk with the WALK pedestrian signal shown. Left turning vehicles are traditionally a danger to pedestrians due to drivers cutting across the intersection and taking turns diagonally at a high speed.

The City has installed “centerline hardening” and curb bulb-out measures with rubber curbing to protect future pedestrians from those turning vehicles. These measures reduce the speed of turning vehicles by tightening the turns, forcing vehicles to turn at more of a right-angle, and greatly increases the visibility of crossing pedestrians.

Source: State Smart Transportation Initiative

CHAPMAN HIGHWAY - BLOUNT AVE. TO WOODLAWN PIKE

Thanks to a $17.8 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant and a $4.45 million City match, look for work to begin on major safety improvements to Chapman Highway between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike.

The $22.25 million in federal and 20 percent local match funding will make this section of Chapman Highway safer for all users – motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. The design for this corridor will include a shared bike and pedestrian pathway that’s separated from vehicles, a landscaped median, modified traffic signalization, and much more.

More than 26,000 vehicles a day, on average, travel this stretch of Chapman Highway.

Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2028, with completion by fall 2029 or winter 2030.

MAGNOLIA AVE. INTERSECTIONS

On Magnolia Avenue, three intersections — Cherry, Hembree, and Castle streets — have been identified as priorities for improvement due to a notably high incidence of severe crashes and pedestrian movement.

An $8 million grant in 2023 from the U.S. Department of Transportation is funding safety improvements on major multi-use corridors, including Magnolia Avenue.

Potential upgrades include enhanced crosswalk visibility, pedestrian refuge islands, on-street bike lanes, and other effective safety solutions. Design work is underway.

The City and the Gresham Smith project team are committed to creating the safest and most effective design possible — but we need your input to get it right. Click below for details on how you can provide suggestions through a survey and interactive map.