Tennessee fans will drive through new and improved traffic patterns this season around Neyland Stadium. They're deigned to get you on your way faster after the game.
Entering the University of Tennessee at Knoxville campus, fans with designated parking passes have recommended routes for each lot, which were designed by Kimley-Horn Engineering and Design consultants. These routes can be found at utsports.com by clicking on your parking lot location.
The routes were set to improve traffic flow and safety on incredibly busy gamedays as 100,000 fans pack into the stadium. Don't be surprised you're asked to go in opposite direction as traditional traffic patterns because roads will be rerouted for efficiency, especially after the game.
For those without
a UT parking pass, Tennessee Athletics recommends fans park downtown avoid driving into the campus corridor all together. Knoxville Area Transit offers shuttle options for a fee depending on if fans park at the Market Square garage or at the Civic Coliseum.
For example, Neyland Drive will have three westbound lanes to guide drivers toward Alcoa Highway, Interstate 40 and Kingston Pike after the game, with the far-left lane functioning as a "Kingston Pike Express Lane," according to Tennessee Athletics.
Fans parking around the agriculture school, in the G11 and G17 parking garages or around Volunteer Boulevard will see a larger University of Tennessee Police Department presence along with "a more active pull of traffic" to keep things moving, according to a Tennessee Athletics news release.
Fans parking in Fort Sanders will notice three zones managed by the Knoxville Police Department in an effort to help traffic move with stronger coordination after each game.
Tennessee Athletics tested this traffic flow plan during two major events in May hosted at Neyland Stadium: Luke Combs' "My Kinda Saturday Night Tour" and the Savannah Bananas game.
Some addtiional tips:
- Don't be alarmed if officers direct you in route that's different from regular traffic flow. This is to alleviate backups.
- Part of the strategy is for fans to consider going east or south to head west upon leaving campus. There are four routes that initially head east that bring fans to westbound Interstate 40, while fans heading south on Alcoa Highway will then go west on Pellissippi Parkway followed by west on I-40.
- Tennessee Athletics recommend avoiding Cumberland Avenue and Neyland Drive if you do not have a parking pass.
- The Hill where Ayres Hall is located will drop off and pick up area for ride-share apps like Uber.
Fans can find more information at utsports.com.
Parking passes are not in a tier system anymore beginning with the 2026 season, and instead where donors park will be based strictly on their Tennessee Fund donor rank as of May 1, 2026.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: keenan.thomas@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football parking and traffic flow changes to know for Neyland Stadium
