State Route 71 (US 441) Chapman Highway Improvements

Knox, Blount, and Sevier Counties

Overview

The proposed improvements for State Route 71 (US 441/Chapman Highway), covering more than 17 miles in Knox, Blount, and Sevier Counties, consist of multiple projects designed to improve the safety and efficiency of the heavily-traveled corridor.

Purpose and Need

Originally built in the 1930s, Chapman Highway is an urban principal arterial. It is an undivided highway, accommodating commercial and residential traffic and providing a major connection between Knoxville and Sevierville. Increased growth and development along the corridor, and the resulting high volume of traffic, have resulted in negative safety and capacity issues.

The proposed improvements are intended to address the immediate safety needs of the corridor and include widening, intersection improvements, and other roadway enhancements designed to reduce crashes and increase safety.

Proposed Design

Due to the significant size of the corridor, the proposed improvements have been separated into six smaller sections or phases.

  • from near Blount Avenue in Knoxville to near SR 338 (Boyds Creek Highway) in Seymour (10.3 mi)
    • intersection improvements and widening at various locations within the project limits
  • intersection at SR 168 (John Sevier Highway) in Knoxville
    • intersection improvements, including signalization
  • from Hendron Chapel Road to south of Simpson Road in Knoxville (0.98 mi)
    • widen the existing four-lane roadway to a five-lane roadway with a center turn lane
  • from Evans Road to Burnett Lane in Knoxville (0.9 mi)
    • widen the existing four-lane roadway to a five-lane roadway with a center turn lane
  • from Macon Lane to State Route 338 (Boyds Creek Highway) in Seymour (1.18 mi)
    • widen the existing four-lane roadway to a five-lane roadway with a center turn lane
  • from Foothills Drive in Seymour to Fred King Lane in Sevierville (7.15 mi)
    • reconstruct and resurface the existing four-lane roadway to a three-lane roadway with dedicated passing lanes and paved shoulders to accommodate turn lanes

For information on the status of each project, visit the Timeline section of this website.

Video: Chapman Highway from Foothills Road to Whites School Road (7.2 miles)
                                 Paving completed as of November 2, 2016