The city of Knoxville will plant 93 big trees on Cumberland Avenue from Dec. 18-21 as a final step in the two-year reconstruction of the primary connector between West Knoxville and downtown.
The city says lane closures will be minimized during the day and planting crews will avoid rush-hour closures. Side streets will remain open at alternate routes.
A range of species of trees was selected by the city’s Urban Forestry Division – everything from round-lobed sweetgums, to lacebark elms, to sweetbay magnolias, to greenspire little leaf linden. The 4-inch caliper trees will be 15- to 20-feet tall when planted.
The city says “the public investment of $25 million in infrastructure has helped leverage more than $190 million in private investment in retail storefronts, groceries, entertainment venues, overnight lodging, restaurants and student apartments.”
Two new apartment buildings, The Standard and Evolve, have opened since 2014, and a third – the TENN Student Living mixed-use redevelopment project – is scheduled to open next year. Combined, the three properties will be home to about 1,450 students.
The city’s project was headed by Anne Wallace, deputy director of redevelopment.