KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The City of Knoxville is looking to re-work Washington Pike in Northeast Knoxville, but some community members think it's overkill.
The plans won't re-do the entire length of Washington Pike. The project focuses specifically on roughly two miles of the road from the I-640 ramp in front of Target to the Murphy Road intersection where a Weigel's sits.
Ronnie Collins is the president of the Alice Bell Spring Hill neighborhood association. He saw the city's plans to widen Washington Pike on Wednesday night. It was a part of a city-called meeting with community members to go over potential plans.
"It will go from a 22-foot-wide road through most of it to between 85-to-90-foot-wide project all the way up to Murphy Road," Collins said.
Not every part of the road will get the same layout and treatment, but throughout the majority of the two miles, the city wants to add a turning lane and sidewalks on either side of the street.
Initially, Collins said the city wanted to make the street five lanes instead of three.
"I mean, to go from 22 feet wide to close to a 90-feet-wide project is a major step," Collins said. "We think it's a little too much."
Traffic in the morning and afternoon is the main driving factor for the plans, though Collins said there's been talk since 2013 about road repairs.
"This seems a little dramatic to be fixing something that's an about three-to-four hours a day problem," Collins said.
Collins explained the community knows the traffic backups are a problem and they don't deny something needs to be done. He clarified neighbors are not against the shared footpaths, they would just rather have one and not two.
He said the turning lane is what they would most like to see.
However, Collins said there are some problems with the current plans. Presently, the construction would take out Twister's Diner because the new lane and sidewalks would come over too far into the property.
“They do a lot of business, a lot of people love going there," Collins said. "They got great food, great ice cream and stuff. It's a designated spot for people to go, and it will just disappear.”
Additionally, Collins said members of the historic Black Oak Grove community showed up at the Wednesday meeting and expressed concern in how far away the road would separate them from their neighbors.
Collins explained the people who live in Oak Grove are family, and the land dates back to the pre-Civil War era.
"It's just going to kind of really destroy their community," Collins said.
They're hoping the city takes their concerns and comes up with a plan that won't change this community's pace.
If approved, the city said in a statement the plans would take about two years to complete, with construction starting in April 2024.
A city spokesperson said the overall project costs are estimated between $17.5 million to $19 million. Of this, 80% will be paid for with Federal funds, leaving between $3.5 million to $3.8 million as the local and city share to pay.
There are more plans for the Millertown Pike exit and Interstate 640 ramps in the future, as well.