Blount County Highway Department

Amount Appropriated?

$3.4M

FFID tracks stages 1–2 — stages 3–5 vary by agency, assistance type, and earmark structure.

Project Description

According to the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Greenway Council, the estimated fiscal \n\nbenefit to Blount County is $65 million over 10 years (once the greenway is completed), or $2.66 in return for every $1 invested. That\u2019s on top of the health benefits and the community cohesion that greenways bring. The Council also estimated that the greenway would be used by 43,000 non local users annually and another 65,700 local users. It estimated a user would spend $43.22 per day that would lead to $2.8 million in an annual output for tourism. \n\n \n\nThis greenway will connect Heritage Middle and High School to Perry\u2019s Mill. Perry\u2019s Mill is a popular water recreation site on the Little River. Perry\u2019s Mill site is used for fishing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking and terminates at Melrose Station Rd. \n\nWith no greenways in rural Blount County, this first section of construction funding will provide a unique opportunity for pedestrians and cyclists that currently does not exist in the unincorporated portions of the county. It will provide access to businesses and schools for those walking or bicycling as well. \n\n \n\nThe Blount County Greenway Trail has been approved for PE/NEPA. If this project is awarded the funds requested, the project could move into the construction phase quickly. \n\n \n\nThis section of proposed greenway is part of a larger concept to connect greenways from Knoxville to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains in Townsend, Tennessee. A coalition of local governments have formed the Great Smoky Mountains Regional Greenway Council to develop this larger concept. See: https://knoxblounttrail.org/