The greenway will skirt Austin Homes and Vine Magnet Middle School on the western end. It will cross through Dr. Walter Hardy Park and the heart of the Five Points community before crossing Williams Creek and connecting with the Botanical Garden trails to the east.
“This greenway will be a game-changer,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “It will connect destinations and give East Knoxville residents a new healthy way to safely navigate the city. Multi-modal amenities like this make Knoxville more equitable and more sustainable.”
Mayor Kincannon and City Council have committed $5 million to build the East Knox Greenway. The project was approved in 2019, with a bare minimum of federal grant funding. On Tuesday, March 23, 2021, City Council members voted unanimously to support the Mayor’s request to amend the agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to increase funding to nearly $5 million.
Almost $4 million is being funded federally and administered through TDOT. The City’s contribution will be 20 percent of the cost, or $988,054.
The finishing details on the greenway path begin this spring. Last on the list to be engaged in the process is communities in the right-of-way and owners of property to be acquired by eminent domain (which allows private property to be confiscated to serve public good) shortly before construction begins in spring 2024.
The greenway is a welcomed addition to the community. However, residents and property owners are encouraged to make every effort to be engaged in the early stages and the planning process, before it is a done deal determined by others.
For more information go to Contact your political representatives for support.