Public Meeting Notice: Federal Planning Certification Review

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) will hold a public meeting on Monday, December 7, at 5:30 p.m. at Knoxville Area Transit Transfer Station, located at 301 Church Avenue, Knoxville, TN.

The meeting will be in the conference room located near the main entrance off of Church Avenue.

The public meeting is part of the TPO’s Federal Planning Certification Review conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Tennessee Department of Transportation as required by federal legislation 23 CFR 450.334.  Citizens and other state, regional, and local partners and any other interested parties are encouraged to attend the public meeting to discuss the TPO’s planning efforts to meet the various federal regulations and how the transportation planning process works locally.  

For additional information please contact TPO at 215-2694 or see the TPO web site at www.knoxtrans.org. If you need assistance or accommodation for a disability please notify the TPO three business days in advance of the meeting and we will be glad to work with you in obliging any reasonable request. 865-215-2694 or dori.caron@knoxplanning.org. Parking for the meeting is available at the Knoxville Coliseum Parking Garages and along the Church Avenue Bridge. 

Alcoa Highway Design Public Meeting

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) will conduct a Design Public Meeting on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 to discuss the Roadway Plans for SR-115 from north of Little River to north of Maloney Road.

View map of the general location

The meeting will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Sevier Heights Baptist Church (North Campus), 2939 Alcoa Hwy, Knoxville, TN 37920.

The meeting will be informal in nature with design plans and aerial displays available for viewing. The public will be encouraged to provide comments and representatives of TDOT will be able to answer questions regarding any aspect of the project. A court reporter will also be available to take comments. Anyone with questions regarding the meeting should contact:

Eric Wilson
Project Development, Region 1
TN Department of Transportation
7345 Region Lane
Knoxville, TN 37914
(865) 594-2442 Office
(865) 594-2441 Fax
eric.wilson@tn.gov

Persons with a disability, who require aids or services to participate at the meeting, may contact Ms. Margaret Mahler no less than ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting:

Ms. Margaret Mahler 
ADA Compliance
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Suite 400, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37243

or

by e-mail: Margaret.Z.Mahler@tn.gov
615/741-4984 (phone)
615/532-5995 (fax)
615/253-8311 TTY Relay

TDOT is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, color, disability or national origin.

In the event of inclement weather that results in the closure of city and county schools, the meeting will be postponed.

Call for Projects for TDOT Multimodal Access Grants

The TPO welcomes local governments to submit applications for the 2015-2016 round of Tennessee Department of Transportation Multimodal Access Grants.

The Multimodal Access Grant provides 95% state funds with a 5% local match for the purpose of supporting the transportation needs of transit users, pedestrians, and bicyclists through infrastructure projects that address multimodal gaps along the state highway network.

Applications are due to the TPO at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 8, 2015. They should be sent to ellen.zavisca@knoxplanning.org. Any questions should go to Ellen Zavisca at that address or at 215-4014.

Here are the guidelines for the grant application. Here are Part 1 and Part 2 of the application. Here is the TPO's timeline for accepting and reviewing grant applications.

Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR-162)

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) announces the availability of the approved Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR-162) from SR-33 (Old Knoxville Highway) to US-321/SR-73/Lamar Alexander Parkway, in Blount County Tennessee. 

The FEIS was approved by the Federal Highway Administration on September 10, 2015.

Copies of the FEIS document are available for public review at the locations listed below:

Blount County Public Library
508 N. Cusick Street
Maryville, TN 37804

Blount County Chamber of Commerce
201 S. Washington Street
Maryville, TN 37804

TDOT Region 1
7345 Region Lane
Knoxville, TN 37914

An electronic copy of the approved FEIS is also available at: https://www.tn.gov/tdot/article/pellissippi.

Any comments should be submitted to the address below by November, 18, 2015:

Tennessee Department of Transportation
FEIS Comments 
Attn: Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR-162)
Suite 700, James K. Polk Building
505 Deaderick Street
Nashville, TN 37243-1402

Alcoa Town Center Workshop Report Now Available

Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) staff, City of Alcoa officials and representatives from Smart Growth America hosted a community event and an in-depth workshop on September 1 and 2, 2015 to learn more about innovative approaches to pursuing quality small downtown development and redevelopment. 

View the report here to learn more about key development issues Alcoa faces and the community's options as it moves forward.

Long Range Mobility Plan Amendments Spur Air Quality Conformity Determination

A set of project amendments for both the Long Range Regional Mobility Plan and FY 2014-2017 Transportation Improvement Program were adopted by the TPO Executive Board at their March 10, 2015 meeting.

An air quality conformity determination for these amendments was required due to the Knoxville Region's current air quality attainment status with Federal Clean Air Act regulations. A presentation was provided by the TPO staff that gives an overview of the transportation planning requirements associated with meeting the Federal air quality regulations and the conformity analysis that was conducted by the TPO to demonstrate compliance of its transportation plans with those requirements. View the presentation here.