KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville is experimenting with making a part of Gay Street more pedestrian-friendly, shutting down a popular part of the road to cars and effectively making it a walkable area similar to Market Square.
A section of Gay Street from Wall Avenue to Union Avenue will be closed from 7 p.m. through 4 a.m. during four weekends in November and December. The specific dates the road will be closed are listed below.
- Nov. 10 and Nov. 11
- Nov. 17 and Nov. 18
- Dec. 8 and Dec. 9
- Dec. 15 and Dec. 16
Along the stretch of road are popular restaurants, bars and stores.
"We're very very excited. We're hoping to get a lot more people," said David Dunwoody, manager of The Mirage. "Back in 2018, we asked the city and they denied. I'm glad in 2023 they are finally doing it. I think it's a wonderful idea. It's going to bring more to Gay Street."
The bar and lounge is located on Gay Street, next door to another store that routinely attracts visitors. It's named Bliss, and a co-owner of that retail shop said the growth of businesses in the Gay Street area has been impressive over the last five years.
"Over the years, Gay Street has really come up. We got a lot of wonderful restaurants and retail, and it gets better and better," said Scott Schimmel, a co-owner of the store.
While Knoxville leaders describe the closure to cars as an experiment, they also said the concept was successful in places like Nashville and New York City. Before implementing the idea fully, leaders need to plan for how the concept may pan out in the long run.
"We're going to look at the timing of the opening — schools, traffic patterns, signage for parking. We don't know yet," said Grant Rosenberg, who works with the City of Knoxville. "Gay Street is downtown's living room. It's the most iconic street in downtown Knoxville."