Sevierville Sets Sept. 23 Meeting on Old Knoxville Highway Improvements

Sevierville residents and property owners will get a closer look this month at plans to widen and modernize the southern section of Old Knoxville Highway, a project intended to improve safety and reduce congestion on the growing corridor.

The city will hold a public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 5 p.m. at the Sevierville Convention Center, 202 Gists Creek Road. Project plans will be available for review, and city staff and project representatives will answer questions and accept comments.

Phase 1 covers Old Knoxville Highway between Gists Creek Road and West Main Street, also known as U.S. 411. The existing highway functions as a two-lane rural collector even as development and traffic have increased around it.

The broader proposal includes roadway widening and realignment, turn lanes, a greenway and sidewalk along the southern segment. It also calls for replacing the traffic signal at West Main Street, the bridge over Gists Creek and two golf-cart tunnels near the Sevierville Golf Club.

Those elements would affect motorists, pedestrians and adjacent property owners. The city says the improvements are designed to address geometric and operational problems while giving people safer ways to travel along and across the corridor.

Right-of-way acquisition is the project’s next major step. Representatives familiar with that process will attend the meeting to explain what acquisition could mean for affected parcels and to answer questions from owners and other interested residents.

The project is funded by the City of Sevierville. The meeting notice does not establish a construction start date, so the Sept. 23 session is primarily an opportunity to understand the current design before property acquisition and later construction decisions advance.

Maps and ongoing updates are also available through the city’s Old Knoxville Highway project website. Questions may be directed to Public Works Director Doug Tarwater at 865-429-4567.