What is the Green Route? Think Orange Route (a highway that is a toll-road designed for big trucks) but going through a more densely populated, more rugged area in east Knox Co and Sevier Co. It makes the orange route into a genuine beltway around Knoxville.

Think of that nice whining sound that truck wheels make when they barrel down the road at 70 mph. Now think of that sound...in your back yard!

Judging by the route proposed
Link... [1]

the following communities should start organizing unless they want to be paved over:

Powell
Cedar Grove
Pedigo
Copper Ridge
Beech Grove
Stokes Mill
Corryton
Graveston
Paulette
Maloneyville
Skagstown
Sunrise
Shipetown
Mascot
Strawberry Plains
Four Points
Pleasant Grove

What to do?
As a first step you could contact your state reps and senators:
Call, write letters, email.

Tell them that study after study has shown that roads induce traffic and create sprawl. Other cities have realized this and are not building new beltways. For example Nashville is NOT building 840 north. Why?
According to TDOT itself: "Because the majority of the plan did not appear to meet a documented transportation need and lacked meaningful participation from local planners, we are putting 840 North on indefinite hold..."
Link... [2]

So,where is the documented transportation need for the Green Route?

Here is some excellent information from the folks trying to stop the Orange Route.
Link... [3]

My personal favorite link from the nobeltway site: Knoxville #1 in Asthma! More roads = more traffic = more pollution = more Asthma = more people who decide not to move here = less economic growth = higher tax burdens
Link... [4]

Speaking to the broader issues of roads, traffic and sprawl:

Here are some newspaper articles on the connection between sprawl and new or widened roads:
Link... [5]
Link... [6]

Here is the wikipedia article on "induced demand"
Link... [7]

Here is an exerpt from a book on sprawl
Link... [8]

Here is a pretty heavy economics paper on the subject of "induced demand" that demonstrates the connection between road building/widening and increased traffic:
Link... [9]

Here is a "roadgeek" website on Nashville's route 840, it also has info on the "Green route"
Link... [10]

Who do you contact?
Depending on where in this area you live your rep could be :

Harry Brooks:19th district
Link... [11]

Joe Armstrong:15th district
Link... [12]

Bill Dunn:16th district
Link... [13]

Frank Nicely: 17th district
Link... [14]

Your state senator is
Jamie Woodson
Link... [15]

I suggest making your opinion known to all of these officials wether or not you live in their districts. We are all footing the bill for this. If you don't live in the area proposed for paving, contact your representative also.

MPC should also be hear from you. TDOT's reason for not doing 840 north also mentioned lack of participation from local planners. Let ours know that we do NOT want them participating with TDOT either!

This is probably the short list of who to contact.

Jeff Welch
Transportation Planning
Organization (TPO) Director
215-3790
jeff.welch@knoxtrans.org [16]

Katie Habgood
Public Involvement, Smart Fix 40,
Corridor Studies
215-3809
katie.habgood@knoxtrans.org [17]

Mark Donaldson
Executive Director
215-2500
mark.donaldson@knoxmpc.org [18]

Folks, lets get busy and beat this thing before TDOT can ram it down our throats!

Thanks
Sugarfatpie