City of Knoxville, TN
06/25/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/25/2026 12:47
City Receives $15K AARP Grant for Road Safety Upgrades
The City of Knoxville has received a $15,000 2026 AARP Community Challenge grant to make a neighborhood road safer for residents.
The award will help fund safety improvements, including a raised crosswalk and flashing warning signs, on Walker Boulevard in the Whittle Springs neighborhood. The crosswalk was the site of a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 75-year-old resident of nearby Northgate Terrace.
These updates will join signage and lighting installed in 2025 after Knoxville Police and Transportation Engineering staff reviewed the crash site and surrounding area with neighbors. In April 2025, Bike Walk Knoxville led a Walk with Elected officials in the neighborhood to identify and discuss safety issues and challenges.
"With help from this funding, this project will advance our efforts to make Knoxville a place where people of all ages can thrive," said Cody Gentry, the City's Vision Zero Coordinator.
"We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Knoxville for this investment to help make our city more livable for residents of all ages," said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. "We are honored they recognize the value and impact this project will bring to Whittle Springs neighbors."
This year, 750 grantees were chosen from 5,100 applications from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to receive a total of $8.3 million.
The City of Knoxville joined the AARP Age-Friendly Network in February 2018. Knoxville's AARP Livability Index Score is 57 out of 100, ranking the city with an above-average quality of life.
The AARP Community Challenge grant program supports projects that improve public places, housing, transportation, digital connectivity, disaster resilience, and more. In 2026, Toyota Motor North America is funding pedestrian safety projects that aim to enhance streets and sidewalks nationwide. Microsoft is supporting digital connections projects aimed at expanding access to and adoption of high-speed internet (broadband).
These grants are part of AARP's broader Livable Communities initiative, which helps neighborhoods, towns, cities, and counties across the country become great places for people of all ages. AARP believes communities should offer:
• Safe, walkable streets
• Affordable and accessible housing and transportation options
• Access to essential services
• Opportunities for residents to engage and participate fully in community life
Visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge to view all projects funded this year.
Learn more about the City's efforts to end deaths on local roads by 2040 at KnoxvilleTN.gov/VisionZero.
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The award will help fund safety improvements, including a raised crosswalk and flashing warning signs, on Walker Boulevard in the Whittle Springs neighborhood. The crosswalk was the site of a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 75-year-old resident of nearby Northgate Terrace.
These updates will join signage and lighting installed in 2025 after Knoxville Police and Transportation Engineering staff reviewed the crash site and surrounding area with neighbors. In April 2025, Bike Walk Knoxville led a Walk with Elected officials in the neighborhood to identify and discuss safety issues and challenges.
"With help from this funding, this project will advance our efforts to make Knoxville a place where people of all ages can thrive," said Cody Gentry, the City's Vision Zero Coordinator.
"We are incredibly proud that AARP selected Knoxville for this investment to help make our city more livable for residents of all ages," said Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon. "We are honored they recognize the value and impact this project will bring to Whittle Springs neighbors."
This year, 750 grantees were chosen from 5,100 applications from across all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to receive a total of $8.3 million.
The City of Knoxville joined the AARP Age-Friendly Network in February 2018. Knoxville's AARP Livability Index Score is 57 out of 100, ranking the city with an above-average quality of life.
The AARP Community Challenge grant program supports projects that improve public places, housing, transportation, digital connectivity, disaster resilience, and more. In 2026, Toyota Motor North America is funding pedestrian safety projects that aim to enhance streets and sidewalks nationwide. Microsoft is supporting digital connections projects aimed at expanding access to and adoption of high-speed internet (broadband).
These grants are part of AARP's broader Livable Communities initiative, which helps neighborhoods, towns, cities, and counties across the country become great places for people of all ages. AARP believes communities should offer:
• Safe, walkable streets
• Affordable and accessible housing and transportation options
• Access to essential services
• Opportunities for residents to engage and participate fully in community life
Visit AARP.org/CommunityChallenge to view all projects funded this year.
Learn more about the City's efforts to end deaths on local roads by 2040 at KnoxvilleTN.gov/VisionZero.
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City of Knoxville, TN published this content on June 25, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on June 25, 2026 at 18:47 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]