Friday, December 30, 2016

December 30th Update

Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Come celebrate the start of 2017 with your friends and fellow merchants!

Date: Wednesday, January 4

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 

Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar. 

Cumberland Avenue Construction Updates

For more information on what has been happening on the Avenue, make sure to check out our Two Week Look Ahead at www.cumberlandconnect.com or click right here! A lot of work has been accomplished over the Winter Break, including trolley track removal from 19th Street to 17th Street, rebuilding of the 17th Street intersection, new sidewalks poured between 22nd Street and Zaxby's, storm water lines installed to 19th street, and new lighting and signals! Work is progressing and slated to be complete in 2017!

As always, thanks for your interest in everything related to Cumberland Avenue. Have a wonderful and safe New Year's weekend. 




Tuesday, December 13, 2016

December 13th Update

INTERSECTION REBUILD TO CLOSE
CUMBERLAND AVENUE AT 17th STREET

                The last intersection in the City’s $17 million Cumberland Avenue reconstruction – Cumberland at 17th Street – will be rebuilt and repaved later this week, requiring detours of motorists on both streets.

                The work on the intersection at Cumberland and 17th will require a full closure, starting at 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15. The intersection will remain closed through 6 a.m. Monday, Dec. 19.

Southern Constructors Inc. crews will be lowering the elevation of the intersection and repaving it as part of the reconstruction of a nine-block stretch of Cumberland between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 17th Street. This is the final intersection rebuild of the project, which is more than halfway complete.

The Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project began with Knoxville Utilities Board infrastructure improvements in April 2015, and it’s scheduled to be completed by August 2017. The existing four-lane Cumberland between 22nd and 17th streets is being remade into a safer, more pedestrian-friendly corridor with a three-lane cross section, a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections. An earlier phase of work on the western end of Cumberland focused on improving traffic flow between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street; that phase finished at the end of 2015, on time and under budget.

The rebuild of the Cumberland-17th intersection was strategically scheduled to take advantage of light traffic during the University of Tennessee’s winter break.

Here are recommended detour routes (please see attached map):

n  Westbound motorists on Cumberland: Turn left onto Volunteer Boulevard; right onto Melrose Place; left onto Lake Avenue; right onto Volunteer, back to westbound Cumberland.

n  Eastbound motorists on Cumberland: Turn left onto 18th Street; right onto White Avenue; right onto 16th Street, back to Cumberland.

n  Southbound motorists on 17th: Turn right onto Clinch Avenue; left onto 22nd Street to access westbound Cumberland. Or turn left onto White, right onto 16th, to access eastbound Cumberland.


More information is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com, on the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, and on the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.

Friday, November 18, 2016

November 28th Update

Cumberland Avenue Construction Update: 


Beginning Monday November 21, westbound traffic will shift to the north side of Cumberland Avenue between 19th and 17th Streets so that the contractor can remove the remaining trolley track located in the middle of the roadway.

During this week, construction crews will cut and begin the hammering of the asphalt and concrete around the trolley tracks next week during day time hours. 

Beginning at 6 pm Sunday, November 27 work will be 24/7 to complete the trolley track removal and crews will work around the clock through Wednesday, November 30 at 6 pm.

No left turns will be allowed between 17th and North 19th streets during this time. Night time work will cease Wednesday, November 30, which is the first day of the University of Tennessee study period. All paving work will be complete and left turns at North 19th and 18th will be restored by the morning of Thursday, December 8, in time for University of Tennessee Graduation.

For more information about the work progressing on Cumberland Avenue, please visit www.cumberlandconnect.com and check out the Two Week Look Ahead. Every Thursday an update is posted with project progress and what to expect over the next two weeks. 

As always, thanks for your interest in everything to do with Cumberland Avenue. 

Wishing the Tennessee Vols all the best of luck in their final home game of the season, tomorrow, November 19, against the Missouri Tigers. Go Vols! 




Friday, October 28, 2016

October 28th Update

Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Date: Wednesday, November 2

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 

Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

In addition to project discussion, this month the city and map maker John Innes from Good Point, Inc. will be gathering information for a Cumberland Avenue map for the kiosks that will be installed as part of the project. Please plan to attend and bring a neighbor! 

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar. 





Community Events

Friday October 28 – Sunday October 30, 2016
Civil War Living History Days
Ft Dickerson Park
9:00am-4:00pm

Saturday October 29, 2016
Market Square Farmer’s Market
Market Square, Market Street, Union Ave
9:00am-2:00pm
13th season of the downtown Farmers Market with locally grown produce, meat, eggs and plants, as well as locally made artisan foods & crafts.   
marketsquarefarmersmarket.org

Saturday October 29, 2016
International Food Festival
World’s Fair Park Festival Lawn
11:00am-5:00pm
An event offering foods from different countries, an international bazaar, a kid's corner and live entertainment

Sunday October 30, 2016
UT Homecoming 5K Fun Run
UT Campus
9:00am-10:30am

As always, thank you for your interest and involvement with Cumberland Avenue. Have a safe and fun filled weekend. 



Friday, September 2, 2016

September 2nd Update - CHANGE TO TRAFFIC STARTING 9/6




CUMBERLAND AVENUE EXCAVATION WORK:
DAYTIME LANE SHIFT, NIGHTTIME DETOUR

Starting after Labor Day, a City contractor will be excavating and removing buried pre-World War II trolley tracks from the center of Cumberland Avenue – a task that will require a 10-day around-the-clock lane shift plus overnight closures of the westbound lane of Cumberland for nine consecutive nights.

Southern Constructors Inc. will begin the trolley track removal at midnight on Tuesday, Sept. 6. The job is scheduled to be completed by the end of Thursday, Sept. 15.

Along a three-block section of Cumberland, between 19th and 22nd streets, the westbound lane of traffic will be shifted. No left turns will be allowed through the three-block excavation zone Sept. 6-15, and this includes intersecting side streets with Cumberland.

Nightly, between midnight and 6 a.m., the westbound lane between 19th and 22nd streets will be closed entirely. Flag personnel will be dispatched as needed to maintain access to businesses that are open after midnight.

The eastbound traffic lane of Cumberland Avenue will remain open at all times during the project. Westbound commuters will shift to the new through lane during day and evening hours, but between midnight and 6 a.m., westbound commuters will be detoured off Cumberland to 19th Street, to Clinch Avenue and to 22nd Street before reconnecting with Cumberland.

“The decision to close a section of westbound Cumberland at night wasn’t made lightly,” said Anne Wallace, the City’s Deputy Director of Redevelopment. “However, safety is key – both to motorists and to the construction crew. It was necessary to eliminate conflicts between heavy machinery and vehicles for this phase.”

The excavation was scheduled to take advantage of a 10-day period with no University of Tennessee home football games.

Wallace cautioned that the night-time work will be noisy at times. But doing the work 24/7 rather than stopping the excavation work at night will cut by more than half the time needed to finish the project, in addition to increasing motorist safety.

 http://www.cumberlandconnect.com/battle-at-cumberlandThe excavation work also will play a small role in the Battle at Cumberland Avenue Scavenger Hunt. The four-day Sept. 6-9 event pits registered teams against one another in posting creative social media photos tied to the Cumberland Avenue revitalization and, most importantly, Big Orange fervor along Cumberland Avenue leading up to the Sept. 10 Battle at Bristol between the Vols and Hokies.

The details of the scavenger hunt will remain under wraps until it kicks off on Sept. 6, but several of the contest criteria award points to teams that safely incorporate images of the City’s $17 million investment in the Cumberland Avenue reconstruction. (So imagine a photo of a team singing “Rocky Top” while holding a specialty food item, standing on a new section of decorative Cumberland brick sidewalk, with a Southern Constructors dump truck in the background. That would be worth a lot of Battle at Cumberland Avenue points!)

To get started, scavenger hunt teams must register at www.CumberlandConnect.com.

The City’s reconstruction of Cumberland Avenue, begun with Knoxville Utilities Board infrastructure improvements in April 2015, is scheduled to be completed by August 2017; the work is past the halfway mark. The existing four-lane Cumberland between 22nd and 17th streets is being remade into a safer, more pedestrian-friendly corridor with a three-lane cross section, a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections. An earlier phase of work on the western end of Cumberland focused on improving traffic flow between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street; that phase finished at the end of 2015, on time and under budget.


More information is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com, on the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, and on the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.

FIRST HOME GAME - TRAFFIC SUCCESS!
Thanks to everyone who planned ahead for the first home game on a Thursday since 1936. It was great to see that traffic was flowing next to all that Orange and White (both barrels and fans!). Here's a video of the drive around 2:00PM on game day - about 5 hours before kickoff (notice the new street lights that are being installed on the right side of the video)! Go Big Orange!



REMINDER: Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Date: Wednesday, September 7 (during the Battle at Cumberland!)

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 

Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar. 


Wednesday, August 31, 2016

August 31st Update - Happy Football Season Eve!



Happy Football Season Eve! 

Please remember to plan ahead for Thursday night's home opener: University of Tennessee Volunteers vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers - Kick Off at 7:30 PM 

Football Parking will NOT be available at East Tennessee Children's Hospital or Fort Sanders Regional Hospital. 



Remember to pack your patience and Volunteer Spirit in a clear, UT approved bag or small clutch! With careful planning and a backup plan, it should be a great start to a new season! More information is also available at the City of Knoxville website, here. Please keep in mind traffic patterns and construction along Cumberland Avenue will be changing over the course of the season for more information visit the TWO WEEK LOOK AHEAD.

Battle at Cumberland Avenue 
 http://www.cumberlandconnect.com/battle-at-cumberland
Scavenger Hunt begins Tuesday, September 6 at 8:00 AM and ends Friday, September 9 at 10:00PM

During the much-ballyhooed Battle at Bristol on Sept. 10, the University of Tennessee Vols will be taking on Virginia Tech at a neutral site midway between the schools. More than 150,000 seats were presold last spring, creating the largest crowd to ever watch a college football game.

Closer to Neyland Stadium, anticipate Big Orange fervor up and down the Cumberland Avenue Corridor during the four days leading up to what's simply being called the "Biggest Ever."

The Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association is offering the "Battle at Cumberland Avenue Scavenger Hunt - Celebrating College Football's Biggest Ever." And what a scavenger hunt it will be - big rewards for creativity, and big prizes worth thousands of dollars.

"This four-day Battle at Cumberland Avenue will be an exciting lead-up to the Battle at Bristol," says Jonah Riggs, general manager of Copper Cellar Cumberland and president of the Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association. "We think the scavenger hunt teams will get really creative and have a lot of fun. We're excited to see what they come up with!"

Sign Up right smack HERE!


Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Date: Wednesday, September 7 (during the Battle at Cumberland!)

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 

Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar. 



Tuesday, August 23, 2016

August 23rd Update - SPECIAL CALLED CAMA MEETING

REMINDER SPECIAL CALLED CAMA MEETING 
TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR 9/1 HOME FOOTBALL GAME
TOMORROW 8/24 AT 3:00 PM COPPER CELLAR

Who: City of Knoxville Staff, KPD, PBA and KAT will meet with Cumberland Avenue Merchants and interested business or property owners

What: Meeting to discuss traffic control and access for first home football game on Thursday, September 1. For more information see below and click on 

When: Wednesday, 8/24 at 3:00 PM

Where: Copper Cellar Restaurant - 1807 Cumberland Avenue

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar.


Interactive map available at: http://www.cumberlandconnect.com/2016-ut-football-public-parking

PLAN YOUR COMMUTE, PARKING OPTIONS
FOR VOLS’ THURSDAY, SEPT. 1, SEASON OPENER

With the University of Tennessee’s football home opener on Thursday, Sept. 1, fans heading to the game should anticipate some logistical deviations from a traditional Saturday game.

Shuttle services to and from Neyland Stadium will be limited, and there will likely be waits to board the shuttles as kickoff approaches. City transportation planners are recommending that regular game-day shuttle commuters switch on Sept. 1 to use Knoxville Area Transit’s regular bus system to get to the game.

If your favorite parking garage is full, fans are advised to have a back-up plan for where to park. (Many commuters will be parking on the periphery of downtown; the Civic Coliseum garage, for example, has more than 2,500 parking spaces, and it’s just a five-minute walk to Gay Street – or cross Hall of Fame Drive to access KAT’s Knoxville Station Transit Center and a bus connection on to Cumberland Avenue.)

Remember that the City’s $17 million reconstruction of Cumberland Avenue is continuing, so please follow the recommended traffic flow plans to reach garages and parking lots. And if your time-honored game-day traditions start with a meal at a Cumberland Avenue restaurant, there are recommended routes to access those businesses as well.

“We want everyone to have a great experience at the home opener,” said Rick Emmett, the City’s Downtown Coordinator. “To best assure a smooth, stress-free commute, fans are encouraged to arrive early, be patient if they encounter heavier-than-usual traffic congestion, and plan their parking options before driving to the game.”

For normal weekday downtown commuters, garage parking will be available as usual. All monthly parking subscribers arriving before 3 p.m. on Sept. 1 will be able to access their garages. Similarly, downtown residents with monthly parking passes will be able to park in their garage as usual up until game-day parking begins.

The Vols kick off against Appalachian State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1. Here are some useful tips for navigating through downtown and near the UT campus:


KAT trolleys and game-day shuttles

KAT will be running its regular weekday citywide bus routes. Because KAT doesn’t have as many buses available on a weekday as on a Saturday, KAT will be discontinuing its downtown free trolley service at 3 p.m. on Sept. 1 and using the trolleys to shuttle football fans to and from Neyland Stadium.

With the shuttle service condensed and limited – two downtown shuttle pickup points instead of the usual four, with fewer overall seats available – wait times for a shuttle may be unusually lengthy at certain times on Sept. 1.

The trolleys will be shuttling fans to Neyland Stadium from two locations only: The City’s free Jackson Avenue parking lot underneath Hall of Fame Drive, and the Civic Coliseum Garage. Shuttles begin at 4:30 p.m., and the cost is $6 per person round-trip.
Starting with the Vols’ Saturday, Sept. 17, game against Ohio University, shuttles will resume to and from Farragut High School and Market Square.


KAT buses

The City of Knoxville recommends – with limited football shuttle services on Sept. 1 – that riders use KAT’s regular bus system to reach UT.

KAT has developed five easy-to-follow guides (attachments included) for fans traveling into downtown from the west, northwest, north, east and south. Call KAT at 865-637-3000, and a customer-service specialist will help fans plan their commute.

The one-page guides are in pdf format and are available on the City of Knoxville’s website (http://www.knoxvilletn.gov) and KAT’s website (http://www.katbus.com), or KAT will email a copy to anyone who calls and requests one. The guides also are available in printed form at Knoxville Station Transit Center.

Call KAT or check online about bus frequency, schedules and costs. In most cases, fans’ most economical choice to get to and from Neyland Stadium on Sept. 1 is to purchase a $4 unlimited day pass for a round-trip ride from anywhere. After 4 p.m., buses roll every 15 minutes on Route 31 (Magnolia), Route 11 (Kingston Pike) and Route 22 (Broadway). Other major routes transporting fans on Clinton Highway, Central Street and Chapman Highway roll every 30 minutes.

Payments with dollar bills and coins are accepted on buses, but not credit or debit cards.

Buses will run until 11:15 p.m., unless demand warrants extended later service.


Downtown garages

The University of Tennessee has canceled classes on Sept. 1, but the City of Knoxville offices downtown will be open, as will banks and most other downtown employers. As a result, downtown parking garages that typically are empty for a Saturday home game will be in use by daytime workers.

However, parking spaces are expected to start becoming increasingly available as the afternoon progresses, and game-day parking will be sold as spaces open up, beginning in some City-owned garages at 3 p.m. on Sept. 1.

Here’s a rundown on parking availability at public garages and surface lots:

Market Square Garage – Normal daytime rates apply; free to those who enter the garage after 6 p.m.; free game-day parking will be allowed in the garage at any time but only after an appropriate number of spaces are set aside to accommodate parkers who have purchased monthly parking passes for the garage;
-  State Street Garage – Normal daytime rates apply; free upon entry after 6 p.m.;
-  Promenade Garage – No game-day parking due to limited spaces during a maintenance project;
- Main Street Garage – Game-day parking will begin at 3 p.m.; the cost is $20 per vehicle;
-  Locust Street Garage – Game-day parking ($20 per vehicle) will begin at 3 p.m.;
-  City County Building Garage – Game-day parking ($20 per vehicle) will begin at 3 p.m.;
-  Dwight Kessel Garage – Game-day parking ($20 per vehicle) will begin at 3 p.m.;
-  Civic Coliseum Garage – RVs allowed ($35 for spaces without full utility hookups); game-day parking is $10 per car.
-  West Jackson Avenue lot, west of Gay Street in the Old City – Normal daytime rates; free after 6 p.m.;
-  State Supreme Court site – Game-day parking begins at noon, as spaces are available;
-  Poplar Street lot – Game-day parking ($30 per vehicle) begins at noon, as spaces are available; and
-Blackstock Avenue lot – RVs allowed ($25); game-day parking ($10 per vehicle) begins at 3 p.m., as spaces are available.


Traffic patterns

                Some streets will be closed or temporarily converted to one-way traffic to improve movement of large numbers of vehicles heading to the game or leaving the UT area after the game.

Fully plan your commute before you leave the house. For details, visit http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/residents/traffic_transit/game_day_traffic.

                Before UT games:

-  UT Drive – one-way south and east from Volunteer Boulevard to Lake Loudoun Boulevard;
- Peyton Manning Pass – closed approximately 2½ hours before kickoff.

After UT games:

-  Alcoa Highway -- ramps from Alcoa Highway to Neyland Drive closed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation;
-  Hall of Fame Drive – closed southbound at Summit Hill Drive; no access to James White Parkway from Hall of Fame Drive at the Cal Johnson Recreation Center;
-  Kingston Pike – eastbound closed at southbound Alcoa Highway;
-  Lake Loudoun Boulevard – one-way south from Volunteer Boulevard to Neyland Drive;
-  Neyland Drive – one-way east from Lake Loudon Boulevard to I-40; southbound Lake Loudoun Boulevard lanes turn west onto Neyland Drive; northbound Lake Loudoun Boulevard lanes turn east onto Neyland Drive; westbound Neyland Drive closed at Walnut Street; eastbound Neyland Drive closed at Kingston Pike; eastbound Neyland Drive ramp to Hall of Fame closed;
-  Phillip Fulmer Way – one-way south from Andy Holt Avenue to Lake Loudoun Boulevard;
-  Peyton Manning Pass – one-way west from Phillip Fulmer Way to Volunteer Boulevard;
- 17th St – closed southbound at Clinch Avenue; all traffic detoured to westbound Clinch Avenue;
-  Volunteer Boulevard West – closed at Joe Johnson Drive; all traffic will be diverted onto Joe Johnson to Neyland Drive;
- Cumberland Avenue (westbound) – closed at Henley Street;
-  Clinch Avenue Viaduct between 11th Street and Henley Street – one-way eastbound traffic; and
-  11th St. (southbound) – closed at Western Avenue.


Cumberland Avenue

The Cumberland Avenue reconstruction will continue through next summer. One lane is open on Cumberland in each direction.
Last year, two-way traffic was opened up on four side streets that previously had been one-directional – 18th Street, 19th Street south of Cumberland, Mountcastle and 21st Street – between Lake and White avenues. (There always had been two-way traffic on 20th Street and on 19th Street north of Cumberland.) These permanent changes in traffic flow will give more options to motorists and enable them to more quickly reach their destinations.

However, there will be no left turns allowed off Cumberland Avenue. Motorists are encouraged to study a map and plan their commutes before heading to the area on game days.

Fans without parking passes should refrain from driving into the congested campus area and instead should park in peripheral areas, such as at downtown garages or in private lots.

City officials recommend these routes on game days, either for fans with designated parking in the UT or Fort Sanders areas, or those wishing to access downtown parking:

-  Coming from the west: One option is to take Interstate 40/75 to southbound Alcoa Highway, then exit onto Neyland Drive. Once on Neyland Drive, motorists can access campus via Joe Johnson Drive, or they can continue on to parking garages downtown. A second option is to take eastbound Kingston Pike to Neyland Drive.
-  Coming from the south: Take Chapman Highway and cross the Tennessee River into downtown using either the Henley Bridge or the Gay Street Bridge.

Or, drive northbound Alcoa Highway to Neyland Drive, and either access campus via Joe Johnson Drive or access City parking garages by continuing on Neyland into downtown.

-  Coming from north of Cumberland Avenue: Take southbound Broadway until it turns into Henley Street downtown; then turn right onto Western Avenue (to 11th Street) or onto Clinch Avenue to access Fort Sanders, or turn left onto Summit Hill Drive or Church Street to access the downtown garages.

Or, if driving from I-40: Take southbound 17th Street to access side streets into Fort Sanders.

-  Coming from the east: Get off I-40 at James White Parkway to access downtown and parking.

When leaving Neyland Stadium after the game, fans should follow the same route that they took when arriving to the game.

Meanwhile, UT fans wishing to revel in game-day traditions by visiting iconic Cumberland Avenue merchants and restaurants should follow these routes:

-  To access destinations on the north side of Cumberland Avenue: Take southbound 17th Street to Cumberland Avenue; turn right onto Cumberland, then access businesses by turning right into their parking areas. Remember, there are no left turns on Cumberland.
-  To access destinations on the south side of Cumberland: Take Neyland Drive to Joe Johnson Drive; turn left onto West Volunteer Boulevard; turn right onto Cumberland. Or: Take Alcoa Highway and the Kingston Pike exit; turn onto Cumberland; turn right into the business. Remember: No left turns on Cumberland Avenue.


Click here for a game-day parking map:


For special game-day promotions by Cumberland Avenue businesses, visit www.CumberlandConnect.com or the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, or download the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

August 11th Update



Welcome UT Students, Be Aware of New City Parking Rules

This weekend, thousands of University of Tennessee students new to Knoxville will be moving into apartments and dormitories. The City of Knoxville and Public Building Authority (PBA) officials welcome the students and remind them and their parents of new City parking enforcement regulations that took effect July 1.

As part of a comprehensive approach to managing public parking in downtown and around Cumberland Avenue, the City currently is installing more than 1,000 new parking meters, adjusting rates for on-street and City garage parking, and increasing parking enforcement. The goal is to create more turnover of on-street parking spaces in high-demand areas, which benefits merchants and restaurant owners.

For general parking information, visit http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/parking. For information on downtown parking garages, visit http://www.knoxparking.com.

Meanwhile, here’s a Q&A to help newcomers to Knoxville better understand the dos and don’ts on parking on City streets in the Cumberland District and in downtown:

QUESTION: How and where is parking enforced by the City of Knoxville near the UT campus?

ANSWER: City parking enforcement in the Cumberland District includes White and Lake avenues; Melrose Place; and Mountcastle, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st and 22nd streets. Since July 1, PBA has assigned four PBA officers to handle parking enforcement in the Cumberland Avenue area.

PBA officers also enforce 30-minute limits for commercial vehicles only to park in designated commercial loading zones, and they also will be ticketing drivers who park vehicles illegally on sidewalks or in other non-designated areas.

QUESTION: How much does it cost to park at a metered on-street space? What are the hours of operation, when I’m subject to getting a parking ticket?

ANSWER: As the new meters are installed, the new rate for parking in an on-street metered space is uniformly $1.50 an hour. Vehicles typically can be parked for up to two hours at a time.

Hours of operation in the Cumberland District are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. (The same hours are in effect downtown, except on Gay Street and around Market Square; on those streets, enforcement hours extend til 11 p.m.)

QUESTION: If I’m downtown, isn’t it cheaper to park in a City-owned garage?

ANSWER: The downtown City garage rate is $1 an hour – that’s 50 cents an hour less than metered on-street rates. Plus, there’s no time limit. Parking in City-owned garages will remain free on weekends and upon entry after 6 p.m. on weekdays.

QUESTION: If I get a parking ticket, how much would I have to pay? Can I pay it online? What if I think the ticket is undeserved and I want to talk with someone in City Court?

ANSWER: The smallest fee, for a meter violation, starts at $11. But the penalties vary depending on the violation. Parking in a space reserved for a disabled driver, for example, is punishable by a $50 fine.

Anyone wishing to pay a ticket for a traffic meter violation or other parking violation can do so online at http://www.knoxvilletn.gov/payticket. Or contact City Court at 865-215-7474 or visit the court in the Safety Building, 800 Howard Baker Jr. Ave.

QUESTION: What do I do if the Knoxville Police Department has authorized my vehicle to be towed for illegally parking in a commercial zone or a fire lane?
ANSWER: Vehicles that are towed are taken to the City’s Vehicle Impoundment Lot on Vice Mayor Jack Sharp Road in East Knoxville. The contact number for the lot is 865-215-6215.

To retrieve a vehicle from the Impoundment Lot, you’ll need a government-issued photo ID, a licensed driver, and proof of ownership. The Impoundment Lot is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but vehicles are only released between 8 a.m. and midnight. Impound fees may be paid with cash, a Mastercard or VISA credit card, a debit card with a VISA emblem, a company check, a cashier’s check or a money order.

QUESTION: I’m new to town and I see red trolley buses around downtown and near UT. Really – I can park and ride for free?

ANSWER: The City’s transit service, Knoxville Area Transit, operates three free trolley routes, Mondays to Thursdays until 8 p.m. (and until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays).

The Orange Line serves the UT, University Commons and World’s Fair Park areas, with a trolley rolling by every 15 minutes.

The Green Line serves the Old City, Market Square and Gay Street, with a trolley rolling by every 10 minutes.

The Blue Line is KAT’s Waterfront Connection, linking the Civic Coliseum parking garage to downtown and the City County Building, returning via Hill Avenue. A trolley rolls by every 7 minutes on weekdays (every 15 minutes on Saturdays), offering a direct connection on to UT campus for residents east of downtown or for parkers at the Coliseum.

QUESTION:  I’m a parent, and I’m moving my child into student housing off Cumberland Avenue this weekend. Can I unload the vehicle and then go park somewhere?

ANSWER: There’s a Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center surface parking lot at 19th Street and White Avenue, the most eastern of a series of parking lots in that block. It’s available to UT parkers and the general public after 6 p.m. weeknights and on weekends. To be sure you’re parking in the right place, pay attention to the posted signs on the lots – the signs will indicate if you’re in the hospital’s lot or a non-public tow-away lot.




Wednesday, August 3, 2016

August 3rd Update

UPDATE FOR OVERNIGHT PAVING

Due to unforeseen complications with the asphalt production overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, completion of paving on Cumberland Avenue in the future westbound lane was delayed until approximately noon today. Given the additional hours crews worked to reopen driveway access to businesses, the decision has been made to defer tonight's work from 20th west, until tomorrow night, and then the work on 19th Street will take place Friday night. This decision was made in the interest of community and worker safety.
 
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we continue to make progress on the Cumberland Avenue Streetscape project. For more information about the project visit www.cumberlandconnect.com and for push notifications with the latest information text "VFL" to 313131.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

August 2 Update

OVERNIGHT PAVINGS SCHEDULED
ON 3-BLOCK SECTION OF CUMBERLAND AVENUE

A series of overnight pavings along a three-block section of Cumberland Avenue, starting at 9 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 2), will establish the roadway at its correct new height while providing better access to the entrances of businesses.

The carefully-sequenced series of pavings – involving the future westbound lane of Cumberland and closures of one-block sections of 19th, 20th and 21st streets north of Cumberland – will take place over three consecutive nights. The paving work is the latest development in the City’s $17 million reconstruction of the seven-block main stretch of Cumberland Avenue.

The first closure begins tonight. From 9 p.m. today until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, North 21st Street between Cumberland and White avenues will be closed while Southern Constructors Inc. crews pave the westbound lane of Cumberland from 21st Street east toward 22nd Street.

The side streets are being connected with Cumberland at its new elevation, so about 30 feet of North 21st Street also will be paved as the new connection is made.

North 21st Street will be closed overnight during the paving; motorists may use either 20th or 22nd streets as alternative routes. Cumberland Avenue will remain open to both westbound and eastbound traffic.

Next, the paving work will cascade eastward and follow the same pattern. From 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, until 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, North 20th Street will be closed between Cumberland and White avenues. Crews will pave the westbound lane of Cumberland from North 20th toward 21st Street.

A short section of North 20th will be paved as well. While North 20th is closed overnight, motorists may use 19th or 21st streets as alternative routes. Just like on Tuesday night, Cumberland will remain open to both westbound and eastbound traffic.

Finally, from 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, until 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5, North 19th Street will be closed between Cumberland and White avenues. The westbound lane of Cumberland will be paved from 19th Street toward 20th Street. Cumberland will remain open, and 20th and 18th streets are alternate routes.

“This paving is a small step in the overall project, but the Cumberland Corridor merchants, restaurants and their customers will definitely find it interesting,” said Anne Wallace, the City’s Deputy Director of Redevelopment who’s managing the Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project. “While work will be continuing in these blocks, this will give people a better glimpse of what the new-and-improved Cumberland will look like.

“First of all, the new asphalt is replacing a gravel lane, so the entrances to businesses are being improved.

“Second, on the north side of Cumberland between 19th and 22nd streets, you’ll be able to more easily visualize the finished streetscape – the new westbound traffic lane, the wide new decorative sidewalk, and the silva cells, where new trees will be planted next year.”

The complete project will be finished in about a year. The City’s investment in infrastructure and streetscape upgrades will create a more attractive, safer, pedestrian-friendly and better-functioning Cumberland Avenue Corridor.

Utilities are being upgraded from Alcoa Highway to 17th Street. The existing four-lane Cumberland between 22nd and 17th streets is being reconfigured to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections.

An earlier phase of work on the western end of Cumberland focused on improving traffic flow between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street; that phase finished at the end of 2015, on time and under budget.

More information is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com, on the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, and on the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.




Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Date: Wednesday, August 3
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 
Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar. 

August 2 Update

OVERNIGHT PAVINGS SCHEDULED
ON 3-BLOCK SECTION OF CUMBERLAND AVENUE

A series of overnight pavings along a three-block section of Cumberland Avenue, starting at 9 p.m. today (Tuesday, Aug. 2), will establish the roadway at its correct new height while providing better access to the entrances of businesses.

The carefully-sequenced series of pavings – involving the future westbound lane of Cumberland and closures of one-block sections of 19th, 20th and 21st streets north of Cumberland – will take place over three consecutive nights. The paving work is the latest development in the City’s $17 million reconstruction of the seven-block main stretch of Cumberland Avenue.

The first closure begins tonight. From 9 p.m. today until 6 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, North 21st Street between Cumberland and White avenues will be closed while Southern Constructors Inc. crews pave the westbound lane of Cumberland from 21st Street east toward 22nd Street.

The side streets are being connected with Cumberland at its new elevation, so about 30 feet of North 21st Street also will be paved as the new connection is made.

North 21st Street will be closed overnight during the paving; motorists may use either 20th or 22nd streets as alternative routes. Cumberland Avenue will remain open to both westbound and eastbound traffic.

Next, the paving work will cascade eastward and follow the same pattern. From 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3, until 6 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, North 20th Street will be closed between Cumberland and White avenues. Crews will pave the westbound lane of Cumberland from North 20th toward 21st Street.

A short section of North 20th will be paved as well. While North 20th is closed overnight, motorists may use 19th or 21st streets as alternative routes. Just like on Tuesday night, Cumberland will remain open to both westbound and eastbound traffic.

Finally, from 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 4, until 6 a.m. Friday, Aug. 5, North 19th Street will be closed between Cumberland and White avenues. The westbound lane of Cumberland will be paved from 19th Street toward 20th Street. Cumberland will remain open, and 20th and 18th streets are alternate routes.

“This paving is a small step in the overall project, but the Cumberland Corridor merchants, restaurants and their customers will definitely find it interesting,” said Anne Wallace, the City’s Deputy Director of Redevelopment who’s managing the Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project. “While work will be continuing in these blocks, this will give people a better glimpse of what the new-and-improved Cumberland will look like.

“First of all, the new asphalt is replacing a gravel lane, so the entrances to businesses are being improved.

“Second, on the north side of Cumberland between 19th and 22nd streets, you’ll be able to more easily visualize the finished streetscape – the new westbound traffic lane, the wide new decorative sidewalk, and the silva cells, where new trees will be planted next year.”

The complete project will be finished in about a year. The City’s investment in infrastructure and streetscape upgrades will create a more attractive, safer, pedestrian-friendly and better-functioning Cumberland Avenue Corridor.

Utilities are being upgraded from Alcoa Highway to 17th Street. The existing four-lane Cumberland between 22nd and 17th streets is being reconfigured to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections.

An earlier phase of work on the western end of Cumberland focused on improving traffic flow between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street; that phase finished at the end of 2015, on time and under budget.

More information is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com, on the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, and on the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.


Cumberland Avenue Merchants Association (CAMA) - Monthly Meeting

Date: Wednesday, August 3
Time: 3:00 - 4:00 pm 
Location: Copper Cellar, 1807 Cumberland Avenue

What: The merchants and other interested stakeholders meet to discuss items of interest or concern and get updates on the City's Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project.

Parking: Available parking is located at Copper Cellar.