July 24, 2024 by
I am a resident of Farragut that lives on Sonja Drive. The Town of Farragut wants to utilize eminent domain to seize property for a greenway along our street from Admiral to Oran. This project will destroy the character of our neighborhood.
The reasons given by the Farragut (Board of Mayor and Aldermen) are that we live in a Parent Responsibility Zone (PRZ), that our road is narrow and dangerous and that the neighborhood is asking for the project.
The problem is that all of those reasons are not backed up by facts or research. To verify if we were in a PRZ we simply called the Knox County Schools transportation department and they verified that we were not in a PRZ and that there were two bus stops on Sonja between Admiral and Oran.
We also verified our address through their web site at https://busapp.knoxschools.org. It showed that we were “eligible” for transportation to all schools from primary through high school. The PRZ ends at the intersection of Sonja Drive and Admiral Drive.
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July 24, 2024 by
As we head into the second half of summer, many parents, teachers and students are starting to prepare for another school year. Our respite of less morning and afternoon traffic along Kingston Pike will soon be coming to an end as well.
Those that have to traverse across the Town Center area are already planning for the extra time to get through the area as they head to work, the gym or just out to do their daily errands.
Recently a resident filmed the amount of time it took him to make a left turn off of South Campbell Station onto Kingston Pike (westbound) at around 4:30 p.m. on a weekday. His video shows it took approximately four minutes (240 seconds) from the time he entered the left turn lane at Municipal Center Drive.
Back in 2020, the Biddle Farm Traffic Study estimated that by 2025 the delay time through this intersection would be 101.1 seconds. That delay garnered a Level of Service grade of F (failing).
This estimate accounted for the optimized signal timing currently being installed. So, in the summer of 2024, the left turn delay is already more than twice the predicted delay time for 2025, which was already failing. What will that time be when school is in, the businesses are open and the apartments are leased?
Today, much is being made about the new traffic management system currently being installed. No doubt this system will help improve traffic flow.
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