ALCOA, Tenn. — The Alcoa Highway Construction Project is now shifting to the east as crews prepare to build the new Tyson Boulevard Underpass.
The new work zone will focus on the highway between Hall Road and Hunt Road.
Tennessee Department of Transportation officials said the goal is to reconstruct that section of road as a six-lane, access-controlled facility.
Crews are now excavating the area, grading and installing utilities like gas and water.
The new interchange at Tyson Boulevard will provide access to the McGhee Tyson West Aviation Area, Hunt Road and the Springbrook Farm development.
TDOT also plans to build a new pedestrian greenway along the Hunt Road Bridge. That greenway will provide more than half a mile of additional space for the Alcoa-Maryville-Blount County Greenway system.
"The purpose of this project is to provide a balanced solution for safety and capacity issues of the existing Alcoa Highway," a project statement from TDOT said.
More than 55,000 vehicles traveled on Alcoa Highway every day in 2017, TDOT said. That's more than some sections along the interstate in the East Tennessee Region.
The Tyson Boulevard Underpass part of the project is expected to be finished by 2021.