The Industrial Development Board of Blount County has awarded a contract to LDA Engineering to provide consulting engineering services related to the design and construction of the Denso Greenway Trail Extension. The project consists of approximately 4,600 linear feet of a multi-modal greenway that follows ADA standards and includes pedestrian lighting and several locations where a boardwalk might be necessary to negotiate grades too steep for a regular greenway trail.
The Denso Greenway Trail Extension will connect the Robert Jackson Drive greenway, which will extend to Morganton Road, and the Alcoa greenway that currently runs along Louisville Road. These soon-to-be linked segments are part of a larger trail system allowing residents to travel to points in Alcoa, Maryville, and the wider expanse of Blount County along a scenic, accessible greenway trail.
The project is a Transportation Alternative project and will be funded by federal and local funds. It coincides with the expansion of Denso Manufacturing, which announced in October 2017 that it was investing $1 billion in its Maryville complex. The company, Blount County’s largest employer, was founded in Japan 70 years ago and employs over 3,500 people at the local plant; plans are to add 1,000 jobs over the next few years.
Steve Drummer, Senior Civil Engineer, is LDA’s lead on the project. The scope of the engineering design services will include (1) Planning and the NEPA Process (2) Survey and Geotechnical Investigation (3) Design (4) Permitting and (5) Bidding. The LDA team members involved in this project are Jason Elliott, Stefanie Farrell, Terry Grubb, and Cory Newman.
Denso Manufacturing Tennessee has invested in the local economy for over 30 years. The nearby Denso Greenway Trail Extension, which will be open to both Denso employees and all other Blount County residents alike, is another step to building stronger, happier communities in Tennessee.