KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville community members and city leaders met Tuesday evening to discuss design work for the East Knox Greenway, during a public meeting meant to gather input.
The new greenway is meant to stretch more than 2 miles and connect Harriet Tubman Park with the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum. Around $4 million for the greenway is being federally funded and administered through the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The City of Knoxville is set to contribute $988,054 to build the new greenway.
The idea for the greenway comes from a 2016 study on the city's greenways. An adjacent project will also connect Harriet Tubman Park to the Old City, according to officials at the meeting.
The path is set to skirt Austin Homes and Vine Magney Middle School before crossing through Dr. Walter Hardy Park and through the Five Points community. It will then cross Williams Creek and connect with the Botanical Garden trails on the east side.
One of the design objectives was to provide off-street facilities, officials said. They also wanted to provide connections to as many neighborhoods and parks as possible. The width of the path ranges from 12 feet to 8 feet.
Tuesday's public meeting is one of many meant to help plan the specific route of the new greenway. After the design is in place, right-of-way acquisition will follow before construction starts in spring 2024.
Anyone who wants to give their opinions on the new greenway can also email Knoxville's Greenways Coordinator, Tim Hester, at thester@knoxvilletn.gov.