Section 6: A Short History of Alcoa Highway
By John Rennie, 2009
Preface: At the 2007 annual meeting of the Timberlake Community Club, Inc., questions about Alcoa Highway and its improvement were raised by some of the newer members of the neighborhood. I volunteered to collect information about this subject and report back to the community. This is that report long overdue.
Gene Burr has helped in the collection of recent information and, along with Kermit Duckett, reviewed this report and associated appendix. I am greatly appreciative of their help. However, I take responsibility for any omissions or errors in it.
Introduction
This report addresses Alcoa Highway for the residents of the Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake Community. That area is bordered by Alcoa Highway on the east, the Tennessee River on the north and west, and the University of Tennessee Plant Sciences Farm on the south. Travel to and from this community, whether it is to Knoxville, Alcoa/Maryville or beyond, requires use of Alcoa Highway by way of Montlake Drive, Ginn Drive or Maloney Road.
The Timberlake Community Club, Inc. (TCC) president’s file box contains two folders of material related to Alcoa Highway. One has correspondence between a committee of TCC members and government officials along with newspaper clipping, all related to Alcoa Highway. This committee was appointed in the fall of 1982 by then-president Kermit Duckett to urge government agencies to improve the safety of Alcoa Highway.
The second folder has four reports related to the conditions along Alcoa Highway and their improvement. These reports are:
This material in these files and current information collected from a variety of sources, are the basis for this report. The appendix contains material from these sources that seemed pertinent to the members of TCC.
Alcoa Highway serves two conflicting purposes. It is a high speed highway that connects Knoxville with south Knox County, Blount County and areas to the south. It is also a service road for residential and commercial areas along its length.
Use of Alcoa Highway
Alcoa Highway [Tennessee route 115 and U.S. 129] runs from I40/75 south to the Hall Road interchange in Alcoa. It is 13.09 miles long with 6.64 miles in Knox County and 6.45 miles in Blount County. Traffic on Alcoa Highway has increased since 1939 due to increased residential and commercial development in the area it serves and increased use of the airport. In 1982, traffic volume was 34,890 vehicles per weekday, while in 1993 it was 41,201 and in 2003 it was 54,254.
In the Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake area the number of houses has increased from about 25 in 1942 to about 384 currently; this does not include houses that directly access Alcoa Highway. On Timberlake Drive, there are about seven drivers for every four houses. In addition to many of the residents leaving their homes and going out by way of Alcoa Highway, there are numerous people coming into the area to visit and work every day.
The population of Knox County has increased from 319,694 in 1980 to about 411,967 in 2006. For Blount County the increase over the same period has been from 81,852 to about 118,186, while Anderson County has grown from 66,878 to about 73,579. A sizeable portion of the traffic on Alcoa Highway during work days is from Blount County, while many travelers from Knox, Anderson and surrounding counties arriving at and departing from the airport use Alcoa Highway.
Commercial development in the section of the highway between Montlake and Maloney in the last 35 years has consisted of three gas station/convenience stores added to one service station, now down to two; a shopping center off the south bound lane essentially replacing one on the north bound; a fast food outlet; a strip shopping area and liquor store; a large church south of Maloney. This commercial development has been minor compared to that in Blount County.
Accidents, Injuries and Fatalities
Use of Alcoa Highway as both a high speed route and for access between residential and commercial areas, has lead to concern by most of the neighborhoods in south Knox County including Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake. In 1970, 21 reported accidents resulted in 17 serious injuries and one fatality in the section between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive. From January 1980 to October 1983, a period of 46 months, there were 194 accidents with 80 injuries and three fatalities. Harder to quantify is the extra cost and stress caused to residents of these areas from having to use an inadequately constructed high speed highway when they leave their homes for Knoxville, Maryville/Alcoa and beyond.
In 1982 a TDOT engineer indicated that Alcoa Highway has a low accident rate – about half the state average for comparable highways. In 1983, the TDOT commissioner indicated that the Alcoa Highway accident rate was below state averages for similar highways, but that the speeds on it were high and when accidents occurred, they tend to be more severe than average.
The 1970 publication listed above includes a table of predicted number of accidents per unit length of highway by access type and average daily traffic. Using these figures, I calculated that the predicted number of accidents between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive would have been 64 in 1970; there were 21 reported accidents. In 1982, 72 accidents would have been expected between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive while there were 63 reported. For 1982, 332 accidents were predicted on Alcoa Highway in Knox County and 655 on all of Alcoa Highway. There were 235 accidents reported in Knox County and 368 on all of Alcoa Highway. The actual number of accidents as a percent of those expected is 56% for all of Alcoa Highway which agrees with TDOT statements. However, the accident rate on the Knox County portion of Alcoa Highway was 71% of the predicted and for the portion from Maloney Road to Woodson Drive it was 87%. To me this shows that the portion of Alcoa Highway that residents of Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake regularly use was more accident prone in 1982 than the highway in general.
Make Alcoa a Safe Highway - MASH
In the early 1980’s, residents of neighborhoods along Alcoa Highway in south Knoxville County formed MASH to address concerns about safety on this route. In 1986 MASH issued a report with immediate short term recommendations, a mid-range plan and a long-range plan. Of those recommendations, only establishment of a few no parking areas on the right-of-way, occasional enforcement of the speed limit, and lighting of the highway have been implemented.
Construction and Improvement of Alcoa Highway
What is now Alcoa Highway was completed as a two-lane highway to Blount County in 1939. Its northern end, the “Buck” Karnes Bridge over the Tennessee River, was completed in 1935. In 1963, Alcoa Highway was widened to four lanes from the “Buck” Karnes Bridge to McGhee-Tyson Airport.
A number of major improvements to the highway have been completed in the last 35 years. The interchange with an overpass at the UT Hospital replaced an at-grade intersection in the mid-1970’s. The intersection with Governor John Sevier Highway received similar upgrading in the mid-1980’s. Pellissippi Parkway which provides a route for travelers to the airport from west Knox County and Oak Ridge, was completed in the late 1990’s. At the start of this millennium, the bridge over the Tennessee River was replaced and the highway improved from north of the UT Hospital interchange to I40/75. Finally, the bridge over the Little River was replaced in the mid-2000’s. Lighting of Alcoa Highway was installed south to the Little River when the City of Knoxville annexed the highway and selected adjacent properties in the early-1990’s.
Lack of Construction and Improvement
Many of the major problem areas on Alcoa Highway have been improved in the last 35 years as described above. One area that has received little or no attention is that between Woodson Drive and Maloney Road.
Two major planning efforts have been conducted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, one in the early-1980’s and the second in the late 1990’s. The 1999 proposal includes closing the median openings, adding a third lane in each direction and constructing three bridges over Alcoa Highway, one at Maloney Road, one at Mt. Vernon Drive and Montlake Drive and the third between these two to service the commercial area.
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization FY 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program includes 10.8 million dollars for right-of-way acquisition from Woodson Drive north and 4.2 million dollars for right-of-way acquisition and 29.9 million dollars for construction of 6 lanes from the Little River to Maloney Road. However, there is no work planned between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive.
Appendix B of the Timberlake History Project summarized the current Alcoa Highway redevelopment plan (PIN 100241.03) for the area between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive.
Some Suggestions for Safely Using Alcoa Highway
These may be obvious, but I offer them anyway.
Preface: At the 2007 annual meeting of the Timberlake Community Club, Inc., questions about Alcoa Highway and its improvement were raised by some of the newer members of the neighborhood. I volunteered to collect information about this subject and report back to the community. This is that report long overdue.
Gene Burr has helped in the collection of recent information and, along with Kermit Duckett, reviewed this report and associated appendix. I am greatly appreciative of their help. However, I take responsibility for any omissions or errors in it.
Introduction
This report addresses Alcoa Highway for the residents of the Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake Community. That area is bordered by Alcoa Highway on the east, the Tennessee River on the north and west, and the University of Tennessee Plant Sciences Farm on the south. Travel to and from this community, whether it is to Knoxville, Alcoa/Maryville or beyond, requires use of Alcoa Highway by way of Montlake Drive, Ginn Drive or Maloney Road.
The Timberlake Community Club, Inc. (TCC) president’s file box contains two folders of material related to Alcoa Highway. One has correspondence between a committee of TCC members and government officials along with newspaper clipping, all related to Alcoa Highway. This committee was appointed in the fall of 1982 by then-president Kermit Duckett to urge government agencies to improve the safety of Alcoa Highway.
The second folder has four reports related to the conditions along Alcoa Highway and their improvement. These reports are:
- U.S. 129 – A Highway Corridor Study, prepared by the Tennessee State Planning Office and the Tennessee Valley Authority [No date, but after 1972]
- A TSM Plan for the Alcoa Highway Corridor by Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission – December, 1984. Prepared in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration and the Tennessee Department of Transportation
- Make Alcoa a Safe Highway – MASH [1986]
- DESIGN AND CORRIDOR – PUBLIC HEARING – March 29, 1999, State Route 115 (U.S. 129, Alcoa Highway) From South of Maloney Road to North of Montlake Drive, Knox County, Tennessee, Project Number 47026-1263-04, Tennessee Department of Transportation
This material in these files and current information collected from a variety of sources, are the basis for this report. The appendix contains material from these sources that seemed pertinent to the members of TCC.
Alcoa Highway serves two conflicting purposes. It is a high speed highway that connects Knoxville with south Knox County, Blount County and areas to the south. It is also a service road for residential and commercial areas along its length.
Use of Alcoa Highway
Alcoa Highway [Tennessee route 115 and U.S. 129] runs from I40/75 south to the Hall Road interchange in Alcoa. It is 13.09 miles long with 6.64 miles in Knox County and 6.45 miles in Blount County. Traffic on Alcoa Highway has increased since 1939 due to increased residential and commercial development in the area it serves and increased use of the airport. In 1982, traffic volume was 34,890 vehicles per weekday, while in 1993 it was 41,201 and in 2003 it was 54,254.
In the Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake area the number of houses has increased from about 25 in 1942 to about 384 currently; this does not include houses that directly access Alcoa Highway. On Timberlake Drive, there are about seven drivers for every four houses. In addition to many of the residents leaving their homes and going out by way of Alcoa Highway, there are numerous people coming into the area to visit and work every day.
The population of Knox County has increased from 319,694 in 1980 to about 411,967 in 2006. For Blount County the increase over the same period has been from 81,852 to about 118,186, while Anderson County has grown from 66,878 to about 73,579. A sizeable portion of the traffic on Alcoa Highway during work days is from Blount County, while many travelers from Knox, Anderson and surrounding counties arriving at and departing from the airport use Alcoa Highway.
Commercial development in the section of the highway between Montlake and Maloney in the last 35 years has consisted of three gas station/convenience stores added to one service station, now down to two; a shopping center off the south bound lane essentially replacing one on the north bound; a fast food outlet; a strip shopping area and liquor store; a large church south of Maloney. This commercial development has been minor compared to that in Blount County.
Accidents, Injuries and Fatalities
Use of Alcoa Highway as both a high speed route and for access between residential and commercial areas, has lead to concern by most of the neighborhoods in south Knox County including Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake. In 1970, 21 reported accidents resulted in 17 serious injuries and one fatality in the section between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive. From January 1980 to October 1983, a period of 46 months, there were 194 accidents with 80 injuries and three fatalities. Harder to quantify is the extra cost and stress caused to residents of these areas from having to use an inadequately constructed high speed highway when they leave their homes for Knoxville, Maryville/Alcoa and beyond.
In 1982 a TDOT engineer indicated that Alcoa Highway has a low accident rate – about half the state average for comparable highways. In 1983, the TDOT commissioner indicated that the Alcoa Highway accident rate was below state averages for similar highways, but that the speeds on it were high and when accidents occurred, they tend to be more severe than average.
The 1970 publication listed above includes a table of predicted number of accidents per unit length of highway by access type and average daily traffic. Using these figures, I calculated that the predicted number of accidents between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive would have been 64 in 1970; there were 21 reported accidents. In 1982, 72 accidents would have been expected between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive while there were 63 reported. For 1982, 332 accidents were predicted on Alcoa Highway in Knox County and 655 on all of Alcoa Highway. There were 235 accidents reported in Knox County and 368 on all of Alcoa Highway. The actual number of accidents as a percent of those expected is 56% for all of Alcoa Highway which agrees with TDOT statements. However, the accident rate on the Knox County portion of Alcoa Highway was 71% of the predicted and for the portion from Maloney Road to Woodson Drive it was 87%. To me this shows that the portion of Alcoa Highway that residents of Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake regularly use was more accident prone in 1982 than the highway in general.
Make Alcoa a Safe Highway - MASH
In the early 1980’s, residents of neighborhoods along Alcoa Highway in south Knoxville County formed MASH to address concerns about safety on this route. In 1986 MASH issued a report with immediate short term recommendations, a mid-range plan and a long-range plan. Of those recommendations, only establishment of a few no parking areas on the right-of-way, occasional enforcement of the speed limit, and lighting of the highway have been implemented.
Construction and Improvement of Alcoa Highway
What is now Alcoa Highway was completed as a two-lane highway to Blount County in 1939. Its northern end, the “Buck” Karnes Bridge over the Tennessee River, was completed in 1935. In 1963, Alcoa Highway was widened to four lanes from the “Buck” Karnes Bridge to McGhee-Tyson Airport.
A number of major improvements to the highway have been completed in the last 35 years. The interchange with an overpass at the UT Hospital replaced an at-grade intersection in the mid-1970’s. The intersection with Governor John Sevier Highway received similar upgrading in the mid-1980’s. Pellissippi Parkway which provides a route for travelers to the airport from west Knox County and Oak Ridge, was completed in the late 1990’s. At the start of this millennium, the bridge over the Tennessee River was replaced and the highway improved from north of the UT Hospital interchange to I40/75. Finally, the bridge over the Little River was replaced in the mid-2000’s. Lighting of Alcoa Highway was installed south to the Little River when the City of Knoxville annexed the highway and selected adjacent properties in the early-1990’s.
Lack of Construction and Improvement
Many of the major problem areas on Alcoa Highway have been improved in the last 35 years as described above. One area that has received little or no attention is that between Woodson Drive and Maloney Road.
Two major planning efforts have been conducted by the Tennessee Department of Transportation, one in the early-1980’s and the second in the late 1990’s. The 1999 proposal includes closing the median openings, adding a third lane in each direction and constructing three bridges over Alcoa Highway, one at Maloney Road, one at Mt. Vernon Drive and Montlake Drive and the third between these two to service the commercial area.
The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization FY 2008-2011 Transportation Improvement Program includes 10.8 million dollars for right-of-way acquisition from Woodson Drive north and 4.2 million dollars for right-of-way acquisition and 29.9 million dollars for construction of 6 lanes from the Little River to Maloney Road. However, there is no work planned between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive.
Appendix B of the Timberlake History Project summarized the current Alcoa Highway redevelopment plan (PIN 100241.03) for the area between Maloney Road and Woodson Drive.
Some Suggestions for Safely Using Alcoa Highway
These may be obvious, but I offer them anyway.
- The two times with major traffic volume on Alcoa Highway are from 7 to 9 AM and from 4 to 6 PM on Monday to Friday. If you can, schedule travel, whether it is going to work or going to Knoxville for dinner, at times other than these.
- When leaving Lakemoor Hills/Timberlake to go north on Alcoa Highway use Montlake Drive instead of Maloney Road. Montlake Drive has an acceleration lane. After you have carefully crossed the south bound lane, stay at the south end of the acceleration lane until there is enough space between north bound cars to enter and then use the acceleration lane to accelerate to a speed close to that of the traffic. Do not pull to the north end of the acceleration lane and enter traffic at a slow speed.
- Be patient. Wait for enough space between vehicles in the south bound lane to safely enter that lane if you are going south or to cross into the acceleration lane for north bound traffic. Be patient for a wide enough space in north bound traffic. Be patient if the person in front of you in line to get onto Alcoa Highway is more comfortable waiting for a wider space in traffic than you use.
