KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A section of Kingston Pike is now safe for bicyclists to ride. The city of Knoxville partnered with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to fund the Kingston Pike Complete Connections Project.
The $2.3 million project aims to make part of Kingston Pike safer for bikers and pedestrians. The city held a ribbon cutting for the improvements on Thursday morning.
Located between Papermill and Messiah Lutheran Church in Bearden, a wide, smooth ADA-compliant sidewalk was constructed on the south side of Kingston Pike, along with bike lanes on each side of the pike.
At Papermill Drive, there is infrastructure that supports a new Knoxville Area Transit bus stop shelter and a crosswalk with pedestrian signals and a new detection equipment approaching the traffic signal will improve the signal’s timing and traffic flow. Drainage and lighting improvements were also made, the city said in a release.
Before, the stretch had no shoulder and bikers were forced to be on the road with other cars.
"The West Knoxville Bicycle Route mostly follows greenways and neighborhood streets – but then there’s this section of Kingston Pike,” Jon Livengood, Knoxville's alternative transportation coordinator, said. "For years, it was a big barrier: A high volume of traffic, no shoulder, fast-moving vehicles. Many bicyclists didn’t feel comfortable riding there. These state and city investments improve this corridor for everyone – but especially for bicyclists. There’s still a lot of vehicular traffic, but now, bicyclists have designated lanes, so safety has been greatly improved.”
City leaders hope the designated bike lane will improve safety for everyone.