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Input Opportunities for Mobility Plan 2045

Mobility Plan 2045 is the region’s long-range transportation plan that will guide investments and shape the future of our region for the next 25 years. The plan is updated every four years to account for changes in community and regional priorities, technology, project costs, and available funding. It allows federal money to be used for transportation projects and ensures that we’re making the best long-term decisions for our residents, employers, and visitors.

The plan tries to determine the best ways to continue building prosperity and maintaining a high quality of life for all those in our region. To do this, we must find ways to make our transportation system safer and more efficient, improve the health of our residents and reduce air pollution, improve links among transportation, infrastructure and development, and provide equal access to benefits and opportunities. Digging into these issues allows us to prioritize transportation projects that accommodate all modes with a variety of different project types.

Last fall, local jurisdictions submitted applications for all potential transportation projects to be included in Mobility Plan 2045. Projects were selected and prioritized after consideration of both technical analysis and public input. The TPO has released a draft of Mobility Plan 2045 and an accompanying project list for a final round of community input. Comments will be accepted through April 7.

The draft plan is available at knoxmobility.org and the interactive map can be found at maps.knoxmpc.org/app/mobility. The map allows users to zoom in to any county within the TPO planning area and filter projects by mode to see those directly affecting them. It also allows users to submit comments on projects straight from the map.

To provide more information about the draft plan, and to give community members an opportunity to speak to staff about specific topics and projects, a series of virtual meetings has been scheduled throughout the month of March. Transportation Tuesdays will be hosted during lunch for three Tuesdays in the month, and each will focus on a different theme relating to the plan. There will also be two Virtual Town Hall events held at the end of the month. These will allow participants to move into breakout rooms organized by county to find out more about specific projects that are important to them. Finally, the regularly scheduled TPO Technical Committee and Executive Board Meetings will be open to the public.

Transportation Tuesdays:
Tuesday, March 9, 12:00 p.m.  – Mobility Plan 2045 Overview
Tuesday, March 16, 12:00 p.m. – Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Transit
Tuesday, March 23, 12:00 p.m. – Streets and Highways

Virtual Town Halls:
Thursday, March 25, 12:00 p.m. – County specific project overview
Thursday, March 25, 5:00 p.m. – County specific project overview

Regularly Scheduled Meetings:
Tuesday, March 9, 9:00 a.m. – TPO Technical Committee Meeting
Wednesday, March 24, 9:00 a.m. – TPO Executive Board Meeting

Registration links are available at knoxmobility.org.

Community input helped TPO staff determine the final project list, and staff wants to ensure residents are aware of the final steps of adopting the plan. Once the plan is adopted by the Executive Board, many of these projects will start to move through the development process, but that does not mean that residents have missed their opportunity to make a difference. It is important that community members stay engaged throughout the life a project because their continued input can have a big impact in shaping details of how a project unfolds.

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Call for Projects: FTA Transit Funding

The TPO is soliciting projects to be funded through the FTA Section 5310-Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities Program. 

Projects can include both operating services and vehicle purchases.  Non-profits who serve the elderly or persons who are disabled may be eligible to apply for funding for vans or mini-buses to serve their clients.  Projects are selected through a competitive process.  The TPO Executive Board determines final awards.  Funding is through the Knoxville Knox County Planning, the contracting agency for the TPO.      

Applications are due by 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 26, 2021. 

Applications and/or questions should be sent to:
Mr. Doug Burton
Knoxville Regional TPO
400 Main Street, Suite 403 – Knoxville, TN 37902
865-215-3824 or doug.burton@knoxtpo.org

Check this site frequently for updates.

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Public Notice: 2021 Transit Program of Projects (POP)

The proposed Program of Projects (POP) is a list of projects by each agency receiving Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5307 and Section 5339 funding.  For FY2021 Knoxville Area Transit (KAT), Knox County CAC Transit, and the East Tennessee Human Resource Agency (ETHRA) received funding.  Interested persons, agencies, and private transportation providers are encouraged to review and comment on the POP.  To be mailed or faxed a copy of the POP, or to provide comments contact Doug Burton at the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) 400 Main Street, Suite 403, Knoxville, TN 37902 or at (865) 215-3824 or at doug.burton@knoxtpo.org.  Comments must be submitted by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 to be read during the meeting.   

The City of Knoxville is the Designated Recipient of the FTA funds.  The times established for public review and for allowing comment on the POP follow the Knoxville Reginal TPO’s Transportation Improvement Program public involvement process.  Witten and, if possible, oral comments will be allowed on the proposed POP.  If there are no changes, the POP will be considered final.   

The POP Public Hearing will be conducted in conjunction with the TPO Executive Board meeting.  Due to social-distancing safeguards to protect from the COVID-19 threat, the TPO Executive Board meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. will be held electronically.  This includes the Public Hearing on the proposed FY2021 POP. The meeting will use the Zoom video-conferencing platform.  Further information will be on the TPO website, so check frequently for updates.

If you wish to make a public comment at the POP Public Hearing, live during the Executive Board meeting, please request access by contacting Laura Edmonds at laura.edmonds@knoxplanning.org or at 865-215-2506.  As part of your request please provide your full name, email address, and indicate you wish to comment on the POP.  Request must be submitted by 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.  Once a request is received, you will be sent an email invitation that will include a Zoom link that will enable you to connect to the meeting.

If you are unable to participate during the live meeting and you want to provide a public comment on the POP, you can do so in advance.  Please send your comments to Laura Edmonds or Doug Burton at the contact information above.  Clearly indicate your comments are on the POP and include your full name and email address.  Comments received will be read into the record during the live meeting.  Comments must be submitted no later than 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.  If you only want to view the meeting and do not want to make a public comment, you can watch the meeting both live and recorded on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/c/knoxvilleknoxcountyplanning/featured

Proposed POP 

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Broadway Pedestrian Road Safety Assessment Available

In September of 2020, staff from multiple agencies met virtually for a two-day review of pedestrian safety issues along the North Broadway corridor in Knoxville. The TPO’s analysis of pedestrian and bicycle crashes in the region had helped to identify the 1-mile section of Broadway from Hall of Fame Drive to Fairmont Boulevard as a hotspot for traffic crashes involving people walking.

This screenshot from the TPO’s public map shows the cluster of pedestrian-related crashes along this section of Broadway.

The result of these meetings is a Pedestrian Road Safety Assessment Report that is now available for review.

The report outlines near-term, intermediate, and long-term actions that can help increase the safety of people walking along and across this section of Broadway.

Near-term recommendations include:

  • Refresh pavement markings and install crosswalks at new locations.
  • Landscape vegetation that is obscuring pedestrian visibility.
  • Review of intersection signal timing for consideration of protected left turn phasing, right turn on red prohibitions, and other improvements to reduce vehicle turning conflicts.
  • Install pedestrian signal heads at signalized intersections and include a lead pedestrian interval (LPI) at those locations with frequent turning vehicle conflicts. Pedestrian signal heads with countdown timers can reduce pedestrian crashes by 25 percent, and LPIs can reduce pedestrian crashes by 13 percent.

Intermediate recommendations include:

  • Incorporate coordinated signal phasing in the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) plan.
  • Pursue access management improvements to consolidate curb cuts and improve vehicular and pedestrian safety. Begin with temporary measures such as curb stops and flexible delineators.
  • Modify intersection geometry to reduce the speed of turning vehicles. These could include reducing turning radii to slow the speed of right turns and hardening center lines to slow left turns. Begin with temporary measures such as flexible delineators, bollards, and pavement markings.
  • Improve transit stop infrastructure for those locations with higher ridership to include benches and shelters.

Long-term recommendations include:

  • Continue access management and intersection geometric improvements by hardscaping temporary improvements and continuing sidewalks across driveway entrances.

Agencies involved in the process were the TPO, City of Knoxville, Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Bike Walk Knoxville and a consultant team hired through FHWA.

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Title VI Report Available

As the recipient of Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding, the TPO is required to prepare a Title VI Report every three years. Knoxville-Knox County Planning (Planning) provides staff and is the contracting agency for the TPO. For this report, both entities (Planning and TPO) are referenced and are considered one-in-the-same. While the TPO is required to follow Title VI regulations with all sources of federal transportation funding, this report specifically covers FTA funding. The TPO Executive Board will vote to approve the Title VI Report at their meeting at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 25, 2020. If you have any comments or questions please contact Doug Burton at 865-215-3824 or doug.burton@knoxtpo.org. Any official comment should be submitted by Tuesday, November 24th by 2:00 p.m. 2020 Title VI Report
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Public Review and Comment Period: Draft Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan

The purpose of the Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan is to identify the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities, seniors, and people with low incomes and provide a list of prioritized strategies to meet those needs.

The TPO receives funding from Federal Transit Administration Section 5310, a program designed to improve mobility for seniors, individuals with disabilities, and persons of low-income, which is required to be in the plan. The TPO Executive Board makes the final decision on which projects are selected, and staff are tasked with ensuring that those projects are in keeping with the strategies found within the plan.

The TPO is updating this plan for the first time since 2013 to ensure that identified needs, gaps in current services, strategies for meeting those gaps, and projects within the plan are still up-to-date. A survey was recently distributed to staff, boards, committees, contacts, and clients of local human-service agencies and non-profits to gather opinions and preferences. A report showing a summary of responses is available in the Appendix of the draft

Draft Plan Executive Summary

The Plan draws from previous planning efforts as well as feedback received through the survey and key interviews. It is now available for review by stakeholders and interested individuals and will be voted on by the TPO Technical Committee and Executive Board in October. Once approved, it will be incorporated into Mobility Plan 2045, the region’s long-range transportation plan, which will be available in 2021.

The draft HSTCP is available for public comment through Friday, November 6, 2020.  The HSTCP will be on the November 25, 2020 TPO Executive Board agenda as an action item for approval.  To make comments on the HSTCP or to request any special accommodations please contact Doug Burton at Knoxville Regional TPO – 400 Main Street, Suite 403 Knoxville, TN 37902 – 865-215-3824 – doug.burton@knoxtpo.org.