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Farragut approves $58,000 design supplement for Virtue Road greenway despite resident concerns
Summary
The Farragut Board approved a $58,000 supplemental design contract for the Virtue Road/Boyd Station Road project that shifts a proposed greenway to the east side as a boardwalk; the funding is roughly 80% federal, and residents and aldermen raised traffic-calming, TVA permission and property-impact concerns.
The Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen on May 22 approved a $58,000 supplemental design request for the Virtue Road/Boyd Station Road improvement project that would move a planned greenway to the east side of Virtue Road and build it as a boardwalk.
The supplement, presented during the meeting, covers additional design work tied to slope, retaining-wall and utility issues associated with the east-side alignment. A staff member said the project is federally funded on an 80/20 split, making the town’s share about $11,000 of the $58,000.
The vote followed public comment from a neighbor, Steve Williams of 721 Virtue Road, who said he supported moving the greenway to a boardwalk to reduce property impacts but urged the town to hold public meetings first to consider traffic calming and other measures. “If we could all huddle together in a public meeting…work out these traffic calming issues,” Williams said.
Board members and staff discussed practical constraints. Daryl Smith, staff member, cautioned the board that the project is federally funded and that federal requirements could limit certain traffic-calming measures. Smith said he would investigate whether traffic-calming options would be acceptable to the funding agency.
Alderman White and other aldermen also raised concerns about the boardwalk’s effects on adjacent properties and public use. One alderman noted potential misuse by youth and motorized bicycles and questioned whether the boardwalk would attract enough users to justify the additional engineering expense.
Board members agreed to approve the design supplement to preserve the federal grant while holding additional workshops before directing engineers to complete construction plans. The board recorded the approval by voice vote: three members voted yes.
Next steps noted during the meeting included staff follow-up on federal fund restrictions and whether the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) would permit a boardwalk or other structures in the lakeside right-of-way; a board member said TVA permission must be confirmed before spending large sums on design.
The project also includes shifting two other road projects between fiscal years and a Virtue Road allocation of $35,000 in the capital investment program, matters discussed elsewhere on the agenda.
