Downtown Knoxville will be a hot spot for those celebrating July 4 this Friday and with that comes multiple road closures.
The city’s Festival On The 4th, which will be held at World’s Fair Park, will also close Henley Street Bridge, which is where the city shoots Independence Day fireworks from.
There will also be a Smokies game Friday night at Covenant Health Park that will cause road closures.
Here are all the road closures the city has planned for this July 4 weekend:
- Henley Street Bridge will be closed from 4 p.m. until around midnight on July 4
- World’s Fair Park Drive between Clinch & Grand will be closed from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Clinch Ave between Henley & 11th Street will be closed from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- Henley Street between Sevier Ave and Hill Ave (this includes Henley Bridge) will be closed from 4 p.m. to midnight
- Gay Street Bridge is still closed per TDOT
- Central Street will be closed between Jackson Avenue and Willow Avenue
The Knoxville Police Department’s Scott Erland also gave some tips to drivers. They’re especially important, since Gay Street Bridge is also still closed, meaning James White Parkway will be the closest and only downtown-area river crossing.
- Southbound travelers should use detours at Summit Hill Drive to Hill Avenue to James White Parkway, as well as Church Avenue to Howard Baker Drive to Hill Avenue to James White Parkway.
- Northbound travelers on Chapman Highway should take Moody Avenue to James White Parkway.
“Obviously, there is expected to be a heavier volume of traffic in the downtown and Old City areas, so anyone coming to Festival on the 4th, the Smokies game or any other reason should have a plan and try to arrive early if at all possible,” Erland said.
For those staying at home, WVLT News will be livestreaming the Gatlinburg Independence Day parade, starting when it kicks off at midnight on the fourth— that’s late Thursday night.
