Mon
Apr 18 2016
03:32 pm
TDOT to meet about Chapman Highway
By: jbr

Thursday, April 21

from Screams from porch ...

The meeting will be held from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the following location: Valley Grove Baptist Church 9000 Sevierville Pike Knoxville, TN 37920.

TODT to meet about Chapman Highway

Topics:
bizgrrl's picture

The meeting is being held to

Submitted by bizgrrl on Mon, 2016/04/18 - 4:19pm.

The meeting is being held to provide the public an opportunity to provide comments regarding this proposed widening project.

I hope that widening is not the only fix. I won't be able to attend. It should be interesting.

R. Neal's picture

TDOT doesn't know any fixes

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2016/04/18 - 4:22pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

TDOT doesn't know any fixes that don't involve asphalt and lots of it.

michael kaplan's picture

Valley Grove Baptist Church

Submitted by michael kaplan on Tue, 2016/04/19 - 9:18am.

Valley Grove Baptist Church looks like it is located in Seymour.

bizgrrl's picture

I guess it could be what is

Submitted by bizgrrl on Tue, 2016/04/19 - 9:39am.
(in reply to michael kaplan)

I guess it could be what is called Seymour, but it appears the address is Knoxville, TN 37920.

Anonymous11's picture

The section of Chapman

Submitted by Anonymous11 (not verified) on Tue, 2016/04/19 - 9:52am.
(in reply to michael kaplan)

The section of Chapman Highway this project relates to is the southern most portion of Chapman Highway in Knox County, not the South Knoxville safety improvements section. Valley Grove is located near the southern terminus of the project.

My guess is this project is to help demonstrate a need for the extension of JWP to John Sevier Highway.

TN1953's picture

Stop JWP

Submitted by TN1953 (not verified) on Tue, 2016/04/19 - 11:41am.

Completing JWP to John Sevier does nothing to reduce accidents from John Sevier to Sevierville (where the high death rate occures). Chapman should be reduces to two lanes with turn lane from Tennessee River to Sevierville. As stated above, more asphalt is not always the answer. Adding a turn lane to John Sevier reduced the death rate to almost zero, while increasing the amount of traffic and increasing the average speed.

yellowdog's picture

Makes too much sense

Submitted by yellowdog on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 9:58am.
(in reply to TN1953)

It is hard to get people to understand that more lanes does not improve either safety or travel times because we are so convinced that big is best. There is a lot of data supporting TN1953's suggestion but I won't bet on it winning the debate.

Anonymous11's picture

"There is a lot of data

Submitted by Anonymous11 (not verified) on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 12:14pm.
(in reply to yellowdog)

"There is a lot of data supporting TN1953's suggestion but I won't bet on it winning the debate."

Claims like this are how your voice gets ignored and TDOT starts pushing through crap you don't want. The over simplification of traffic engineering and traffic safety as to have "silver bullets" that solve all the ills that may be experienced gives the engineer a reason to ignore your comments as nothing more than regurgitated talking points.

Road diets for roads carrying 10-15k vehicles a day from 4 lane to 3 lane sections with a two way left turn lane can show marked safety improvements while still serving the traffic. You do a 4 -> 3 reduction on this section of Chapman which carries 25k-30k vehicles a day today it will increase congestion and reduce safety of the road. Again it is finding the right tool in the toolbox to remedy the problem that you're addressing and not using a silver bullet where you always do an expansion of the road or a road diet but look at the characteristics of the roadway and the users and try to tailor a solution to those needs.

Chapman Highway has been studied an analyzed for 10+ years now and there are planning documents and safety documents that seem to be ignored ad nauseam. TDOT seems to be starting from the least congested portion and working back towards Knoxville. The safety document that was prepared back in 2005-2006 recommended improvements first in the section of Chapman between the river and John Sevier. These improvements have never been acted upon due to construction costs associated with the terrain surrounding Chapman Highway.

This project is being driven by more rural Knox County and more so by Sevier County and Seymour. These more rural areas want a faster path to employment areas. Unfortunately folks in these areas made a decision to live away from Knoxville and there should be an opportunity cost for that decision.

yellowdog's picture

Have at it!

Submitted by yellowdog on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 6:15pm.
(in reply to Anonymous11)

I do not remember mentioning the idea of a silver bullet and I do know this is complicated. People with your knowledge might be able to craft solutions that can help.

TN1953's picture

Seymour Sevier Support

Submitted by TN1953 (not verified) on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 1:19pm.

I live in Seymour/Sevier County and have not seen any support from Sevier County. KGIS shows several parcels near the planned intersection of JWP and John Sevier purchased within the last year. Mike Ragsdale is who is trying to renew the JWP plan, don't assume Sevier County is pushing it. What would benefit Seymour is improving the two lane roads from Boyds Creek to John Sevier and Moody AVE.

A lot of traffic from Sevier County exits at John Sevier to Blount and East Knox. Rush hour traffic from John Sevier to Henley is not bad.

jbr's picture

What is Ragsdales motivation?

Submitted by jbr on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 3:26pm.
(in reply to TN1953)

What is Ragsdales motivation? I didn't realize he was still in Knoxville until this was mentioned earlier.

The Chapman Highway intersection with John Sevier deserves a Rube Goldberg medal. Seems like should be entrance and exit ramps. They would have to move some businesses.

What would it take to kill jwp dead?

TN1953's picture

Ragsdale

Submitted by TN1953 (not verified) on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 12:25pm.
(in reply to jbr)

Ragsdale scheduled the last meeting with TDOT and several business leaders to try and completed he JWP. Not sure where he lives now, just assumed he was still in Knoxville.

jbr's picture

But why does it mean anything

Submitted by jbr on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 1:01pm.
(in reply to TN1953)

But why does it mean anything to him?

TN1953's picture

Ragsdale Architect

Submitted by TN1953 (not verified) on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 1:31pm.
(in reply to jbr)

Ragsdale is an architect and has recently been working on projects in Sevier County. With his political connections he has pushed big projects in Gatlinburg. I assume he must have an interest in completing the JWP or he would not have scheduled an invitation only meeting with TDOT.

bizgrrl's picture

He's not an architect. Mike

Submitted by bizgrrl on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 1:48pm.
(in reply to TN1953)

He's not an architect.

Mike Ragsdale is president of Tennessee Strategies, providing consulting services to a diverse client base statewide.

Tennessee Strategies is a business development company that focuses on customer/client success in a rapidly evolving,highly competitive business environment.

jbr's picture

So he was hired by someone to

Submitted by jbr on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 2:24pm.
(in reply to bizgrrl)

So he was hired by someone to pursue it. So would such meetings with TDOT commissioner fall under freedom of information law?

ArtWagner's picture

Let's not forget the politics

Submitted by ArtWagner on Wed, 2016/04/20 - 11:07pm.

The continuation of JWP is now blocked by the City of Knoxville's Urban Wilderness. Sevier County and those in extreme South Knox County could care less if they destroy South Knoxville and one of the City's most important projects of substance. But, that's what they'll try in the name of faster commutes to low-end jobs. Of course, TDOT loves to destroy and spread asphalt rather than fix existing roadways. Add in conservative (irony) vs. progressive politics and you have the same old story in TN.

Bottom line: fix Chapman Highway

TN1953's picture

Names Please

Submitted by TN1953 (not verified) on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 12:30pm.
(in reply to ArtWagner)

Before you accuse most everyone in Sevier County and South Knoxville, please name this large number of supports from Sevier and Soutb Knox. Once again, I live in Seymour and have not heard any support for completing JWP. Completing the parkway will do NOTHING to help Sevier traffic.

bizgrrl's picture

If you're attending the

Submitted by bizgrrl on Thu, 2016/04/21 - 2:16pm.

If you're attending the meeting tonight, please be careful turning left off of Chapman Hwy when going away from Knoxville.

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