Construction projects and traffic woes are too familiar for UT students and this semester looks to be no different.

Work continues on Alcoa Highway at the Kingston Pike and Neyland Drive exits.

Deborah Fehr, a media representative for the Tennessee Department of Transportation, said the project is behind schedule because the bridge needed repairs beyond what was expected. Significant portions of the bridge had to be replaced and some walls needed to be redesigned, Fehr said.

“The north ramp from Kingston Pike to Alcoa Highway is permanently closed,” Fehr said.

Students needing to go northbound on Alcoa Highway will have to enter it from Neyland Drive.

On the other hand, students needing to go southbound on Alcoa Highway must enter from the Kingston Pike ramp.

If this seems confusing, there’s no need to worry – you have until the end of the year to learn this formula.

“We hope to have the project (Alcoa Highway) wrapped up by the end of the year,” Fehr said.

She said the Alcoa Highway construction project should cost $26.7 million.

Some good news for students is that the new bridge to the Agricultural campus has opened. The controversial four-lane bridge should help traffic on game days.

In addition to the Alcoa Highway project, there is construction on Interstate 40 between Papermill Road and Interstate 640.

Fehr said final paving was about to begin on the interstate. The I-40 construction project was scheduled to be completed by August 2002 and cost $9.8 million.

“We should have three to four weeks left on that job (I-40),” she said.