Soon, drivers, bus riders, bicyclists and pedestrians will be welcomed by the 10-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide Magnolia Gateway Monument, which will serve as an entryway into the East Knoxville community.
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, City Council approved the $68,000 contract with The Franklin Group, LLC to build the Magnolia Gateway Monument Project, which will be constructed on the northeastern corner of Jessamine Street at Magnolia Avenue.
The gateway monument is a component of the $4.18 million initial phase of the Magnolia Avenue Streetscape Project. Orange barrels have already been rolled out on the northern lane of Magnolia Avenue as crews have been working to improve and expand drainage infrastructure.
The Office of Redevelopment and Engineering Department oversee the streetscape improvements project and presented the initial designs for the monument to local stakeholders including neighborhood groups and business organizations at the following meetings:
- East Knoxville Business Association- January 25, 2018
- Parkridge Neighborhood Association – April 2, 2018
- Town Hall East Neighborhood Association – May 14, 2018
“This new gateway monument established along Magnolia Avenue will identify this East Knoxville community by defining a sense of space and providing a destination specific to each traveler along this route,” said Dawn Michelle Foster, Director of the Redevelopment Department. “To neighborhood residents, it’s your home; to TDOT, it’s a state highway; to visitors to Zoo Knoxville, The Muse, and Chilhowee Park, it’s an alternative to I-40; and it’s also a link for East Knoxville to our downtown, so this monument has an all-encompassing purpose of serving everyone.”
Because Magnolia Avenue is a state highway, the gateway monument also had to follow strict TDOT design guidelines for gateway monuments and transportation art.
Construction for the monument is expected to begin in mid-2019.
For more information on the Magnolia Avenue Streetscape Project, visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/magnolia.