Compass: TPO mapping will hasten safety fixes

A map compiled by the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization denotes the most dangerous intersections, streets and roads in the Knoxville region.

Transportation planner Ellen Zavisca crunched crash and related injury data to highlight the most dangerous roadway stretches in the region over 3.5 years, according to Compass.

The database will be updated with real-time data, and will allow a quantified approach to prioritizing safety improvements in the planning region. 

“One of the things that stands out is the major arterial roads tend to see more of these (serious accidents) even than the interstates,” Zavisca said, referring to commercial corridors like Chapman Highway, Clinton Highway and Kingston Pike," Compass reported.

“Because those are the roads that have this, unfortunately, really unsafe combination of high speeds, high volumes, and just a lot of access points,” Compass reported.

“(The) ... map shows the location of 2,326 traffic crashes in the Knoxville region that resulted in a fatality or serious injury between January 2016 and June 2019,” according to the TPO website. 

“There were 321 crashes involving a fatality, and 2,005 serious-injury crashes.

“Every 13 hours in our region, someone experiences a fatal or life-altering traffic crash,” according to TPO.