The $17 million Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project is drawing to a close, with the next big step starting on Sunday evening, July 23. Milling will begin on Cumberland Avenue and a dozen side streets that connect to Cumberland in preparation for paving.
The milling and paving will be done by contract crews overnight – 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. – through Sunday, Aug. 6. Cumberland Avenue will be paved from 22nd Street to Henley Street, and side streets will be paved north of Cumberland to White Avenue and south of Cumberland to Lake Avenue.
Motorists should anticipate intermittent night-time detours, depending on where the milling and paving crews are working.
In addition, no-parking zones will be in effect on these side streets:
North of Cumberland to White Avenue
- North 22nd Street;
- North 21st Street;
- North 20st Street;
- North 19th Street;
- North 18th Street; and
- 17st
South of Cumberland to Lake Avenue
- South 22nd Street;
- South 21st Street;
- Mountcastle Street;
- South 19th Street;
- South 18th Street; and
- Melrose Place.
The Cumberland Avenue reconstruction project began with Knoxville Utilities Board infrastructure improvements in April 2015, and it’s scheduled to be completed by next month (August 2017).
Cumberland Avenue has been reconstructed between 22nd and 17th streets into a safer, more pedestrian-friendly corridor with a three-lane cross section, a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections.
An earlier phase of work on the western end of Cumberland focused on improving traffic flow between the Alcoa Highway ramps and 22nd Street; that phase finished at the end of 2015, on time and under budget.
More information is available at www.CumberlandConnect.com, on the Cumberland Connect Facebook page, facebook.com/CumberlandConnect, and on the Cumberland Connect phone app. Or text VFL to 313131 to get text messages on the most current traffic updates.
