KTA to begin serving Callahan Flats with modified Route 20 on May 4

KNOXVILLE — Staff told the Knoxville Area Transit board that a Route 20 modification will begin May 4 to serve Callahan Flats, a new low‑income housing development off Old Callahan.

The board heard that the change — an inbound loop adding one new stop initially — was included in the CAT Reimagined plan the board approved in 2023. Staff said the modification is possible because a new turn signal at the Callahan and Clinton Highway intersection, controlled by the county, allows buses to make the left turn needed for the loop. Staff described the change as an addition rather than a removal of service and said outbound routing will remain the same.

Staff emphasized the change does not meet the agency’s threshold for a major service modification and therefore does not require a Title VI analysis or a separate public hearing. Board members pressed staff for operational details, including exact stop locations and the geometry of the loop; staff said the initial implementation will add a short loop (at most three stops, one to start) and that they will provide maps and tentative stop schedules to commissioners.

The board was reminded that while the routing was previously approved in concept, formal approval of minutes or paperwork requires quorum; staff said operationally the agency may convert a temporary routing to the approved routing once the development is ready under applicable FTA practices. Staff said they will circulate the proposed stop map and timing to commissioners for review.

Next steps: staff will provide a tentative stop schedule and map, and the board will consider formal approval when quorum is present. If formal action is not taken at the next meeting, staff said the service change will still be implemented on May 4 as planned.