City of Knoxville, TN
04/28/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/28/2026 18:23
Chapman Hwy. Design Work to Start
City Council Tuesday night authorized Mayor Indya Kincannon to execute an agreement to start Chapman Highway safety upgrades - as well as agreements for allocation of private donations to help build a new Habitat for Humanity community and a new roof for historic Blount Mansion.
Chapman Highway
A $17 million U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant will fund safety improvements on a 0.75-mile section of Chapman Highway between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike. The City is adding a $4.25 million local match.
The design will create a shared bicycle and pedestrian pathway that's separated from motorized vehicles, landscaped medians, and enhanced pedestrian crossings at key intersections.
As a first step, Kimley-Horn and Associates - which presented the most responsive of seven proposals - will be providing up to $565,300 in professional design services. Design work and right-of-way acquisition are expected to take about four years, with actual construction to start in 2030. The project is to be completed by March 2031.
Habitat for Humanity
Private donors contributed $440,000 to the City's Affordable Housing Fund in partnership with the United Way of Greater Knoxville.
Council authorized Mayor Kincannon to execute documents to award the funds to Habitat for Humanity, which is building 22 affordable multifamily housing units off Pinehurst Drive.
Kincannon's proposed 2026-27 budget allocates a total of $8 million for affordable housing.
Blount Mansion
City Council authorized Kincannon to execute documents for a $60,000 transfer from the Historic Preservation and Façade Improvement Program to help the Gov. William Blount Mansion Association protect the historic home, which dates to the late 1700s and is a National Historic Landmark.
Specifically, the funds will be paired with a state grant, to be used to reroof the home and outbuilding in cedar roofing shakes.
Separately, more than $125,000 from the façade program will go toward restoration and reuse of a 1950s warehouse at 3517 Sutherland Ave. The owners are investing more than $2.5 million in the restoration project.
314 Union Ave.
Council approved Kincannon's plan to partner with the Downtown Knoxville Alliance to purchase a small parcel at 314 Union Ave. near Krutch Park for $450,000.
Trash and recycling compactors serving the Market Square area will be installed here, which will eliminate trash carts lining sidewalks and alleys.
City crews now collect garbage 8 or 9 times a week from more than 700 carts spread over 85 locations downtown. Transitioning to a network of compactors in the coming year will reduce noise, odors and the sprawl of carts that take up maneuvering room on busy sidewalks.
2026-27 budget
Council also approved on the first of two readings Mayor Kincannon's proposed $499 million net budget. A legislative budget hearing and public hearing are scheduled for May 7, and Council's second reading of the budget currently is scheduled for May 26.
close carousel
Chapman Highway
A $17 million U.S. Department of Transportation Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant will fund safety improvements on a 0.75-mile section of Chapman Highway between Blount Avenue and Woodlawn Pike. The City is adding a $4.25 million local match.
The design will create a shared bicycle and pedestrian pathway that's separated from motorized vehicles, landscaped medians, and enhanced pedestrian crossings at key intersections.
As a first step, Kimley-Horn and Associates - which presented the most responsive of seven proposals - will be providing up to $565,300 in professional design services. Design work and right-of-way acquisition are expected to take about four years, with actual construction to start in 2030. The project is to be completed by March 2031.
Habitat for Humanity
Private donors contributed $440,000 to the City's Affordable Housing Fund in partnership with the United Way of Greater Knoxville.
Council authorized Mayor Kincannon to execute documents to award the funds to Habitat for Humanity, which is building 22 affordable multifamily housing units off Pinehurst Drive.
Kincannon's proposed 2026-27 budget allocates a total of $8 million for affordable housing.
Blount Mansion
City Council authorized Kincannon to execute documents for a $60,000 transfer from the Historic Preservation and Façade Improvement Program to help the Gov. William Blount Mansion Association protect the historic home, which dates to the late 1700s and is a National Historic Landmark.
Specifically, the funds will be paired with a state grant, to be used to reroof the home and outbuilding in cedar roofing shakes.
Separately, more than $125,000 from the façade program will go toward restoration and reuse of a 1950s warehouse at 3517 Sutherland Ave. The owners are investing more than $2.5 million in the restoration project.
314 Union Ave.
Council approved Kincannon's plan to partner with the Downtown Knoxville Alliance to purchase a small parcel at 314 Union Ave. near Krutch Park for $450,000.
Trash and recycling compactors serving the Market Square area will be installed here, which will eliminate trash carts lining sidewalks and alleys.
City crews now collect garbage 8 or 9 times a week from more than 700 carts spread over 85 locations downtown. Transitioning to a network of compactors in the coming year will reduce noise, odors and the sprawl of carts that take up maneuvering room on busy sidewalks.
2026-27 budget
Council also approved on the first of two readings Mayor Kincannon's proposed $499 million net budget. A legislative budget hearing and public hearing are scheduled for May 7, and Council's second reading of the budget currently is scheduled for May 26.
close carousel
City of Knoxville, TN published this content on April 28, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 29, 2026 at 00:23 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]