KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – Knox County leaders are working to improve two roads used by thousands of drivers daily, with plans that include lane widening, a new traffic signal and intersection realignment.
A nearly three-mile stretch of Northshore Drive between Concord Road and Choto Road sees about 20,000 vehicles per day.
Knox County Chief Engineer Jim Snowden said the road is too narrow, and county leaders want to add a shared left turn lane to improve traffic flow.
Snowden said crashes on the corridor create additional problems for emergency responders.
Bakertown Road, between Schaad Road and Ball Camp Pike, is also slated for improvements. Snowden said the county plans to widen the entire corridor.
“So we are widening that entire corridor of Bakertown all the way from Ball Road to Ball Camp Pike. So it’ll be two, 10-foot lanes, much like all your other roads in the surrounding area, and there will be some sidewalks out there as well to serve the development that’s ongoing,” Snowden said.
The plan also includes realigning the intersection of Bakertown Road and Ball Camp Pike, which Snowden said currently causes drivers to get out of position and leads to rear-end crashes.
“It’s not like you go straight across. You have to go over about 50 feet and up and what that creates is people that may make that left and they’re going to make that right. They have to get kind of crossways in the intersection and then there’s rear end crashes,” Snowden said.
A traffic light at the intersection of Bakertown Road and Schaad Road is also part of the plan to address growing traffic and speeding in the area.
Snowden said construction on Bakertown Road could be finished later this year once approved. The Northshore Drive project could begin in 2028.
Knox County Commission is scheduled to vote on both projects on Feb. 25 at 5 p.m.
