KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Roadwork will soon return to Woodrow Drive and continue on a section of North Broadway, according to city leaders and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
Rogers Group, a contractor, is expected to start repaving Woodrow Drive later this week, according to a social media post from Knoxville. Outside traffic won't be able to use Woodrow Drive once the project begins.
A project last year fixed sewage pipes and led to partial patching. That ultimately left parts of the street more uneven than it was before.
The road's poor condition has long been an issue, according to Lashay Connor who lives nearby. Connor has lived on the street for seven years. Hearing about a complete repaving excited her, but her patience has thinned.
"I really tried to give them the benefit of the doubt for a long time. You know, 'If you're not totally done, then why totally repave it?' But after a year, it's kinda exhausting to drive on," she said.
She shrugged her shoulders when asked about navigating the road work. It'll be a short-term inconvenience for a long-term reward, she said. She said the construction crews were easy to work with last year and she expects the same this time.
Despite that, she said the drawn-out process can't be ignored.
"One street over was repaved at around the same time they did this," she said. "I don't see why they would tear it up and keep throwing patches down when you're obviously capable of repaving a residential road."
Residents and commuters along North Broadway will continue to see road work between Central Avenue and Mineral Springs Avenue until sometime in October, said TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi.
He also said a construction contractor is currently repairing several curbs along the street. It will begin repaving the section in September.
"The extensive below-ground KUB work required some time for the infill to settle, now that’s happened, so the road can now be repaved. It’s a priority. And the work is starting this week," said a spokesperson for the city.
