At the TPO’s March Technical Committee meeting, attendees heard about investments that Knox County has made in pedestrian safety around three schools.

Cedar Bluff Elementary and Middle Schools

The projects include pedestrian crossings with medians and flashing lights and improvements to pedestrian signals at signalized intersections. The safety improvements are near Cedar Bluff Elementary and Middle Schools, Blue Grass Elementary, and West Valley Middle. Projects were identified following this analysis of walkability at Knox County Schools and this follow-up study. The cost for the improvements was just over $600,000.

Cedar Bluff caption: This pedestrian crossing improvement links Cedar Bluff Elementary and Middle Schools with the apartments on the other side of Cedar Bluff Road.

Blue Grass caption: This crossing of Ebenezer Road is about a half-mile from Blue Grass Elementary, within the pedestrian responsibility zone for the school.

West Valley caption: All of the new crossings feature rapid rectangular flashing beacons, which are activated by push-button and alert drivers to a person crossing the street. This crossing is in front of West Valley Middle and connects to the town homes along George Williams Road.