After nearly two years of construction, the Joe Johnson-John Ward Pedestrian Mall is finally near completion, according to Facilities Planning Director George Criss.
Construction began on the mall, a pedestrian walkway spanning the closed section of Andy Holt Avenue and bordered by the Humanities Building and Hodges Library, in June of 2002. According to Criss, the project was scheduled to be complete by January 2003.
With the adoption of the Campus Masterplan in 1995, The University of Tennessee administration initiated several changes to both the appearance of the university and the function of the corporation. One of these changes was to make the UT campus more accessible, Philip Scheurer, vice-president of operations, said.
“We wanted to make the Knoxville campus more pedestrian-oriented,” he said. “The introduction of malls was a big step in that direction.”
These long-range proposals had far-reaching effects on both the students and the campus.
Shortly after the proposal was adopted, the area of Andy Holt Avenue now enclosed by fencing was closed to vehicle traffic, though still open to pedestrians. Within the year before the construction, all use of this roadway was prohibited, causing students to find alternate routes to classes, according to Criss.
One year after the estimated date of completion, the pedestrian mall is finally in its last stages of development.
“We still have about four weeks left to complete the mall,” Scheurer said. “There is still some seeding and plotting left to do, and some masonry work.”
Criss also commented on the length and gravity of the project.
“It certainly has taken longer than originally planned,” he said.
Despite the time length that became necessary to complete the mall, both Scheurer and Criss cited reasons for the project’s delay. Scheurer claimed that the weather was primarily to blame.
“This project has been weather dependent all along,” he said. “It will take about four weeks to complete the mall, but the work left is still weather dependent.”
Criss said one day of rain could stall construction on the mall for three or four days, depending on how wet the ground would remain. In addition, Criss cited underground difficulties as another factor.
“We encountered underground utilities, such as waterlines and electric lines. You don’t want to damage those because of the cost,” he said. “Portions of the project had to be redesigned to accommodate the underground utilities.”
Though inclement weather and unforeseen difficulties hindered the project for over a year, spending managed to stay within the original budget. Criss said that 2.8 million dollars was initially budgeted to complete the mall, and thus far, only 2.7 million has been spent.
Once complete, the Joe Johnson-John Ward Pedestrian Mall will feature a greenway, a new landscape design, a timeline of events in UT history and an amphitheater which may be used for study or potentially as an entertainment venue, Criss said.
There are also current plans to construct two additional pedestrian walkways on campus following the completion of the Johnson-Ward mall.
Scheurer stated that the administration plans to renovate space on the Hill by removing most of the parking area, and that they are also considering building a greenway in the area between Hess Hall and the Presidential Courtyard.
“We’re in a very early design phase of that (the Hill project), but no construction plan has been established yet,” Criss said.
