The Tennessee Department of Transportation is hosting a virtual design public meeting from April 15-29 to gather public input on the proposed Pellissippi Parkway (SR-162) project from SR-33 to SR-73 (US-321).

The proposed project consists of developing a new controlled-access four-lane highway with a concrete median barrier wall and grade-separated interchanges.

Show Your Support

This meeting is being held to provide the public an opportunity to provide comments regarding the proposed project. Comments submitted through the project website will be addressed and become part of the official public transcript. The Blount Partnership encourages its stakeholders to bookmark the website and make comments in support of the project. Please allow approximately 30 minutes to view the entire meeting and associated assets.

Overview

The proposed State Route 162 Pellissippi Parkway Extension includes construction of a new transportation corridor, extending Pellissippi Parkway from its current location at SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) to SR 73 (US 321/Lamar Alexander Highway) in Blount County. The length of the proposed extension would be approximately 4.4 miles.

Purpose and Need

Currently, the roadway has several deficiencies. The transportation needs can be summarized as follows.

  • Limited mobility options in Blount County and Maryville due to the primarily radial roadway network that now exists
  • Poor local road network with substandard cross sections.
  • Lack of northwest/east connection of Alcoa and Maryville to help serve:
    • Expanding residential development occurring in eastern Alcoa and the Knoxville area to the north
    • Increasing demand for trips between Maryville and Alcoa, and the Knoxville area to the north
  • Safety issues on roadways in the area, including roads in the Maryville core that through-travelers between northern and western portions of the county and the eastern portions of the county must pass and numerous rear-end crashes and angle crashes have been reported due to high volumes of traffic and lack of access management along the roadways
  • Traffic congestion and poor levels of service on the major arterial roads in the study area (US 129, SR 33, US 411 and US 321)

The purpose of the project is to improve safety and mobility. The primary benefits include:

  • Enhance regional transportation system linkages.
  • Improve circumferential mobility by providing travel options to the existing radial roadway network in Blount County, Maryville, and Alcoa.
  • Improve roadway safety on the existing roadway network, including the Maryville core.
  • Achieve acceptable traffic flows (level of service) on the transportation network or not adversely affect traffic flows on the existing network.

Additionally, the parkway extension is designed to support community and growth management goals and minimize adverse impacts to neighborhoods and businesses, farmlands, and the natural and cultural environment.

The proposed project would be constructed in part with federal funding, and is therefore subject to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been prepared to meet NEPA requirements. The Record of Decision (ROD) for the proposed project was signed by FHWA on August 31, 2017, and is available in the Library section of this project.