Design work will soon begin on a new 2-mile greenway in East Knoxville that will connect Harriet Tubman Park with the Knoxville Botanical Garden and Arboretum.
The greenway will skirt Austin Homes and Vine Magnet Middle School on the western end. It will cross through Dr. Walter Hardy Park and the heart of the Five Points community before crossing Williams Creek and connecting with the Botanical Garden trails to the east, according to a city press statement.
“This greenway will be a game-changer,” Mayor Indya Kincannon said. “It will connect destinations and give East Knoxville residents a new healthy way to safely navigate the city.”
The project is a joint effort of Knoxville city government and the state of Tennessee. It is estimated to cost $5 million with the city contributing 20%, or just under $1 million.
Detailed design work is scheduled to start this spring, to be followed by public meetings to gather input from residents. Once the path of the greenway is determined, right-of-way acquisition will be the next-to-last step, with construction anticipated to begin in spring 2024.