KNOXVILLE — As the football season begins, University of Tennessee officials are reminding fans of the enhanced security measures at Neyland Stadium and notifying them of a few changes.
The Tennessee Volunteers’ first home game is Sept. 8 against Southern Mississippi with kickoff set for 7 p.m. EDT. It will be broadcast on VideoSeat pay per view.
Fans at the game will notice a change in the stadium smoking policy. Under new state law, no smoking will be allowed anywhere inside the gates of Neyland Stadium. And as always, no one inside the gates will be allowed to leave and then be re-admitted.
Road construction will affect travel to the stadium. James White Parkway, which connects Interstate 40 to Neyland Drive, is closed. As a detour, fans should use Hall of Fame Drive, which connects to Neyland Drive.
Because of traffic concerns, fans driving to the game should always plan to arrive early. The stadium gates open two hours before kickoff.
Only fans with permits can park on campus. UT encourages fans to use shuttle buses from the Knoxville Civic Coliseum and the UT Agriculture Campus.
UT Senior Associate Vice Chancellor Jeff Maples, who oversees campus facilities including the stadium, said the university is continuing to enhance the security measures put in place since Sept. 11, 2001.
“UT officials are able to provide protection to visitors to Neyland Stadium with the help of the UT Police Department, the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the FBI,” Maples said.
UT reminds visitors that all items, including purses, are subject to search at the gates. Certain items remain prohibited inside the stadium, and those items cannot be stored at any stadium gate.
Prohibited items include the following:
• alcoholic beverages, cans, bottles or coolers
• radios without headphones
• open umbrellas
• video cameras
• stadium seats with arms
• large bags or parcels, including backpacks and large purses
• weapons of any kind, including pocket knives
Fans are allowed to bring the following items inside the stadium:
• cushions and seats without arms
• diaper bags that accompany infants
• small cameras, pagers, cell phones and binoculars
For those driving on campus, Peyton Manning Pass, Middle and Lower drives, Estabrook Drive and Phillip Fulmer Way from Middle Drive to Tee Martin Drive will be closed 30 minutes before kickoff. Directional parking will be used in Area 9 and Lots 4, 5A and 5B.
With the renovation of the Glocker Business Administration Building, traffic on Andy Holt Avenue between Volunteer Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way will be two-way before the game and westbound only after the game.
Due to construction, sidewalks on the north side of Andy Holt Avenue and the east side of Volunteer Boulevard at Glocker have been closed. Also the sidewalk is closed on the east side of Lake Loudoun Boulevard at the corner of Neyland Drive due to the Pratt Pavilion construction beside Thompson-Boling Arena.
Solicitation near stadium gates and along Phillip Fulmer Way will be prohibited.
The traditional Vol Walk from Gibbs Hall to the stadium starts at 4:45 p.m., and the Pride of the Southland marching band leaves the music building at 5:20 p.m.
A no-fly zone will extend over the stadium from one hour before the game until one hour after it ends, prohibiting flights within a 3-nautical-mile radius and lower than 3,000-feet altitude, except as authorized by air traffic control.
For more information on traveling to Knoxville, visit the Tennessee Department of Transportation Web site at http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/smartfix/jwp/closures.asp.
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Contacts:
Elizabeth Davis, UT media relations, (865) 974-5179, elizabeth.davis@tennessee.edu.
Jeff Maples, (865) 974-3061