Editor’s note: Butterfingers! I didn’t mean to send this to our entire email list. It’s the latest from KnoxWire, our new curated community newsfeed, which ordinarily doesn’t go out to subscribers. Yours truly forgot to uncheck a box.
Since I’ve got your attention, though, you’re welcome to check out the KnoxWire anytime for news and community announcements that might not warrant a full IOK story (or that we simply don’t have the bandwidth to cover) but are still worth sharing. Capacity-building and covering more ground is my big mission for the coming year and KnoxWire is a start. — Leslie
Weather permitting, crews will begin work in coming weeks to improve the traffic pattern – and enhance safety – at the intersection of Council Place and Sevier Avenue, near the south end of the Gay Street Bridge.
Council Place will become a quarter-mile-long bicycle route, closed to vehicular traffic, and Sevier Avenue on the hill by the former Kerbela Temple site will become a two-way street for vehicles.
The reconfiguration will safely separate bicyclists and vehicles, while also removing a traffic signal at the intersection – which will allow motorists traveling on Blount and Sevier avenues to more quickly reach their destinations by eliminating the traffic stop.
An added bonus: By removing the existing bike path of the Sevier Avenue hill, City crews will be able to create a small number of new on-street parking spaces.
“I’m excited to see this common-sense triple win,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said.
“We’re improving safety for bicyclists and motorists, while making the drive easier, with fewer traffic signal delays, for people in cars and trucks. And it’s always great to be able to create new on-street parking.”
A short section of Sevier Avenue between the Blount Avenue intersection eastward toward Jones Street will be milled, repaved, and restriped for two-way traffic. The unused railroad tracks at Jones Street will be removed.
At that point, Council Place will close to vehicles, and the traffic signal at Blount and Sevier will be removed.
The project timeline is contingent on warm, dry weather, but South Waterfront stakeholders and visitors should anticipate the changed traffic patterns to be completed by early spring 2027.
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