Nubbin Ridge Road residents voice concerns to Knox Co. engineers

Nubbin Ridge Road residents voice concerns to Knox Co. engineers

By JOSH AULT
6 News Reporter

WEST KNOX COUNTY (WATE) -- On Monday, residents who live on Nubbin Ridge Road voiced their concerns about road construction.

They were concerned about the road becoming a speedway, the county taking their front yards and drainage in the area.

Knox County engineers agreed to meet with them Friday morning. A handful of residents gathered and talked with two county engineers.

"We needed to get a lot of clarity on the issues," said Denis Payne, a Nubbin Ridge resident.

At times, the discussion got heated, but both sides tried to listen.

"Every project we do, there are property owners who are affected," said Ben White, capital projects manager for Knox County. "Some are in total agreement with what we are doing. Some have concerns."

One of the concerns here was safety. Residents feel a new curve will become a new speedway for drivers.

"A new roadway does invite a new pathway for people to test out the limits of their vehicle," White said.

County officials said they'll look at adding stop signs or caution lights to the road. The speed limit is posted at 30 miles per hour.

Residents also had concerns about workers taking too much property from their front yards. County engineers say everything was built to the plans they had, but agreed there were some miscommunications.

"We don't expect everyone to understand a set of blue prints," White said.

"I think most of the questions were answered," said Payne. "Maybe not to what some of the residents wanted to hear, but I think they were all answered."

Construction on Nubbin Ridge Road is supposed to be completed on Monday, and re-opened to the public on Tuesday.