See the plan for paths and medians on Chapman Highway from Blount Avenue to Woodlawn Pike, 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. The $22.25M project is set to start in 2028.

The city of Knoxville wants South Knoxville residents and Chapman Highway drivers to weigh in on a plan to make the road safer between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike.

The preliminary design adds wide shared-use paths, separated from traffic, and landscaped medians. The city said the goal is to make this stretch “feel more like an urban boulevard and less like a high-speed four-lane highway.”

The project team will show the concept at a drop-in open house on Thursday, Nov. 5. The city announced it in a news release on Oct. 28.

The open house

  • When: 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. Drop in at any time.
  • Where: Graystone Presbyterian Church, 139 Woodlawn Pike
  • Who will be there: staff from City Transportation Engineering, the city’s Vision Zero program and the consulting firm Kimley-Horn
  • What to bring: your experience of the road. The city said it wants people to review the concepts, share what they have seen and offer ideas.

To ask for an interpreter or a disability accommodation, the city lists TitleVI@KnoxvilleTN.gov (language) and ADA@KnoxvilleTN.gov (disability), or 865-215-3100.

Why this stretch

The money comes from a $17.8 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant announced in late 2024. The city is adding a $4.45 million local match, for a total of $22.25 million.

The city’s Safe Streets project page gives the case for the work:

  • More than 26,000 vehicles a day, on average, use this stretch.
  • A traffic study found that more than half the crashes here between fall 2016 and fall 2021 involved pedestrians or bicyclists.
  • A pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver at Chapman Highway and Fort Avenue in April 2024.
  • Large apartment communities and Kerns Food Hall have opened on both sides of the road.

The section is about 0.75 miles long. The project page says a path similar to a greenway will run on the west side of the road, with a grassy strip between it and a raised curb. The medians will give people crossing Chapman a safe place to stop, and are meant to cue drivers to slow down. The page also mentions modified traffic signals.

When it would be built

The city said the first stage is design, then buying the right-of-way. Construction is expected to start in summer 2028 and finish by fall 2029 or winter 2030.

Nothing changes on the road yet. The design shown on Nov. 5 is a preliminary concept.

What it means for you

  • If you walk, bike, drive or take the bus on Chapman Highway, the open house is the chance to shape the design before it is drawn in detail.
  • Can’t make it? The release did not mention an online survey. The project page and the city’s Vision Zero program are where the city posts updates.
  • Road work now: the project will not start before 2028. For current closures, see our Knoxville road construction and closures page.
  • About the area: our South Knoxville neighborhood guide covers the parks, trails and places to eat along the corridor.