b'Early on, planners conceived build- Hunt Road interchange, improvesPHASE Iing a frontage road with high con- safety for both motorists and pe- From north of Hall Road to pro-crete walls along the existing Alcoadestrians, said Sonner. posed interchange at Tyson Boule-Highway alignment, but businessThe reason Alcoa Highway isvardleaders didnt like that idea.unsafe is you have high volumes ofCurrently under constructionIt would have hurt the entiretraffic at high speeds with uncon- Estimated completion: November corridor as far as economic activ- trolled access, and people taking2021ity, says Sonner. So, the City ofleft and right turns and crossing theCost: $39.2 million Alcoa hired Wilbur Smith to look athighway, he said.alternatives.Sonner said the way Tennes- PHASE IIIt was in around 2000 that plan- see Department of TransportationFrom proposed interchange at Ty-ners came up with the Parkwayplanners designed this new cor- son Boulevard to Pellissippi Parkway concept, working off an existingridor, they remove uncontrolledCurrently in Right of Way phasealignment of Alcoa Highway whichaccess and vehicle conflict pointsEstimated completion: 2024would divert through traffic off ofby grade separatingmeaningEstimated cost: $74.5 millionthe Airport Motor Mile just pastbridges or underpasses replace in-Hunt Road and converging backtersections, which in turn mitigates onto the existing Alcoa Highwaythe chance for vehicle crashes. PHASE IIIalignment at Singleton StationAccording to the TennesseeFrom Pellissippi Parkway to existing Road. Department of Transportation, thisAlcoa Highway at South Singleton The first phaseAlcoa Highway/ project is part of a larger effort toStation RoadHunt Road interchangeshould bereconstruct and widen Alcoa High- Currently in Right of Way phase completed and open in Novemberway from Hall Road to CherokeeEstimated completion: 20252021, according to Tennessee De- Trail in Blount and Knox Coun- Estimated cost: $90 millionpartment of Transportation spokes- ties. Due to the significant size of man Mark Nagi. the overall project, the proposedPHASE IVThe Alcoa Highway/Hunt Roadimprovements have been sepa- From South Singleton Station Road interchange revamp is significantrated into seven smaller sections orto south of Little River because it improves access and willphases. Four of those phases are inCurrently in Preliminary Engineering be the main entrance to Spring- Blount County. phase brook Farm, a commercial, retail,TDOTs Mark Nagi offered theEstimated completion: 2025residential and mixed-used develop- following timeline projections forEstimated cost: $47.6 millionment off Hall Road and because itroad projects at Alcoa Highway adds a second entrance to McGhee(pending available funding):Tyson Airport at Tyson Boulevard.This specific project improves access to Springbrook Farm and is a catalyst for development to begin, Sonner said. Commercial develop-ment was hesitant to locate until this interchange was underway.The development is also signifi-cant because the Hunt Road inter-change is the first Blount County portion of improvements of Alcoa Highway that will improve safety for motorists using the corridor.Daily about 60,000 motor ve-hicles pass through the interchange on Alcoa Highway. Relocated Alcoa Highway between Hall Road and South Singleton Station Road will shift The entire Alcoa Highwaythe alignment to the east of the existing Alcoa Highway. The new roadway will separate realignment project, including thelocal traffic from commuter through-traffic.42 Basically Blount 2021'