KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Alcoa Highway has reopened in South Knoxville after a sinkhole closed several lanes early Wednesday morning.
Tennessee Department of Transportation spokesperson Mark Nagi says the roadway has reopened to “full capacity.” TDOT cameras show traffic is moving smoothly. The northbound lanes opened Thursday morning and the remaining southbound lanes reopened just before 9 p.m.
Related:What causes a sinkhole?
A spokesperson for the University of Tennessee Medical Center says there was a water main break around 8 p.m. Tuesday near the facility. UT Medical Center is open.
KUB says while they were repairing a water main break near UT Medical Center, a sinkhole opened up. They said crews are working to repair the water main break, but the sinkhole has continued to erode beneath the water line, complicating repairs. Repairs and restoration will continue overnight and there is no timeline for when the water line will be fixed.
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital said patients, families and visitors coming from South Knoxville or Blount County on Alcoa Highway should allow extra time or plan to take an alternative route due to the sinkhole.
The area is prone to sinkholes.
“Sometimes it’s a chicken or egg thing. Did the sinkhole cause the waterline break? Was it vice versa? Our main thing is to get the sinkhole repaired and back open as quickly and safely as possible,” said Nagi.
Lane closures/alternative routes
The roadway at Buck Karnes bridge is shut down to traffic going northbound. The Knoxville Police Department says the best alternate route is Pellissippi Parkway. Northbound traffic is being diverted to John Sevier Highway and then to Chapman Highway. Necessary traffic must exit at Cherokee Trail. Two southbound lanes are closed.
Other detours drivers may take include:
- Maloney Road to Maryville Pike to Chapman Highway
- Woodson Drive to Maryville Pike to Chapman Highway
Many people said they got caught Wednesday morning in a lot of traffic just trying to find their way around the closure.
“My grandma called me and was like, ‘You can’t go Alcoa today.’ I had no idea or I would have gone that way,” said Chelsea Cudak.
She lives on Cherokee Trail just off Alcoa Highway and heads to UT’s campus early in the mornings for class. It is normally an easy commute up Alcoa Highway, but not Wednesday.
“I went Henley Street and that took a little bit longer than normal because – first of all it’s a longer way, but it was busier than it typically is,” she said.
Some of her neighbors had a little more trouble making it to class.
“I missed 8:00 a.m. It was horrendous. Hopefully my professor sees this and we get 100 in attendance or something,” said Emanuel Stupariu.
The problem was as people looked for ways around the closure they were getting locked up in traffic on the smaller side roads.
“The Orchard and all these other places around here they only have two ways out, or three ways and one of them was closed so it was definitely gridlocked,” said Stupariu.
The people on the south side of the sinkhole were planning their future trips into Knoxville.
“All of the little feeders into Alcoa Highway were completely jammed. The only viable option was to head east to James White Parkway,” said Joe Inman. “That’s how we travel in and out of Knoxville. That’s how we get in and out of town, so Alcoa being closed is a worst case scenario.”
