SS4A Grant to Make Chapman Highway Safer

Thanks to a $17.8 million federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant and a $4.45 million City match, look for work to begin on major safety improvements to Chapman Highway between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike.

“We’re thankful, again, to our national leaders for their solid support for public safety in Knoxville and a shared commitment to Vision Zero principles,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. 

“This $22.25 million in federal and 20 percent local match funding will make this section of Chapman Highway safer for all users – motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Our design for this corridor will include a shared bike and pedestrian pathway that’s separated from vehicles, a landscaped median, modified traffic signalization, and much more."

This part of South Knoxville is rapidly growing, with major development and private investment on both sides of Chapman Highway. Kerns Food Hall has opened, along with large apartment communities on both sides of the road. 

“More development means more quality-of-life amenities, but it also means more people are trying to get to and from these destinations,” Vision Zero Coordinator Cody Gentry said. “The aim of smart development is that its design makes it safe and inviting for everyone – and that potentially dangerous interactions between motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are eliminated.”

Sadly, such interactions can be fatal. In April 2024, a pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver at Chapman Highway and Fort Avenue.

A recent traffic study showed that more than half the crashes in this stretch of Chapman Highway between fall 2016 and fall 2021 involved pedestrians or bicyclists.

More than 26,000 vehicles a day, on average, travel this stretch of Chapman Highway.

The good news is that, when this project is complete, a bicyclist or pedestrian can safely travel this entire stretch – about 0.75 miles – while safely separated from those vehicles.

A wide shared-use path, similar to a greenway, will be built on the west side of Chapman Highway. A grassy strip will separate the path from a raised curb on the highway’s shoulder.

In addition, landscaped medians will be constructed. These medians will provide safe spaces for pedestrians crossing Chapman, but they also cue motorists to slow down: Chapman will feel less like a 4-lane highway and more like an urban boulevard.

Initial work will focus on designing the corridor safety features and then on right-of-way acquisition.

Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2028, with completion by fall 2029 or winter 2030.