CORRYTON, Tenn. — Knox County Commissioner Richie Beeler said he's heard from neighbors frustrated by the volume of traffic along Karnes Drive in Corryton.
"It has become a very popular route around the Gibbs school zones, especially in the peak times," Beeler said. "In response to the concerns of some of the residents, we engaged with Knox County Engineering and Public Works and they studied the traffic flow and the roads in the area."
The department found that around 410 vehicles drive on that road daily. An estimated 200 of those trips use Karnes Drive as a cut-through road.
"Anybody in this area uses that road very frequently," said Penny Harrell, who lives off Thompson School Road. "It will change my route drastically because when I'm trying to just go a simple way, I'm now going to have to go all the way around and fight traffic."
With a number of residential developments in the works, Knox County estimates an additional 1,000 cars a day could use Karnes Drive.
"These additional vehicles are much better served via using the main collectors and not a narrow local street, intended for small residential traffic only," Knox County Engineering Senior Director Jim Snowden wrote in a letter. "Knox County Engineering is proposing the permanent closure of Karnes Drive near Barker Road."
The proposal would put a cul-de-sac near the existing intersection of Barker Road and Karnes Drive. It'd also add a greenway and parking lot towards Gibbs Ruritan Park.
"The closure of this road is not imminent in any way," Commissioner Beeler said. "This is just one proposal that's being considered."
Ronald Gibbons hopes the county commissioners won't vote in favor of closing the road permanently. He said he's relied on it for more than four decades.
"If it's closed off, it'll create a terrible problem out here," Gibbons said. "I've used it at least a dozen times each week or more ... I think it should be left just like it is — or if anything, widened a little bit."
Commissioners are expected to discuss the proposal at their upcoming work session and meeting in November. They'd like to hear community feedback before then.
"We do want to hear from you because we want to make the right decision for the community," Beeler said. "Please let us know how you feel."