KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The death of a woman who was struck while trying to cross North Broadway on Thursday marks the latest deadly crash along one the most dangerous roadways in Knoxville. The Tennessee Department of Transportation and the City of Knoxville have multiple improvement projects in the works aimed at improving safety along the busy thoroughfare.
Knoxville’s Vision Zero Action seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities on City-controlled roads by 2040. While North Broadway is a state route, multiple sections of North Broadway have been identified as part of the plan’s High Injury Network. This group of streets accounts for 63% of serious crashes despite making up just 5% of total roadways in the city.
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The High Injury Network is used to help determine which improvement projects should be prioritized. Knoxville Vision Zero Coordinator Cody Gentry told 6 News about three planned projects to make North Broadway safer.
A Broadway Streetscape Project slated to begin next fall will construct a new shared-use path along Broadway between Cecil Avenue and Woodland Avenue. Pedestrian crossings will also be upgraded at Cecil, Woodland, and McCroskey Avenue.
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The construction of an Accelerated Bus Corridor along N Broadway and S Hall of Fame Drive is expected to begin in Summer 2027. This project will improve bus stop facilities, sidewalks, and signal timing patterns to better prioritize KAT bus service.
Design work has also begun to add new sidewalks along the east side of N Broadway between Gibbs Drive and Hotel Road in Fountain City. Pedestrian intersection improvements will also be made at the intersection of Essary Drive. An estimated construction date for this project has not yet been set.
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