When will construction on Alcoa Highway be done? | Know Your Knox
Three things in life are guaranteed: death, taxes and construction on Alcoa Highway.
Ok, so maybe the last one won't actually go on indefinitely, but it can seem like the never-ending road project.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is in the middle of the Alcoa Highway Corridor Project, which is intended to improve 13 miles of highway that stretches from Knox to Blount County.
TDOT spokesperson Mark Nagi told Knox News that major infrastructure projects take a lot of time and money to complete.
Nagi said Tennessee is a "pay as you go state" so projects don't move forward unless funding is secured.
The construction also wasn’t all done at once and was split into several phases due to the sheer size of the corridor, according to TDOT.
What improvements to Alcoa Highway have been made so far?
Construction on the highway began in 2016 when TDOT began to improve a stretch from Maloney Road to Woodson Drive. That part was completed in the summer of 2023.
Only one other stretch has been completed so far, according to TDOT. That was a section north of Hall Road to a proposed interchange at Tyson Boulevard. That began in 2019 and was wrapped up in the summer of 2022.
What improvements to Alcoa Highway are coming?
Several more projects are in the pipeline and in various stages of construction.
A section of the highway, from Hall Road to Cherokee Trail, will be widened in three phases, in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Woodson Drive to Cherokee Trail will receive several improvements, including two new roundabouts, lighting upgrades and two bridges. That project was started in 2023 and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2027.
TDOT is relocating the highway from a proposed interchange at Tyson Boulevard to SR 115 at South Singleton Station. The Alcoa Highway will be shifted east, curving around the current intersection at Pellissippi Parkway. Construction is split into two phases, with the first being completed in the fall of 2027 and phase two starting in 2028.
A project is planned to improve the highway from South Singleton Station, south of Little River, but Nagi said TDOT doesn't have funding for that in place, so it's not possible to estimate a completion date.
Will this make your commute longer?
Your commute time could be longer depending on when construction is going on and where.
In terms of Cherokee Trail to Woodson Drive, Nagi said there eventually will be lane closures for overnight work. Rolling roadblocks will be used intermittently on weekdays during nonpeak hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Blasting activities will require closures, he said, but only for about five to 10 minutes.
Nagi said Cherokee Trail to Woodson Drive provides the most traffic delays because of its proximity to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus and UT Medical Center.
Local streets and interchanges will be open to the greatest extent possible, and TDOT will provide updates on its social media pages. Traffic alerts on Alcoa Highway also will be posted on TDOT's website.
Why are these improvements needed?
As East Tennessee continues to grow, it needs to make sure its infrastructure can accommodate all the vehicles it will see traveling through the region. Nagi said these updates are needed for three primary reasons:
To increase the capacity and level of service
To correct geometric deficiencies, which means working on the road's width, slopes and more.
To reduce crashes and improve safety
To keep track of updates on the Alcoa Highway project, visit TDOT's website.
Know Your Knox answers your burning questions about life in Knoxville. Want your question answered? Email knowyourknox@knoxnews.com.
Silas Sloan is a growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: When will construction on Alcoa Highway be completed?
