Citizens have their say concerning Valley’s ‘corridor improvements’ plan
Public opinion, much like a coin, has two sides. And like a coin, it can’t be flipped without both sides presenting themselves — heads and tails, tails and heads, back and forth with a few agreements inbetween if there’s any luck at play.
Flipping that coin Tuesday, July 30, were members of Knox County Engineering and Public Works, along with contractors from the various companies tasked with planning Hardin Valley “corridor improvements,” as they were called, meeting at Hardin Valley Middle School in a “drop-in-style” event allowing a curious public to view renderings and speak on the anticipated changes in the works, which are as follows:
• Hardin Valley Road widening, which will turn the stretch between Solway Road at Pellissippi Parkway to Award Winning Way into five lanes, beginning spring/summer 2025 with an anticipated completion that winter.
• Roundabout and road widening at Steele, Sam Lee and Swafford roads.
• Roundabout at Hardin Valley and Marietta Church roads, with a bid coming early in the fall of 2024.
• Phase II of a project at Coward Mill, in progress and slated to be complete spring 2026.
• Campbell Station Road at Fretz Road improvements to begin in the fall of 2024, complete by the following spring.
• Roundabout at Hickory Creek Road to get a “beautification” facelift.
• Parks and recreation improvements throughout, including the new parks coming to Hickory Creek and another at Melton Hill.
Though noted online, some attendees were a bit confused, expecting an actual meeting in which county officials would discuss plans’ beginnings and ends and all the details between. However, a horseshoe of renderings and maps and so forth were displayed in the school’s cafeteria, with representatives at attention in a few cases, for attendees to examine and discuss in passing.
Changes planned for “the natural artery of Hardin Valley Road,” is what resident Reggie Stone was interested in, who lives off to its west and relies on it to get where he needs to go.
Stone is more or less a proponent of anything to help the flow, and is pleased. “If anything else, there’s a recognition of the issue,” he said, “just a little bit (of work), it’s going to help, hopefully. ... I think you can’t, I guess, just stay static,” regarding doing anything to alleviate congestion with the influx of the area’s population boom over the years.
But on the flip side of the coin was Bill and Debra Hall, a couple who, for the past 15 years, have lived on the west side of Hardin Valley as well. However, they are adverse to heading east down that artery.
“We can no longer go the other way because of all of this craziness,” Debra said. “It’s too much: subdivisions, traffic ... all in the whole area.”
Regarding projects in the works, Bill said, “It’s just way too little, way too late. And I’m sure that’s probably the echo.
“If it was a few years ago,” he added, “it may have been a different deal, but now it’s just reactionary.”
“In a nutshell,” Debra added, “it’s terrible, horrendous. It’s sad is what it is, that they’ve turned Hardin Valley — beautiful, scenic, rural Hardin Valley, where bike troupes used to come through here because of the scenic area — (to where) “there’s almost nothing beautiful about it anymore.
“None of that is here anymore.”
Nobody understands such input better than Jim Snowden, Knox County’s senior director of Engineering and public Works.
“We understand this comment,” he said, regarding less overall development versus road improvements.
“But I also wouldn’t want to overlook the important projects we’ve completed in Hardin Valley over the past few years, including Cherahala Extension, capacity improvements at Steele Road/HV, sidewalks on Steele Road and a new signal at HV/Bertelcamp,” Snowden added.
Of the projects themselves, outside of the three-to-five lane widening project and the roundabout at Marietta Church and Hardin Valley roads, they are tentative at present, and further information will be provided as it becomes available.
