Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-1999

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Architecture

Major Professor

James A. Spencer

Committee Members

Fred Wegmann, David Patterson

Abstract

Since the development of the National Park Service in 1916, communities near national parks have experienced more than just their share of tourists in the area. Overtime, these gateway communities have taken on their share of economic development to meet the growing needs of vacationers. Tourism has since become a major industry that promotes economic growth and vitality to particular communities connected with nearby attractions. Many communities have become successful tourism sites, although continuing success depends on more economic development and improvement in areas where the city needs enhancement.

Located in East Tennessee's Sevier County, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is a popular gateway into The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The influx of visitors to the area has changed the once ordinary homespun community into a shopping mecca as well as the home of many country music theaters and the Dollywood Theme Park.

Pigeon Forge is ideally situated between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Interstate 40, a major east-west route. State Route 66 is the principal route that brings motorists from Interstate 40 into Pigeon Forge. The location of these major routes allows for quick access into the city. Although, motorists will drive through neighboring Sevierville before reaching Pigeon Forge's city limits, most tourists treat both communities as one.

Pigeon Forge's locale, in addition to its cultural setting, adds greatly to its overall development as a gateway community and a major tourist destination center. Yearly Pigeon Forge attracts millions of visitors anxious to tour the attractions of the city as well as witness the picturesque views of the National Park.

Bringing tourism into the area has created some changes to this small-town life. Hundreds of retail shops and amusement/recreational facilities line Pigeon Forge's main corridor, U.S. 441, popularly known as "The Parkway". The city tackles the burdens of continuous traffic congestion, in addition to, crowds of pedestrians confronting busy intersections everyday. Moreover, the city has a resident population of approximately 3,300 but it has to provide for additional 70,000 visitors on peak tourists day (1). City leaders see the negative impacts created with the overcrowding of tourists visits that sometimes overtakes the capacity of local facilities and infrastructure. Visitors see the problems only while visiting, but local residents cope with the stress of overcrowding all the time. These residents have characterized Pigeon Forge as a tourist attraction with massive traffic congestion on top of a large number of pedestrians that consistently roam the area. Therefore, local leaders along with transportation engineers and planners must provide additional services to promote an effective transportation system that will safely accommodate the needs of the pedestrians. In the past, early cities were structured upon the convenience and comfort of the pedestrian (2). Open spaces designed with plazas equipped with gallerias, market places and wide sidewalks were early evidence of early planners' concepts for human interaction and communication of people. Since, the introduction of the automobile has caused a drastic restructuring of urban form. The conflict of man and automobile has created an unbalanced competition for urban space. Areas where the two are forced to intermingle pose some problems to a once efficient transportation system. The characteristics of these travel modes influence the operating conditions and safety aspects of roadways, particularly intersections, a mutual area where both pedestrians and motorist are apt to meet.

Pigeon Forge continues to grow (physically and economically) as a tourist destination. Main attractions including commercial, retail, music theaters, hotel/motel, camping and recreational areas, and amusement facilities line the Parkway. The intensity and diversity of these neighboring attractions result in significant pedestrian activity along the city's main corridor.

Local officials continually strive for solutions to their transportation woes. Since tourism has become a big market industry for the city, most city affairs address the types of attractions that keep visitors coming back. Moreover, the transportation system in Pigeon Forge has substantial impact on the marketability of the city. Many visitors utilizing the Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park succumb to long traffic delays before reaching their final destination when commingled with the city's tourist traffic. Providing more pedestrian amenities along the Parkway may attract people to walk or use an alternate source other than their private automobile. More pedestrian features may initiate a whole new concept in alleviating some traffic problems. The design and implementation of safe and efficient pedestrian facilities may be the advantage that may keep tourists coming back.

Amidst the tourism boom, Pigeon Forge has enhanced its infrastructure, including widened roadways and additional entertainment attractions to accommodate the thousands of tourists that it receives annually. Among these improvements, city officials must also devise a plan to create more pedestrian facilities in the area. The accumulation of traffic at many major intersections impedes pedestrian movements resulting in a lack of continuity of pedestrian linkages. It is understood that the burden of the city's traffic congestion cannot be relieved until alternate modes of transportation are enforced. Earlier practices of transportation engineering always addressed the combination of automobiles and pedestrians on city streets in preference of motorists. Today, transportation engineers and planners are focusing on the needs of the pedestrian, as part of the design process, to formulate recommendations for improving the city's pedestrian circulation system. Issues identifying the interaction between pedestrians and motorists will be addressed to define those characteristics that influence the efficiency of these travel modes at Pigeon Forge's busiest intersections. However, this study will not provide design specifications of pedestrian facilities. It addresses only planning and functional concepts.

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