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TDOT Seeks Public Input on I‑40/I‑75 West Knoxville Corridor PEL Study
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Summary
TDOT presented findings from its Planning and Environmental Linkages study of the I‑40/I‑75 West Knoxville corridor — showing congestion hot spots, crash totals and design deficiencies — and asked the public to submit comments by Dec. 4, 2025 as the study moves toward FHWA coordination and potential NEPA work.
Tennessee Department of Transportation officials presented the I‑40/I‑75 West Knoxville corridor Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study at a public meeting, outlining study limits, preliminary data on congestion and crashes, draft goals, and how residents can comment before the study advances to formal environmental review.
The unnamed TDOT representative said the roughly 17‑mile study corridor stretches from the I‑40/I‑75 interchange in Loudoun County to the I‑640 interchange west of downtown Knoxville and that the PEL will identify which corridor alternatives should be advanced into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. "This public meeting is an opportunity to learn more about the PEL study and share your feedback," the TDOT representative said.
TDOT framed the draft purpose as easing congestion and improving mobility and operational efficiency in west Knoxville. The agency listed study goals that include improving travel time and level of service, accommodating current and projected demand, providing congestion relief, enhancing freight and goods movement, and improving safety — while using delivery mechanisms authorized by the Transportation Modernization Act to accelerate project delivery.
TDOT presented traffic and safety data compiled through February 2024 showing heavy congestion in corridor bottlenecks: nine of the region’s top 20 bottlenecks are inside the study limits and three of those locations rank among the statewide top 20. The study team reported 5,146 crashes in the corridor from 2022 through 2024, including 17 fatalities and 76 serious‑injury crashes. Maps shown by the presenter indicated generally worse and more widespread slowdowns in the afternoon peak (about 2:30–6:30 p.m.) than in the morning peak (7–10 a.m.), with eastbound morning congestion noted between Watt Road and Paper Mill Drive.
Environmental and cultural resources inside the study area were summarized: TDOT said there are 2,169 eligible historic architectural properties, 16 locations listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 246 archaeological sites (including four Civil War sites), and about 150 cemeteries. Natural‑resource figures presented included approximately 4,058 acres of potential wetlands and roughly 119,105 acres of flood‑hazard areas; the presenter added there is no habitat in the study area that supports protected species according to their review.
The PEL team also identified existing design deficiencies contributing to congestion and safety risk: short acceleration lanes that impede safe merging, low bridge clearances that limit large vehicles, tight curve radii that raise overturn risk, and close spacing between interchanges that increases vehicle weaving. TDOT said the study is currently in the PEL phase and listed completed products (traffic analysis framework, traffic volumes, weigh‑station alternatives report, PEL framework agreement and a public involvement and agency coordination plan) and near‑term tasks through early 2026, including a baseline conditions report, purpose and need, alternative screening methodology, and alternatives analysis using traffic and travel‑demand modeling.
TDOT said the PEL will conclude with a Federal Highway Administration PEL questionnaire and a final report; the agency will seek FHWA coordination and acknowledgment before any NEPA work begins. The agency encouraged public input via in‑person comment cards or an online survey (accessible by QR code), by email to westnox@publicinput.com, by voicemail at +1 (855) 925‑2801 (project code 11074), or by mail to TDOT project comments, I‑40/I‑75 West Knoxville Corridor PEL Study, 505 Dederick Street, Suite 700, Nashville, TN 37243‑0349. All comments must be received by Dec. 4, 2025 to be included in the public meeting summary report.
Next steps: TDOT will continue data analysis and alternative screening through early 2026, hold a second round of public meetings, and then submit the PEL questionnaire and final report to FHWA; only after those steps would any alternatives be advanced into NEPA and subsequent project development.
