Knoxville's street and highway system : an examination of its evolution

Since the beginning of time, mankind has developed systems of streets and highways. Many factors have influenced the design and layout of these facilities. Often these street and highway systems were poorly planned, and as a result, many problems developed. With the growing popularity of the automobile, cities are faced with the challenge of mitigating the variety of street design problems which exist while providing adequately designed street and highway facilities for future generations.

A wide cross-section of cities were examined for details regarding their development. Starting with the early cities of Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, this thesis reviewed the design and layout of street and highway facilities around the world and the United States. This information was used as a base to understand the design and layout of Knoxville's street and highway system.

The historical evolution of Knoxville's street and highway system covers two full centuries. During this period of time, Knoxville witnessed the convergence of poorly designed street systems of surrounding suburbs and cities into a configuration of confusing street patterns and dangerous intersections. The lax of good planning plus the inability to make appropriate changes in the design and layout of the street and highway system over time have been primarily causes of Knoxville's street design problems.