Pigeon Forge City Officials Mark Groundbreaking for New Mass Transit Center
Improved facilities will accommodate increased ridership while improving traffic flow near city's Patriot Park.
PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (Aug. 27, 2020)—Pigeon Forge city leaders gathered today for a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the official start of construction to build a new Mass Transit Center. The ribbon cutting comes one month after the Pigeon Forge City Commission approved the $5.3 million project.
The new Pigeon Forge Mass Transit Center will remain in Patriot Park in the Old Mill District but will relocate to the east end of the existing parking lot. The project also includes a redesign of the facility's parking lot to accommodate improved traffic flow and additional parking spaces. The project's projected completion date is August 2021.
"Pigeon Forge Mass Transit's annual ridership continues to increase, and as demand for public transportation grows, so does our need for an improved facility that will accommodate not only more passengers but also more efficient traffic flow and additional parking," said Pigeon Forge City Manager Earlene Teaster. "As Pigeon Forge welcomes more residents and visitors, better public transportation is more important than ever."
The facility, designed by Michael E. Smelcer of SRA Architects in Pigeon Forge, includes 8,407 square feet of interior space with an additional 2,228 square feet of covered porches. An additional 12,578 square feet is devoted to 10 new trolley berths, six covered and four uncovered. In addition to a passenger waiting area, administrative offices, employee break area, and public restrooms, the project adds 313 new public parking spaces, including employee parking. The construction contract was awarded to C. Laney & Sons Construction, Inc. in Sevierville, Tennessee.
Other features include a trolley turnaround that will improve traffic flow in the busy parking lot and increase the ease with which passengers will board and egress trolleys. The overall design isolates trolley traffic in one area to create a safer experience.
The Pigeon Forge trolley system operates year-round; a winter route was added in January 2019. It is the third-largest rural transit system in the U.S. Pigeon Forge Mass Transit had the highest ridership in 2019 in the Fixed Route Rural Agencies category. It transported more than 3.2 million riders in 2019. More than 1,168 year-round passes and 135,737 one-day passes were sold last year. During peak season, Pigeon Forge Mass Transit offers six trolley routes, all of which originate and end at the Mass Transit Center.
Construction will encroach on Patriot Park at various stages; however, the park's walking trail and other facilities will remain open throughout the project.
For more information about trolley service, please visit http://www.pigeonforgetrolley.org or call (865) 429-6444.