For the second time in five months, City leaders are celebrating with neighborhood families the opening of a "missing link" sidewalk that makes it safer for children to walk to and from school.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, Mayor Indya Kincannon, 3^rd District Councilwoman Seema Singh and Pleasant Ridge Elementary School Principal Jennifer Morrell accompanied students as they walked home after school, using the recently-completed sidewalk on Sullivan and Palmetto roads.

Design, right-of-way acquisition and construction represent a $900,000 City investment.

The sidewalk connects on its eastern end with an existing sidewalk on Walnoaks Road, providing a safe walkway directly to Pleasant Ridge Elementary. On the western end, the new sidewalk links with a previously-built section on Palmetto that connects to Western Avenue and its sidewalks.

"This wide and fully accessible new walkway serves hundreds of residents," Mayor Kincannon said. "It strategically fills a gap in the network of sidewalks in the 3^rd District. But most importantly, it makes it safer for children to walk to and from school."

Councilwoman Singh agreed, saying, "Sidewalks may not seem like an exciting issue, but knowing that our children are able to walk safely to school is every parent's concern. I am so happy that the City of Knoxville can provide this feeling of safety with sidewalks to the parents and students at Pleasant Ridge Elementary school."

Here's a video, produced by the City's Communications Department, of Pleasant Ridge students walking home Tuesday after class:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpFY3X9HmSI

In late spring, the City completed a $791,441 sidewalk in North Knoxville that students use to walk safely to and from Belle Morris Elementary School. The sidewalk runs on the north side of Coker Avenue between Nadine Street and Whittle Springs Road.

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