Knoxville TPO technical committee recommends adoption of FY 2026–27 planning work program

The Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization Technical Committee on July 8 recommended that the Executive Board adopt the FY 2026–27 Transportation Planning Work Program, a two‑year Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) that organizes federally funded regional planning activities for federal fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

Doug Burton, TPO staff, told the committee the work program follows federal planning factors and federal guidance from FHWA and FTA, and noted TDOT and FHWA requested adoption by Aug. 29. Burton described the work program as a two‑year effort that includes administration and public engagement, data collection and traffic counts, safety and crash data maintenance, a performance dashboard development, short‑range programming (the TIP), long‑range planning and the start of a mobility plan update toward a 2055 horizon, multimodal and transit coordination, and a set of special studies and grant opportunities that staff and jurisdictions proposed.

Burton said staff had included a $500,000 placeholder to fund locally requested planning studies over the two‑year period and listed candidate studies submitted by jurisdictions, including Kingston Pike/Campbell Station, Farragut municipal center drive connection, Maryville’s Montville Road study, Tazewell Pike corridor analysis and a Knoxville alleyway survey. He also identified freight planning as an area where staff believe the TPO should increase effort, saying freight is difficult to study because much of the data is held privately.

After the presentation, a member made a motion to recommend the work program to the Executive Board. The motion was seconded; the chair called for a voice vote, heard ayes and reported no opposition. The committee’s action was recorded as a recommendation to the Executive Board for approval.

The work program documents a two‑year budget covering multiple funding sources, which staff described in the packet as more than $8 million in combined program funds (planning, pavement management, CMAQ, and other program elements). Burton reminded members that federal legislation and national planning priorities could change during the work program window and that staff would adjust tasks if required by new federal guidance.

What happens next: the Technical Committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the TPO Executive Board for formal adoption and transmittal to TDOT, FHWA and FTA as required.

"We get an expectation memo from FHWA, FTA and TDOT," Burton said during the presentation, "and they need this adopted by August 29, but we're hoping we can get this done this month."