Beginning Dec. 1, vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be re-routed as a result of the closing of a portion of Phillip Fulmer Way to accommodate renovations to Neyland Stadium.
Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed from the Hearing and Speech Center to the KAT Bus Transfer Station through August 2009, according to a UT press release.
“Sometime in mid-August, we will have it re-opened,” said Jeff Maples, senior associate vice chancellor of finance and administration. “Of course it has to be re-opened sometime before the football season, but it’s our idea to have it re-opened before classes begin in August.”
Peyton Manning Pass will be open to two-way traffic for those traveling to the north end of Staff Lot 30, to the south of Staff Lot 9 and to the Hearing and Speech Center. Andy Holt Avenue will also be open to two-way traffic to allow “T” and KAT buses to exit and enter the KAT Bus Transfer Station, according to the press release.
The G-10 parking garage, in which many commuter students park, will be affected in that traffic will not be able to travel north on Phillip Fulmer Way. There will still be full access to all entrances and exits of the garage, but students using the garage are encouraged to use Neyland Drive, Maples said.
“It doesn’t affect the actual entrance to the garage because you can still access G-10 garage from Phillip Fulmer,” he said. “It’s just that it would alleviate some of the traffic congestion if most of the students that park there would use Neyland Drive. You can access G-10 from both Neyland Drive and from Phillip Fulmer Way. It’s just when you come out on Phillip Fulmer, instead of being able to go to the right or left, you’ll have to go left toward Lake Loudon, which will add to congestion.”
There will be signage coming out of the garage and at all nearby intersections to make drivers aware of the changes. All signage will be installed by the end of this week, Maples said.
Another concern with the closing of that stretch of Phillip Fulmer Way is that the sidewalk will also be closed, causing pedestrian traffic problems.
“A lot of people park in that garage and … walk along Phillip Fulmer to get to the University Center, the Library, to the Hill,” Maples said. “And that sidewalk along the stadium, which is used heavily by pedestrians, will be closed.”
Maples said he hopes that “within a week or two, people will be into a pattern that we’ll be able to accommodate.”
“So, what we’ve done … is we’re trying to accommodate that by building a new pedestrian stairwell,” he said. “If you’re walking along, going north on Phillip Fulmer headed toward the stadium, where the street or sidewalk will be closed, you’ll be able to go left.”
Maples added there will also be a new set of stairs behind the Hearing and Speech Center.
“And you can walk up there and then across Peyton Manning Pass to what is called Margaret’s Alley, which is an alleyway between Lot 9 and Claxton,” he said. “And we’ll have that set up as a pedestrian crosswalk and that will be the best way for pedestrians to access … the library or the University Center.”
There will be signage to indicate the recommended route, Maples said.
“That will just be a little getting used to by our students as they navigate around the campus in the spring,” he said. “It’ll be a natural flow I believe. Most students that come from G-10 and are walking north, they’ll see that.”
According to detour routes posted on the “T” Web site, the following changes will be made to three “T” bus routes and one KAT bus route.
The North-South route will not stop at the UC, the Transfer Station or the G-10 garage.
The Ag Express will make a stop next to Thompson-Boling Arena instead of its usual stop at the G-10 garage. The route taken will change, but no other stops will be altered.
The East-West route will now turn right down Andy Holt Avenue instead of Peyton Manning Pass in order to gain access to the Transfer Station. There will be no other detours on the East-West route.
KAT Bus Route 43 to University Heights will also be detoured as a result of the construction.
The reason for the road being closed is a series of renovations being done on the west side of the stadium, Maples said.
“In order to do Phase III of the Neyland Stadium Master Plan, Phillip Fulmer Way will be closed so a crane can be used to lay steel for an expansion of the west side of the stadium,” said Tiffany Carpenter, public relations director for the athletics department.
With an expected completion date of Fall 2010, Phase III features renovations that seek to improve pedestrian traffic and aesthetic value within and around the stadium.
Updates scheduled for 2009 include “renovation of the west sideline top lower level concourse; removal of the scissor ramps leading to west upper deck; addition of elevators and stairwells on the west side to increase fan accessibility and improve the traffic flow infrastructure of the stadium; improvements to the west tower including sky box and press center updates; and construction of the West Club,” according to an Aug. 28 athletics department press release.
For additional information or to view the detoured routes, visit http://www.ridethet.com.
