Two big residential projects in West Knoxville will bring hundreds of new people to a two-lane street, prompting questions about whether the road might be expanded to accommodate increased traffic.
A traffic study, published in 2024, outlined a few possible solutions to the expected increase in traffic that would come with a jump in local population.
A 106-home subdivision and an apartment building just off Kingston Pike on Ebenezer Road will generate thousands of daily trips on two-lane Ebenezer Road. The traffic study recommended extending the Ebenezer right turn lane onto Kingston Pike and adding a left turn lane into the apartment complex. No public funds for such improvements have been requested or considered by local government as of this
year.
Widening the entire road would be complicated, the study found, by existing guardrails and the street's positioning next to Ten Mile Creek.
This area around Ebenezer Road and Kingston Pike was designated as a future development area by Knox County, meaning it will become a more densely populated stretch of road as residents start moving into these complexes.
A few families are already moving into the Highlands at Ebenezer subdivision. Rusty Ensor, a real estate broker for Volunteer Realty, said they've sold 42 homes in the past eight months. The traffic study found this subdivision would generate around 1,129 daily trips.
Residents can choose from six different builds ranging from $665,500 to $760,000. The development is a five-minute drive to West Valley Middle School.
An apartment building under construction next door will offer 1- to 3-bedroom apartments. The Altura apartments didn't need to go through Knox County planning because the apartments comply with the land's current zoning, the Engineering and Public Works Department told Knox News.
Sophia Tiedge is the growth and transformation reporter for Knox News. Email: sophia.tiedge@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: What's the plan for 2-lane Ebenezer Road with new housing developments?
