Hardin Valley Mobility Study

Knoxville-Knox County Planning and Knox County partnered to examine transportation conditions and future needs in the Hardin Valley area. The study prioritized improvements with the goal of maintaining mobility and addressing safety for people using different types of transportation. The study was completed in October of 2019.

Final Plan
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Study Updates

Priorities

Existing Traffic

Historic Safety

Land Use

Historic Development

Study Area Priorities

Priority Number of Votes per Rank
1 – most important, 10 – least important
Dot Vote Results
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Sum
Lowest Score = Highest Priority
Rank
Increase Roadway Safety 72 41 42 18 19 7 5 2 4 1 586 1
Preservation of Rural Areas, Open Space, & Hilltops 61 44 37 23 19 17 11 8 7 2 773 2
Increased Opportunities to Walk & Bike 23 28 34 31 17 15 14 13 10 7 842 3
Greater Connectivity to & Across Interstate & Pellissippi Pkwy 40 38 24 21 15 25 15 8 12 7 844 4
Development Options that Require Less Driving 4 12 14 23 21 24 20 17 18 4 889 5
Homes on Large Lots 11 25 23 22 18 18 10 22 21 14 991 6
Access to Jobs, Shopping, and Schools 15 19 21 28 34 19 35 11 11 12 1,064 7
Diverse Housing Options 1 4 5 10 16 22 24 26 28 34 1,244 8
Grow in Undeveloped Areas 4 4 4 5 9 15 13 25 32 52 1,278 9
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions 4 10 9 20 13 19 15 25 19 57 1,356 10
Corridor 1 ‐ N. Campbell Station Road
Improvement Type Percent of Total Dot Votes for Corridor
Safety 28.0%
Congestion Mitigation 27.1%
Roundabout 14.8%
Access & Connectivity 11.2%
Traffic Signal 8.8%
Bicycle 6.4%
Pedestrian 3.7%
Total Percentage 100.0%

Corridor 2 ‐ Yarnell Road
Improvement Type Percent of Total Dot Votes for Corridor
Safety 27.1%
Roundabout 19.1%
Access & Connectivity 17.0%
Congestion Mitigation 16.6%
Bicycle 10.5%
Traffic Signal 5.3%
Pedestrian 4.4%
Total Percentage 100.0%

Corridor 3 ‐ Solway Road
Improvement Type Percent of Total Dot Votes for Corridor
Congestion Mitigation 28.4%
Safety 25.6%
Access & Connectivity 22.5%
Bicycle 8.1%
Traffic Signal 6.6%
Pedestrian 4.8%
Roundabout 4.0%
Total Percentage 100.0%

All Corridors ‐ Total
Improvement Type Percent of Total Dot Votes for All Corridors
Congestion Mitigation 27.3%
Safety 25.9%
Access & Connectivity 17.1%
Roundabout 9.7%
Bicycle 9.4%
Traffic Signal 5.9%
Pedestrian 4.7%
Total Percentage 100.0%

Existing Traffic

Traffic volumes were collected at 27 major intersections within the Hardin Valley community to assist in analyzing peak hour congestion levels as well as understanding the complex travel patterns within the study area.

As expected, the data showed that the highest peak hour volumes were experienced at intersections along, or in close proximity to, Pellissippi Parkway.

Using the map below: Zoom into a particular intersection to view the peak AM and PM traffic counts. Click/tap an intersection for more details.

The AM and PM peak period counts represent the one-hour period of time in the morning and afternoon with the highest total traffic volume entering each particular intersection. The traffic was observed and counted by each movement (left, right, straight through) at the study intersections for a minimum of two hours in each period and tallied in 15-minute intervals with four highest consecutive intervals comprising the peak hour. This data was then used to determine the capacity and level-of-service at each intersection to evaluate its performance with regard to delay and congestion.
View Full Map (PDF)

Historic Safety

Historic crash data was analyzed for a 3-year period (January 2015-January 2018) in the Hardin Valley community.

Creating a heat map of these crashes showed that the interchanges along Pellissippi Parkway experienced the most crashes in this time frame.

View Full Map (PDF)

Land Use

The existing land uses within the Hardin Valley study area are dominated by Agriculture/Forestry/Vacant Land, followed by Rural Residential and Single-Family Residential uses.

Commercial, Office, and Multifamily Residential uses are largely clustered near Pellissippi Parkway and I-40/75 interchanges.

Historic Development

Between July 2014 and July 2018, approximately 1,200 building permits were issued for new construction projects within the Hardin Valley study area.

Roughly 90% were for residential uses and the remaining 10% being all other uses.

About the Study

The project focused on identifying existing and future transportation facility deficiencies. Transportation improvements that were identified in past studies were prioritized, and improvements to the road network that address safety, congestion and connections across the area were recommended. Preliminary cost estimates for 5, 10 and 20-year horizons were given. Because the study focused on travel within Hardin Valley, as well as the major roadways leading to and from it, the study covered a larger area.

There are significant topographical constraints in the study area that create mobility and connectivity challenges.

Project Schedule

The project began in the summer of 2018 and was completed in the fall of 2019. Data collection activities, such as traffic counts, began in the fall of 2018, when school was in session.