Knox County is prepared to spend $6 million to widen 1.7 miles of Canton Hollow Road, from Admiral Bend Way to Trent Lane with a left-turn lane at Woody Drive.
Engineers with maps met the public Tuesday evening at the Farragut High School commons.
Resident Kim Malmquist said, “It’s not a bad plan. It would straighten out the curves and hills.”
Dwight Van de Vate, senior director of Engineering & Public Works, was eager to see comment cards from attendees. He defended the meeting format which provided maps and small group discussions rather than a speaker with a microphone.
One man complained about the sidewalks in such a rural area, but Van de Vate said sidewalks should be included on connector roads such as Canton Hollow. “The traffic is slower and the roads are wider” inside subdivisions, he said.
Ron Williams and John Schoonmaker look at the maps.
Knox County Commissioner John Schoonmaker called Canton Hollow the “worst road in Knox County,” based on crash data. He was reviewing the plans with Ron Williams, an alderman for the town of Farragut. Commission chair Dave Wright also attended.
Schoonmaker said the project won’t start until next summer because the county is funding half in the fiscal year that started July 1, 2017, and the other half in the next fiscal year. He said improvements can be made without shutting down the road. “It will be great for the community.”
The design by CDM Smith calls for 60- to 90-foot right-of-way with two 11-foot traffic lanes, a 6-foot sidewalk on one side and a 10- to 12-foot multi-use path on the other side with curb and gutter drainage. Info: Jim.Snowden@knoxcounty.org
