City of Knoxville - Public Works

PUBLIC WORKS

Christi Branscom
Director of Public Works
City County Building
Room 503
P.O. Box 1631
865-215-4545
Fax: 865-215-2527

The Public Works Department is responsible for many direct citizen services. It is the mission of the Public works Department to provide service in a timely and efficient manner, to protect the health, safety and welfare of the community, and to contribute to making Knoxville a beautiful, livable and sustainable city.

Public Works is everywhere you look. Public Works employees make sure our homes, apartment buildings and places of business are safe and secure for us to live and work; they keep our streets paved and sidewalks repaired; and when there is snow or ice, they keep our travel ways safe. They make sure our household and commercial waste is disposed, and they work to protect our neighborhoods and property values by ensuring that properties are maintained. Finally, they make sure that there are parks and greenways to enjoy and that there are plenty of programs available at our recreation centers for all ages. Simply put, Public Works employees make our city work by caring for our infrastructure and improving our surroundings.

Public Works consists of Engineering, Parks and Recreation, Plans Review and Inspections, and Public Service.

The Engineering Department performs all engineering and technical services for city departments, including design work and contract administration for streets, bridges, sidewalks, drainage and other public works projects. The largest of the contract categories is the city's street paving program, which has repaved more than 1,000 miles of the city's streets since 1988.

The Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of activities for each member of the family to enjoy. One of the main goals for the Department is to improve recreational opportunities for all Knoxvillians. With the programming of recreation centers, the construction of greenways trails and the upgrading of many city parks, great progress is being made toward the goal.

The Plans Review & Inspections Department promotes quality development and preserves neighborhood integrity and safety through plans review, permits, inspections, and other regulatory activities.

The Public Service Department enforces neighborhood codes, provides street maintenance, and maintains brush and leaf collection, as well as taking care of and providing recycling centers and a solid waste transfer station.