KNOXVILLE, TN (Story courtesy of WVLT) – It’s no secret, Hardin Valley is growing quickly in Knox County. With that, comes thousands more drivers trying to get around, causing more traffic in the area.

Senior Director of Engineering Jim Snowden said change is coming to the intersection at Marietta Church Road to make it easier for drivers.

“Grid locked,” Shawn Armstrong, Hardin Valley Resident said. “It’s truly grid locked from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.”

Driving on Hardin Valley Road is frustrating for Shawn Armstrong, who has lived in the area for nearly 50 years.

Armstrong said he’s not opposed to the new homes and businesses coming to the area. But it also brings a lot of cars.

“I mean the growth is good but at the same time the infrastructure is horrible,” he said. “I mean, they haven’t done anything.”

This map from KGIS shows what the area looked like in 2020.

The images above, one from 2020 and one from 2024, show many more homes and businesses there are, and that means more traffic.

In 2003, the average number of daily cars were 7,533. Last year, there were 20,484 daily cars on Hardin Valley Road.

That’s why Knox County’s engineering department is stepping in.

Snowden said there are projects underway.

One is a roundabout for the intersection of Hardin Valley Road and Marietta Church Road.

“During peak times it’s hard to get left there,” Snowden said. “Hard to find gaps in traffic so this will allow you to make that right hand turn and go east or west much more safely.”

Snowden said the plans will go to the Knox County Commission for approval next month, with construction expected to start in the fall.

The goal is to be finished by next summer.

Another project is widening Hardin Valley Road from three lanes to five lanes in Phase One.

“From Pellissippi to Awarding Winning Way i.e. the new Chick-Fil-A,” Snowden said. “That’s the new monument out there because Chick-Fil-A generates a lot of traffic, people are experiencing those delays.”

The project was slated to start this summer, but Snowden said more work needed to be finalized.

“We’re having to acquire private property. We got to be very diligent and respectful of that process,” he said. “So we’re in the process of doing that now, we’re almost done, should be, should be complete with that hopefully by by the fall, we want to bid that this late this winter.”

Phase Two is will be from Award Winning Lane to Campbell Station road.

Snowden said that’s in the design process.

Armstrong said he’s relived work is coming but thinks more can be done.

“I’m glad they’re finally doing something but it’s bad out here it truly is,” he said.

Snowden said the county is working with TDOT to help drivers get into Hardin Valley. Two interchanges from Farragut will be fixed to make merging and congestion easier.

Snowden said the county is already working on plans to adapt Hardin Valley Road as the area continues to grow.