City Council Approves Funds for Paving, Bridge, and Sidewalks
Feb 18, 2026, 5:09 pm

KNOXVILLE - Knoxville City Council’s biggest monetary decisions on Tuesday evening centered on bridge-building engineering expertise, concrete and especially asphalt.

Council authorized Mayor Indya Kincannon’s administration to invest $6.4 million in three major Engineering Department projects: $5 million to begin 2026 street resurfacing and $419,000 for design of a new East Greenway Drive bridge over White’s Creek.

In a third project, Council bumped up to more than $1 million an existing contract that has replaced more than 50,000 square feet of sidewalks throughout Knoxville.


2026 Resurfacing Phase I

• 17 total miles of streets will be repaved, divided equitably between City Council Districts 1, 2 and 6

• Three contractors submitted proposals; Rogers Group Inc. was selected as the lowest responsive bidder

• Phase II, to follow later in the year, will address a similar amount of repaving in Districts 3, 4 and 5; the City resurfaces streets equitably throughout the city – proportionally the same from one Council district to another


New East Greenway Drive bridge

• Replacing rather than repairing the bridge was deemed the most cost-effective option; its condition is currently rated as “poor,” and weight limits are in place

• CDM Smith Inc. was selected as the most qualified firm from the top three that responded to the City’s request for professional engineering consulting services

• CDM Smith will be designing a replacement bridge and roadway approaches and coordinating a new rail crossing, among other tasks, by the end of 2027


Sidewalk replacement

• Completion of this sidewalk replacement project is being extended through Feb. 28 to add improvements at nine more locations and intersections

• The contract with Whaley Construction is being increased by $62,686 – to a total of more than $1 million – to pay for the additional upgrades