Tennessee Athletics is rolling out a new traffic plan for Neyland Stadium, and it will be in place when Tennessee football opens the season against Furman on Sept. 5.
The updated setup is built around getting fans out of the area faster after events. Under the plan, three westbound lanes on Neyland Drive will funnel vehicles toward Alcoa Highway, Interstate 40 and Kingston Pike. The far-left lane will serve as a Kingston Pike express lane to help speed up access and cut down on bottlenecks.
The changes will hit different parts of campus in different ways. Fans parking on the west side of campus near the AG school, G11, G17 or around Volunteer Blvd. should expect more University Police presence and a more active traffic pull. In the Fort, traffic will be split into three gameday zones, with the Knoxville Police Department helping guide each area in a more coordinated postgame flow.
Tennessee Athletics worked with Visit Knoxville, the City of Knoxville, Knox County, TDOT, KPD, UTPD, campus leadership and engineering consultant Kimley-Horn on the new pattern. The plan was already put to the test in May during the Luke Combs concert and the Savannah Bananas event.
"This project has required close collaboration with numerous local partners, and we are excited to see the plan realized this fall," Tennessee Athletics Director Danny White said. "Enhancing the fan experience when leaving Neyland has been a key focus for us, and this initiative marks a significant step forward."
The school said the traffic-flow changes "are intended to streamline post-event departures," and that the revised plan "reflects ongoing efforts to improve operations for larger events at Neyland Stadium."
Chris Rhodes, the project lead for the Kimley-Horn team, framed the effort around the fan experience.
"For those of us who have spent a lifetime cheering for the Vols, this project was more than transportation planning," Rhodes said. "It was an opportunity to team with Visit Knoxville, the City, Knox County, TDOT, and UT stakeholders to create a gameday playbook designed around the fan experience. Because while the final score matters, the memories fans take home often begin and end with how they get to and from Neyland Stadium."
Tennessee also included a handful of specific reminders for fans. Officers and traffic personnel on the roadway may direct drivers along routes that are different from the usual non-gameday path, since they are working around campus backups and trying to keep traffic moving.
After hours of studying, Kimley-Horn is asking fans to consider going east to go west or going south to head west. The release says there are four easterly routes off campus that lead to westbound Interstate 40, and fans may find quicker options by heading south on Alcoa Highway, then west on Pellissippi Parkway, then west on Interstate 40.
Cumberland and Neyland Drives are expected to be heavily congested before and after the game, so fans without a parking pass are being told to avoid those areas if possible.
There are also restrictions around Lot 9 and Middle Drive. Only vehicles with permits for Lot 9 and Middle Drive will be allowed to turn onto Phillip Fulmer Way from Cumberland Ave. No cars will be allowed into Lot 9 from Peyton Manning Pass, and only pre-approved or commercial vehicles will be allowed up Phillip Fulmer from Lake Loudoun Blvd.
For ride-share users, the designated pregame and postgame drop-off and pickup spot is The Hill.
In Other News...
Tennessee Fans Need To Know Neylands New Game Day Plan
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville is rolling out a new traffic and parking setup around Neyland Stadium this fall, aiming to make football game days run a little smoother and a little safer. Fans who already have parking passes will be directed along designated routes and can also use shuttle options, while those without passes are being steered toward downtown parking and shuttle service instead of driving straight into the stadium area.
For Volunteers fans, the bigger change may be the amount of planning now required before kickoff. Several roads will be closed on game days, and the university is increasing police presence to help manage the flow of traffic around the stadium. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes adjustment that can make a long Saturday feel less chaotic, even if it means a different routine for anyone used to the old Neyland approach. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Is Finally Taking On Neylands Biggest Gameday Frustration
For years, one of the most familiar complaints around Neyland Stadium has had nothing to do with what happens between the lines. Tennessee Athletics, working with local partners, has now developed and tested new gameday traffic patterns that are set to go into place beginning with the 2026 football season opener, a move designed to make the trip to and from South Knoxville feel a lot less like a test of patience.
The plan spells out designated routes for fans with parking passes and gives guidance for those without them, while police and consultants will help manage traffic more aggressively on the back end to improve departures after events. It is the kind of behind-the-scenes fix that usually only gets noticed when it works, but for a stadium experience as big as Neylands, smoothing out the bottlenecks could end up mattering as much to fans as anything on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Freshman Gabriel Osenda Is Giving Vols Hope And A New Worry
Gabriel Osenda arrived in Knoxville in January and has spent preseason doing the kind of work that gets a young offensive tackle noticed quickly. The Tennessee freshman has been taking reps at both left and right tackle, and line coach Glen Elarbee has already put him in the same conversation as current starter Jesse Perry, which tells you how seriously the staff views his long-term upside.
The flip side is the part Tennessee has to watch closely. Osenda recently dealt with a lower-body injury severe enough to leave him in a walking boot and on crutches after the Vols first scrimmage, a reminder that promising linemen can go from intriguing depth piece to roster concern in a hurry. For Tennessee, the hope is obvious - a young tackle who could push for a starting job down the line - but so is the worry about how much time he can spend on the practice field between now and the opener. [Read more 🡒]