City Moves Forward with Key Engineering Projects

Knoxville City Council tonight gave its approval to Mayor Indya Kincannon's administration to move forward with three major engineering projects - including a high-speed fiber-optic communications upgrade to traffic signals on Middlebrook Pike.

This Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) upgrade is Knoxville's first, to be followed by similar investments along Chapman Highway, Kingston Pike and Broadway. The ATMS technology will allow for real-time adjustments to traffic signals to improve traffic flow.

City Council also authorized the Mayor to amend an agreement with the state of Tennessee to advance a First Creek greenway connection, as well as authorizing the Mayor to proceed with a hydrology study aimed at better understanding and managing flooding at Chilhowee Park.


Middlebrook Pike Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS)

• Total investment: $3.9 million (design and construction)

• This is the City's first ATMS project to be implemented

• What is ATMS? It's a high-speed fiber-optic communications network that connects 23 signalized intersections on Middlebrook Pike and University Avenue, between College Street to the east and Joe Hinton Road near the city's western edge; these 23 signals will become connected and remotely programmable, and the new technology will replace equipment that's 25 or more years old

• Stansell Electric Co., which submitted the lowest and most responsive bid, was awarded the contract; in a separate competitively-bid contract, Barge Design Solutions will provide construction engineering and inspection (CEI) services

• Timeline: Construction to begin in fall 2025 and be completed in winter 2027


First Creek Greenway and Broadway Streetscape

• Total investment: $6.2 million

• A "missing link" in the First Creek Greenway will be built between Broadway and First Creek, from Cecil Avenue to Woodland Avenue

• This amendment to an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Transportation updates the funding amounts for design, right-of-way acquisition, and construction to match what's designated in the Transportation improvement Plan; it also incorporates some funding from a previously-awarded Safe Streets for All (SS4A) federal grant

• Timeline: Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2026


Loves Creek Hydrology Study, Phase II

• Total investment: $358,000

• City Council authorized Mayor Kincannon's administration to execute an agreement with Geosyntec Consultants to provide professional engineering services for this project - a comprehensive study of the Loves Creek watershed, with a focus on addressing flooding of Lake Ottosee at Chilhowee Park

• Once the contract is finalized, the study is expected to be completed in about a year