We attended the TDOT meeting yesterday regarding the DEIS report. There was a large turnout, with, it appeared, half of the attendees in opposition to the PPE.

Twenty citizens of the community were able to speak and give their comments as to why the PPE should not (or should) be completed. Nineteen of the twenty citizens were opposed to the completion of the PPE. The citizen speakers did a very good job, many with facts, figures, and reasonable arguments as to why the PPE should not be completed. The one gentleman who spoke as a proponent for the PPE seemed to be just giving up, if you're going to do it, just do it, he said.

Kudos to Nina Gregg for her hard work and persistence.

Go to KnoxViews for the full report.

TDOT has scheduled a public meeting for Tuesday, July 20, from 5-7pm in the Heritage High School Auditorium.

According to the TDOT Notice of Public Hearing:

This is a notice regarding the "Availability of the Approved Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR162) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The purpose of the hearing is to provide the public an opportunity to comment on the findings of the EIS and the proposed project prior to completion of the final environmental document.

A formal presentation will be followed by a question and answer period.

Update: This will provide a TDOT 10/08 newsletter with a map of the proposed PPE routes. I'm not positive, but I believe route B is no longer a consideration.

Joe Hultquist will be the featured guest speaker at the 2010 Annual Meeting of CAPPE (Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension, Inc.). The meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 22, from 6:30-8:30pm in the Sharon Lawson Room at the Blount County Library.

"For several years we have designed our Annual Meeting as a community education event, featuring speakers who are knowledgeable about transportation issues relevant to our region," said Nina Gregg of CAPPE's Board of Directors. "We saw a need for education and civil discussion about transportation issues and decided to devote a portion of each year's Annual Meeting to fulfilling this need."

"This year we are pleased to welcome Joe Hultquist, Interim Executive Director of East Tennessee Quality Growth (ETQG) as our featured speaker," Gregg said.

Mr. Hultquist, who was born and raised in Blount County, will be speaking about the future of transit in the greater Knoxville area, including the upcoming Regional Corridor and Opportunity Area Study; options for transit between the airport and Knoxville; the role of independent advocacy groups; and ETQG's perspective on transit as a component of quality growth in the region.

Mr. Hultquist is currently serving as Interim Executive Director of East Tennessee Quality Growth, a new organization with representation from 16 counties of middle East Tennessee. ETQG's mission is to "create a vision for quality growth through dialogue, research, and education," and to "promote and facilitate implementation of this vision through regional cooperation and local action."

Previous speakers at CAPPE Annual Meetings have included Rees Shearer from RailSolution, Cindy McGinnis from Knox Area Transit (KAT), Jeff Welch from the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) and Bill Dunlap from the Blount County Highway Department.

The public is invited to come hear Mr. Hultquist's presentation, which will begin at 7pm. Refreshments will be served at 6:30pm. CAPPE's annual business meeting will follow the speaker.

For more information, call Nina Gregg, CAPPE Communication Committee Chair at 977 7399.

We are excited! It's happening.

The City of Alcoa held the groundbreaking ceremony today to start the Alcoa Highway pedestrian bridge. It should be complete in September, 2010 (eight months)!

Yeah! Kudos to the City of Alcoa for continuing the legacy of parks, greenways, greenbelts, and walkability!

Once again there is discussion of building an "Alcoa Parkway" to allow drivers to avoid a 3 1/2 mile section of Alcoa Highway. The 2007 estimated cost for this "parkway" is over $64 million, whereas the redesign of this section of Alcoa Highway with better turn lanes and traffic signals is approximately 1/2 million dollars.

Do we really need to pave Alcoa? Do we really need a 5 mile 6 lane interstate through Alcoa? Oh, my bad, it is a "parkway". Doesn't that sound pleasant?

There is no need to make Alcoa a parking lot so commuters can go 3 1/2 miles very quickly only to be stopped by the traffic light managed Hall Road (35 mph) or Alcoa Hwy bypass (US 129/State Road 133).

I'm pretty sure travelers can find the new "Downtown Alcoa" without this 6 lane albatross. Wouldn't it be nice if the section of Alcoa Highway from Singleton Station Road to Hunt Road/Hall Road was made a well managed boulevard? How long does it now take to get from Singleton Station Road to Hunt Road/Hall Road? 2-3 minutes? Okay, so there have been frequent accidents on Alcoa Highway, wouldn't it be more beneficial to redesign the existing road (better managed access) than to pave Alcoa to avoid this minor stretch of road?

Have you seen the section of Alcoa they are planning to pave? Lots of green space, including a golf course. The new "parkway" will be on the edge of the most historical neighborhood and park in the City of Alcoa, Springbrook. Won't that be pleasant? Just what those hard working, middle-class citizens need, more traffic noise and pollution. How about it if we encourage planned development with continued greenspace requirements and managed roads without an interstate through Alcoa.

Let's think about this people. Are you with me? We do not need the "Alcoa Parkway".

What are your thoughts?

Alcoa Parkway bypass of Alcoa Highway moving closer to reality

"The purpose is to get rid of traffic congestion on Alcoa Highway, which will turn into a commercial street. It will be our Kingston Pike," Wiggins said. "It's our commercial corridor."

And we want a Kingston Pike in Blount County, why? Have these guys driven out there lately? We've already got two empty car lots on Alcoa Highway. I guess we need some empty strip malls to go with them.

Johnson hopes to pull out the Hunt Road portion from the Hall Road/U.S. 129 Bypass split to just south of McGhee Tyson Airport and construct it first.

"That would be easy to do," Wiggins said.

That area of Alcoa Parkway is going to serve as the main entrance into the 350-acre former ALCOA Inc. West Plant property. Developers Kinsey Probasco Hays (KPH) and International Risk Group (IRG) are planning a $500 million development at build-out, not including inflation.

Ding ding ding, we have a winner. Everything is becoming much clearer, now.

The Blount County Commission holds regular monthly meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7:00pm in the County Commission room of the Blount County Courthouse.

Next meeting: Thursday, August 20, 2009
359 Court Street
Maryville, TN 37804-5906

All meetings of the City of Alcoa Board of Commissioners are open to the public. Commissioners meet in regular session on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Commission Chambers of the Municipal Building.

Next meeting Tuesday, August 11, 2009
223 Associates Blvd
Alcoa, TN 37701-1948

By way of Rachel at KnoxViews, this meeting will include a discussion of Hall Rd. and Washington St.

You're invited to the public presentation of the Knoxville Regional TPO's Complete Streets Study , at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, in the Knox County Health Department's Community Room, 140 Dameron Ave.

The evening will include a presentation of the study and an opportunity for discussion and brainstorming about how the Complete Streets concept can be applied in the Knoxville region.

Bill Haslam, candidate for the Republican nomination for governor, in the Daily Times:

On other topics, Haslam thinks the Pellissippi Parkway extension should be built. "I actually think it should happen given where we are and what the traffic burdens are," he said.

What traffic burdens?

From the Tennessee Economic Council on Women:

Justice Sharon Lee

Judge Angelita
Blackshear-Dalton

Maryville, TN – Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Sharon Lee will deliver the keynote address during the 2009 East Tennessee Regional Women’s Economic Summit scheduled for Thursday, June 4th on the Maryville College campus. Nashville General Sessions Judge Angelita Blackshear-Dalton will open the Summit’s breakfast meeting.

"We’re thrilled to bring these distinguished professionals to East Tennessee," says Sharon Hannum, co-leader of this year’s event. "They are an inspiration to all women who aspire to reach the top of their profession."

The one-day Economic Summit for Women, hosted by the Women’s Economic Foundation and the Center for Strong Communities at Maryville College, offers two learning tracks. One track focuses on establishing and growing a business in a challenging economy. The second track focuses on personal and professional skills development. Participants may choose the session of their choice in either track.

More details and registration information after the jump. Registration deadline is Friday, May 29.

Finally! Someone is thinking we need to protect our rural areas.

(a) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Rural, Agricultural and Natural Resources Act".

(b) This chapter is established for the purpose of safeguarding the rural
character and unique beauty of each of the three (3) grand divisions of this state against the rapid expansion of urban development and the loss of thousands of acres of agricultural land each year. The general assembly desires to maintain the rural character of some communities on behalf of the citizens of this state. The intent of this chapter is to provide such protection by authorizing the designation of a predominately rural community as a Rural, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Act (RANRA) community when a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the owners of real property in such community agree to apply for such designation.SECTION 3.

This is the very similar to the way the Scenic Highways legislation was enacted.

A new hotel is being built at the intersection of Singleton Station Road and Alcoa Hwy. This is a very dangerous intersection. Will they provide customers with a warning, Do Not Turn Left on Alcoa Highway?

What were they thinking? Don't they care about visitors to the area?

COMPLETE STREETS are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street.

The Alcoa/Maryville Complete Streets Study will examine the Washington Street/Hall Road corridor, from Lamar Alexander Parkway to Lincoln Road to come up with recommendations for how to make a Complete Street.

Second public workshop/input opportunities:

Location: Maryville College, Pearsons Hall, Proffitt Dining Room.

November 13, 2008, Thursday, 6 to 8 pm.
At the second workshop, the consultants will present back to the public some options for how to make the corridor a Complete Street, and you will have the chance to respond to what you see.

H/T The Daily Times (couldn't find the article onlne)

COMPLETE STREETS are designed and operated to enable safe access for all users. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and bus riders of all ages and abilities are able to safely move along and across a complete street.

The Alcoa/Maryville Complete Streets Study will examine the Washington Street/Hall Road corridor, from Lamar Alexander Parkway to Lincoln Road to come up with recommendations for how to make a Complete Street.

Two public workshop/input opportunities:

Location: Maryville College, Pearsons Hall, Proffitt Dining Room.

November 10, 2008, Monday, 6 to 8 pm.
At the first workshop, you’ll have your chance to learn more about Complete Streets and to weigh in on how we get there.

November 13, 2008, Thursday, 6 to 8 pm.
At the second workshop, the consultants will present back to the public some options for how to make the corridor a Complete Street, and you will have the chance to respond to what you see.

H/T The Daily Times (couldn't find the article onlne)