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Growth in Morristown continues to be a topic of discussion, specifically its relationship to vehicles and their cross-town destinations.

Jaime Pedigo Greene welcomed community participants to Thursday’s gathering at Trinity United Methodist Church which marked the return of the Morristown City Council’s listening roundtables, set to continue quarterly.

“We’re happy to provide a place for this forum tonight,” Greene said as council members added to the four chairs set at the folding tables that served as the dais.

Attending members included Al A’Hearn, Chris Bivens, Bob Garrett, Ken Smith, Mayor Gary Chesney and Kay Senter, who moderated the evening’s activities; the roundtable was held in her district (No. 3).

Chris Kirby, principal project manager with CDM Smith Engineering Company, conducted a presentation and question-answer session regarding the 160 Bypass Survey Project, along with Rich DesGroseilliers, the city’s MTPO (Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization) Coordinator.

Plans are to hold public meetings in the future regarding the study; CDM is currently conducting a safety analysis utilizing information from the Morristown Police Department data base.

“When nerds like me get in there, we can look it up and figure out where all the crashes happen and where the hot spots are that we need to look at and try to address,” Kirby said. “Along with looking at where the crashes are, we actually go out, and we do old-fashioned traffic counts, where we look at how many cars are in the intersection, how many cars are traversing through the links of the project.

Kirby reported that CDM has worked with a “really great stakeholder group” (city government, staff, TDOT representatives and other parties) that have held several meetings to date. The online survey has had 1,094 visitors with 527 individuals completing it.

Kirby emphasized that the “other” drop box contained within the survey should be utilized to express concerns that are not included as categories. The survey ends Friday.

Preliminary findings of the CDM study will be presented at future meetings, hosted by the engineering company and the city.

Not every chair in the room was filled at Thursday’s roundtable; however, there was a cross-section of the city present: residents, small business owners and retirees, along with industrial and non-profit representatives.

Concerns expressed to Council by participants included the number of trucks traveling 25E and 11E and that Martin Luther King Boulevard is the only road linking them to 160 that can handle large truck traffic. An industrial representative said he sees on average 60 to 70 trucks daily driving through the city.

Kirby said the concerns with 160 need to be addressed with a balance of mobility (uninterrupted travel) and safety.

The roundtable was opened up to other concerns to be expressed by participants and they accepted the invitation. The meeting lasted more than two hours, including Kirby’s presentation.

Other expressed traffic concerns were the need for longer turning lanes at MLK and Sulphur Springs Road and the too-short queues at West Andrew Johnson Highway, specifically in the Merchants Greene area.

Also, the two-way stop sign intersection at Jarnigan and Lincoln avenues provides low visibility for crossing, with one participant stating he feels the majority of vehicles travel through that intersection as opposed to making turns.

The speed of drivers near both city high schools and the Tennessee College of Applied Technology in conjunction with a large number of students walking was cited as a major safety concern by several participants, along with loud noise from vehicle stereos and screeching tires in the residential area near TCAT.

The addition of traffic signals along West Andrew Johnson Highway was discussed, with a resident commenting there are now four of them, heading east from the Merchants Greene area, between Weigels and Kidwell’s Ridge Road. The concern is that traffic flow will be reduced to excessive stop-and-go, with the potential of intensified backups.

In response, Council members discussed future plans that include adding a parallel road on the north side of West Andrew Johnson Highway, following the path of the Norfolk-Southern railroad and behind the new developments between Kidwell’s Ridge and Bellwood Road. The three-point traffic signal at Kidwell’s Ridge would be increased to a four-point signal, providing access to the parallel road. The access road would empty onto Bellwood which would be widened to accommodate increased traffic, from West AJ to the new Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare West facility.

A business professional with an office on East Morris Boulevard noted the increased traffic due to the new Arby’s location, particularly between Haun Drive and the fast-food franchise’s access point. He expressed concern regarding potential future development in that area and suggested a better right turn option at the Haun-Morris intersection.

Congestion along West AJ, specifically between the McDonald’s and Dunkin’ locations was discussed, with questions as to whether additional turning lanes are possible. The potential of a large-scale project involving moving utilities would need to include the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“It’s on the radar as a concern,” Senter said.

Other concerns included sidewalks within older neighborhoods that are now level with the streets after decades of repaving projects, and increased incidents of unrestrained, or uncontained, dogs chasing after pedestrians.

All participants in the roundtable signed in and provided contact information. Notes were taken by city staff, and Senter emphasized that each concern would be responded to by city staff or Council with communication directly to participants.