Drivers cruising Winfield Dunn Parkway toward Pigeon Forge have likely noticed the massive construction site rising near the Sevierville Visitor Center — it's a new Walmart Supercenter. The 176,000-square-foot building at 3091 Winfield Dunn Parkway will include a drive-thru pharmacy and a gas station, according to Walmart's director of global communications, Robin Edie.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on the project, including that the Sevierville Planning Commission approved the site plan. The site plan provides further detail about the property. The City of Sevierville website provides general information about the city.
This will mark Sevier County's second Walmart Supercenter, joining the existing store at 1414 Parkway in Sevierville, according to the Malls and Retail Wiki. The new site plan is similar in size to that older store farther south down the parkway, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. Walmart also runs a Neighborhood Market on Dolly Parton Parkway in Sevierville, per the same wiki.
A New Signal for a Notoriously Busy Stretch
The Sevierville site sits near Fred Bryan Road at the Winfield Dunn Parkway location. The site plan also addresses access to the property.
That kind of infrastructure investment isn't surprising given the numbers on Winfield Dunn Parkway. LoopNet lists an average daily traffic count of 48,033 for one parcel on the road, making it a heavily traveled stretch of road. Drivers heading from Exit 407 toward Pigeon Forge already pass Buc-ee's and the new Walmart construction site along the way, the Knoxville News Sentinel notes.
Booming Tourism Fuels the Building Boom
The Walmart site sits near Interstate 40's Exit 407, near “The 407: Gateway to Adventure,” a 200-acre development, according to The 407. That project launched with a Buc-ee's travel center, and the travel center attracted more than 9 million visitors in its first year of operation, per the same source.
Tourism is an important part of the area's appeal. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is another major tourism draw.
The area's development has brought growing pains on the roadways. Roadway conditions have also drawn attention.
Joining an Already Crowded Retail Corner
The new Walmart will add to the area's retail offerings.
Local and county leaders have shown they're willing to act quickly to protect the tourism economy that drives so much of this growth.
The Knoxville News Sentinel reported on the project. Whether the new Sevierville Supercenter becomes a beloved local fixture remains to be seen, but for now, it is a new Walmart project along Highway 66.
