What's next for Knoxville's plan to build a pedestrian bridge?

The South Waterfront Pedestrian Bridge could be one step closer to becoming reality now that Mayor Indya Kincannon has applied for $25 million in federal funds to take it to the finish line.

It's the city's second go-round at applying for federal funds through the RAISE grant, but officials are confident a new and less expensive design will sway the feds this time.

"We feel like we have a much more competitive application for this year," Rebekah Jane Justice, Knoxville's Chief of Urban Design, told Knox News.

In September, the city accepted $20 million in Tennessee Department of Transportation funds specifically earmarked for building the bridge. It also hired an engineering consulting firm to improve the bridge design.

It's been a long time coming. Kincannon hopes to increase connectivity between neighborhoods during her second term, but the origins of the project date back to the 2006 South Waterfront Vision Plan.

The city just received another federal grant for a related effort: $42.6 million to create more paths connecting East Knoxville residents to downtown, and downtown to South Knoxville's Urban Wilderness.

What is the Knoxville pedestrian bridge?

The 2006 South Waterfront Vision Plan aimed to address historic isolation and underinvestment in communities in South Knoxville. The bridge is a central part of that, connecting South Knoxville to the University of Tennessee's main campus and Fort Sanders.

It would provide equitable access and affordable transportation options to and from South Knoxville. Currently, the only alternative to driving to the area is walking or biking on existing highways and bridges, which have traffic counts of over 32,500 vehicles per day, according to the RAISE application.

The pedestrian bridge would span the river from Clancy Avenue on the south side to the pedestrian concourse on the north, between Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center and Pratt Pavilion.

"(The bridge) is an opportunity to redevelop historically industrial property while providing sustainable and economic development linkage between the South Waterfront, the University of Tennessee at Knoxville (UT), downtown Knoxville, and the expanding greenway system," the city's website says.

How is the city cutting costs for the pedestrian bridge project?

CDM Smith, the Knoxville-based engineering firm the city hired, was able to cut costs by $10 million since the city last applied for federal funds by planning to use materials that don't need to be painted during construction or during the bridge's use.

That means the city won't have to use expensive painting and cleaning products, according the grant application.

How is the Knoxville pedestrian bridge being paid for?

City officials made it clear the $60 million project won't plunge Knoxville into debt.

Most of the money for the bridge would come from state and federal grants, aside from $15 million in tax increment financing from Knoxville's Community Development Corporation.

Justice said the bridge will pay for itself through an anticipated increase in property tax revenues that come with new investments as a result of the bridge.

Ryan Wilusz contributed to this report.

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville pedestrian bridge across Tennessee River seeks federal money