Citizen input sought for regional 25-year Mobility Plan
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization is working on its 25-year Mobility Plan, the result of which likely would affect the Town of Farragut, and is seeking community input. A plan draft of Mobility Plan 2045 became available Monday, March 8, at knoxmobility.org, according to a press release, which also announced a related virtual meeting would be held next week.
The regularly scheduled TPO Executive Board Meeting, set for 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 24, is open to the public. Additional details and registration links can be found at knoxmobility.org.
“We want to make sure residents are aware of upcoming projects in their communities,” TPO director Jeff Welch stated in the release. “Once the plan is adopted, many of these projects will start to move through the development process. Transportation projects can have a big impact on a community, so we want to make sure people know what to expect. We also want residents to stay engaged throughout the life of these projects to help shape them as they unfold.”
Farragut Mayor Williams, who serves on the TPO Executive Board, said the survey “is a great chance for residential input — we really like to have citizens’ input on our roads — it’s really important.
“I don’t travel every road in Farragut, but we have people that do, so any kind of input would be most helpful,” he added. “Of course, my big push is for (Interstate 40/75) Exit 373, but we are also looking at all of that corridor, on the north side of the highway, from Lovell Road to Watt Road, to make improvements.”
Last fall, local jurisdictions submitted applications for all potential projects to be included in the plan, and those selected were prioritized after “consideration of both technical analysis and public input,” the release stated.
All proposed projects and accompanying information can be found on an interactive map on the website, which will allow users to zoom in on any county within the TPO Planning Area and filter projects by mode to see those directly affecting them, the release stated. “It will also allow users to submit comments on projects straight from the map.”
The final Transportation Tuesday topic, set to begin at noon, March 23, is “Streets and Highways,”
Two Virtual Town Hall events will be held at the end of the month, both on Thursday, March 25: one beginning at noon, the other at 5 p.m., which “will allow participants to move into breakout rooms organized by county to find out more about specific projects that are important to them,” the release stated.
Additional details and registration links can be found at knoxmobility.org.
Mobility Plan 2045 is the region’s long-range transportation plan and is updated every four years to account for changes in community and regional priorities, technology, project costs and available funding.
This update, which will guide transportation investments in the region for the next 25 years, allows federal money to be received for transportation projects and ensures it is making the best long-term decisions for its residents, employers and visitors.
For more information on Mobility Plan 2045, visit https://knoxmobility.org or contact the project team at mobility@knoxplanning.org.
