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Capstone Design Fall 2017


Project Sponsor: Partnership with City of Alcoa, LDA Engineering
Team Members: Isaac Hillard (lead), Alex Hollman, Neil Scruggs, Jackson Beggs, Mohammed Naser

This project requires engineering services for the extension of Robert C. Jackson between Middlesettlements Road and Louisville Road in Alcoa, Tennessee. Design will require consideration of current and future property use, such that the roadway extension minimizes impact on potential developments in the area. The terrain will require consideration of the presence of a floodplain and the roadway will require a bridge or box culvert for crossing Laurel Bank Branch. The design shall be treated as a TDOT Local Programs Project, following all rules and specifications.


Project Sponsor: TDEC, Morgan County Schools, Southeast Environmental Engineering, LLC
Team Members: Emma Dixon (lead), Aws Al hadeethi, Cameron LaRose, Andrew Smith

Coalfield School currently serves Morgan County students as a K-12 facility and has a population of approximately 500 students. Because of the rural setting, the school benefits from a package plant for treatment of all wastewater from the school.

In September of 2011, Morgan County Board of Education submitted a permit application to TDEC on behalf of Coalfield School to allow use of an activated sludge treatment plant with UV disinfection on site. The wastewater treatment facility discharges to the nearby Davis Branch. The permit application was approved (NPDES Permit Number TN0023078) and the facility began operations at the school.

An inspection report from February 2012 indicated that sampling within the previous 12 months resulted in 25 water quality compliance violations. At the time, the system was fully functional and inspectors implied that the low Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids level in the tank was the likely cause for the effluent non-compliance. Through subsequent years, the system at the school has continued to be plagued with issues that have resulted in multiple TDEC violations. The school applied for the renewal of the NPDES permit in June of 2016 and the permit was approved.

The county has worked with a variety of engineering consultants, both private firms and those affiliated with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to remedy on-going problems with the treatment system. However, as of January 2017, the school has received its third notice of violation of the NPDES permit. Most recently, a letter to the school authored in August 2017 indicates that there are some soft plans to modify elements of the plant and the site in attempts to improve the function of the treatment plant.

This project intends to address the on-going issues at Coalfield School to improve the likelihood of a consistent effluent from the system. The team of student engineers will seek solutions to a more permanent and reliable system performance. Solutions will likely incorporate both physical modifications to the system and a series of guidelines for chemical treatment that can be performed in a more systematic approach. Recognizing that a major challenge to the system is the irregularity of the student presence and that impact on the system, the design will attempt to implement unique and innovative mechanisms to balance the system in all academic seasons.


Project Sponsor: TDOT
Team Members: Geneva Osborne (lead), Lina Abounassif, Jered Elkins, Bayan Faraj, and Grant Ladd.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) works diligently to provide integration of the transportation network with surrounding infrastructure. The location of the State Route 9 intersection with State Route 131 in Knox County was identified through the TDOT’s safety needs investigation process. After a complete review of the project, State Route 9 was added to the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) list because high crash rates.

The project presented to the student design team required the following tasks: evaluate current traffic conditions at the intersection, address geometric and capacity issues, integrate stormwater management, and incorporate the site plan for a new adjacent development.


Project Sponsor: TDOT
Team Members: Zack Panczer (lead), Brett Pippin, Casey Carr, Aaron Hays, and Nicolo Franceschetti.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) works diligently to provide integration of the transportation network with surrounding infrastructure. The Fort Robinson Drive Bridge over Branch of Reedy Creek in Kingsport, Tennessee has been identified in TDOT’s Special Bridge Replacement Program due to its deficiency rate.

The project presented to the student design team required the following tasks: evaluate the existing bridge structure, design a replacement bridge with the necessary approaches, evaluate impact of new construction on existing properties, and complete all related transportation, stormwater, construction, and geotechnical design tasks associated with construction of the new bridge.


Project Sponsor: City of Alcoa
Team Members: Matt Edens (lead), Ben Young, Matt Chauvin, Drew Stokes

This project requires the design of a new greenway connecting Middlesettlements Road with Louisville Road in Alcoa, TN. The trail development will require consideration for environmental impact, right of way (ROW) needs, drainage, terrain, trail lighting and likely crossing of Laurel Bank Branch. The trail design shall be treated as a TDOT Local Programs Project following all rules and specifications.


Project Sponsor: Partnership with city of Maryville, LDA Engineering
Team Members: Brett Beeler (lead), Noah Clabo, Joseph Dodgen, Scott Henderson, and Nathan Sharp.

A stretch of roadway near Maryville College experiences traffic delays as reported by community users. These delays are related to some geometric issues that cause driver confusion, compounded by recent growth in subdivisions in the vicinity.

This project will widen approximately one half mile of Wilkinson Pike and Court Street in Maryville, Tennessee with sidewalks and bike lanes, provide an improved intersection design for an offset T-intersection, and replace a box culvert with a new bridge. These efforts should increase the level of service for all modes of traffic and improve the traffic flow in the neighborhood.