The Vision

Tennessee RiverLine Partnership 2019 Annual Report

From Knoxville, TN to Paducah, KY, the Tennessee River stretches 652 miles and touches four states: Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. Its 41,000 square mile watershed is home to more than 4.5 million residents, more than half of which live in communities along its banks. 

As the Tennessee River Valley increasingly becomes one of the most desirable places to live, work and play in the country, the demands we place on our rivers, coupled with a changing climate, places their health and resiliency at risk into the next century.

The Tennessee RiverLine is a vision for a continuous, multi-modal system of trail experiences stretching from Knoxville, TN to Paducah, KY that: 

• celebrates the beauty, diversity and history of the Tennessee River Valley

• connects the people and communities of the Valley to each other, to their river heritage, and to the Tennessee River Landscape

• catalyzes new investments, economic opportunity, social health, and ecological stewardship

Utilizing existing trails, greenways and blueways, along with investments in new recreational trails and multi-modal transportation will fill system gaps while enhancing the user experience on existing infrastructures, enhancing river access on public landscapes and through shared use agreements on private land. 

From the adventure enthusiast to the casual bike-rider, there is a Tennessee RiverLine experience for everyone. Some might use the trail as a part of their daily commute or exercise routine. Others may seek to travel 20-50 miles of the trail at one time over a weekend or longer. Still others may seek the ultimate adventure of conquering the entire trail in one continuous trip. 

But the Tennessee RiverLine is conceptualized as much more than just a recreational trail, but as a strategic economic, social and environmental infrastructure investment with the potential to transform the diverse developed and natural landscapes it encounters.

The realization of the Tennessee RiverLine will require the time, talent and financial backing from a range of stakeholders, as well as participation and buy-in from the states, counties, and communities that it will touch. The Tennessee RiverLine Partnership welcomes your support by:

• sharing the RiverLine concept with others

• communicating your own ideas, insights and suggestions

• connecting us with allied initiatives and potential partners

• offering your participation

• sustaining the project financially

The Tennessee RiverLine is a symbol of what is possible through a return to the Valley’s legacy of innovation and regional collaboration in the name of stewarding one of North America’s great rivers into the 21st century. 

The summit

Representatives from Roane County, the University of Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee State Parks, the National Park Service and other organizations gathered in Knoxville to discuss the next steps.

Roane County is engaged in the planning process and have resources already allocated for this next fiscal year to begin implementing parts of our vision.

 tn riverline Pilot community research findings

The Tennessee RiverLine Pilot Community Report for Roane County contains results of qualitative and quantitative research conducted onsite and online by the Tennessee RiverLine team. The report combines feedback from community residents and leaders, data collected during leadership workshops, and research derived during river experiences and community engagement events in Roane County. Read more.

TN Riverline Leadership Committee for Roane County 

The newly formed leadership committee met for the first time on November 19th.  David Bolling (Kingston) was elected chairman and Bonnie Angus (Roane County Government) was elected secretary. Additional members of the leadership team are Stephanie Wright (Kingston), Sam Russell (Harriman), Joshua Gillespie (Harriman), Wade Lovin (citizen representative) and Scott Stout (Roane Alliance). These members are looking forward to working with the community as we promote diversity on and along the water.