During this time, all faculty and staff with a Staff Lot 9 permit will have the option to park in the G10 garage.

For more information, call Parking and Transit Services at 974-6031.

For additional updates on campus construction projects, visit conezone.utk.edu.

On Monday, October 29, construction fencing will go up around Temple Court, Aconda Court, and the building at 812 Volunteer Boulevard. The small Staff Lot 12 in this area will be closed. The area known as “the pit,” including the Smokey’s entrance, also will be inaccessible.

Demolition of the three buildings will begin in mid-December.

The office will be closed on Monday, August 6, but will reopen on Tuesday, August 7, in its new location on the third floor of Greve Hall. The Student Success Center staff will be working with students to reschedule appointments as needed because of the move.

The VolsTeach program started moving into its new office on the first floor of Greve Hall today.

Offices that will soon be making the move to Greve Hall are:

Ground floor

• Access System, formerly the Lock and Key Shop

Second floor

• Space and Facilities
• Campus Ombudsperson
• Four psychology laboratories (Corbetta, Olson, Larsen, and Levy)
• Sociology graduate teaching assistants

Third floor

• The Educational Advancement Program

Fourth floor

• The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education

Fifth floor

• Organizational Research Lab
• Office of Information Technology
• History graduate teaching assistants

Sixth floor

• Tennessee Teaching and Learning Center
• The MARCO Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• Faculty Senate

Most offices are moving out of facilities due to be demolished to accommodate the new Student Union project.

Also tomorrow, the section of Andy Holt Avenue between Volunteer Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way will permanently close, along with the Andy Holt Avenue access to staff lot 9. Motorists will need to enter staff lot 9 via Peyton Manning Pass.

Phillip Fulmer Way from Cumberland Avenue to Middle Way Drive will be closed during Spring Break from March 17 to March 25, and then one lane will reopen the following week.

For the latest information on the Student Union project and other campus construction projects, visit conezone.utk.edu.

The Student Union project, which is expected to cost about $160 million and which will be funded entirely by student fees and by the revenue-generating operations in the University Center, will take at least four years to complete. UT is planning for challenges that pedestrians and motorists will encounter through the center of campus.

UT has launched Cone Zone, a website and signage program to highlight this and other construction project directions, road closures, pedestrian pathways, and other information for the campus community and visitors.

Demolition of the University Center parking garage begins March 17. Visitor parking will open March 17 in the Volunteer Hall garage on White Avenue. Also on March 17, Andy Holt Avenue—between Volunteer Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Drive—will close to commence infrastructure work. The road will not reopen because plans call for extending the Joe Johnson and John Ward Pedestrian Walkway to an open pedestrian plaza that will ultimately extend to the Hill.

The current University Center will remain open during the first two years of construction. During construction, the main UC entrances will be the east entrance off Phillip Fulmer Way and the north entrance facing Cumberland Avenue. The Money Wall, along the current UC garage, is also closing but some banks will move ATM machines inside the UC before students return to campus following spring break.

“Construction of the new Student Union will cause some headaches for all of us. We’re going to do everything we can to minimize the inconvenience and keep the community informed about the progress of the project,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said. “In the end, the new Student Union will be well worth the wait and the temporary challenges presented by the construction.”

The new building is being funded entirely by student fees and by the union’s revenue-generating operations such as the bookstore and dining establishments. It will be nearly double the size of the current university center and provide a larger auditorium, more programming and meeting space, a larger book and technology store, and more dining options and seating, along with other amenities.

Special Instructions for Campus Visitors

People visiting the University Center, the east side of campus, or the Hill, will need to park in Volunteer Hall and cross Cumberland Avenue at James Agee Street. The Volunteer Hall Garage is located at 1525 White Avenue and lies between 16th Street and James Agee Street. Campus officials recommend that visitors to the south and west side of campus use the Cumberland Avenue and Neyland Drive entrances. Short-term (45-minute limit) visitor parking is also available at Circle Park.

Handicapped parking near the University Center is in Staff Lot 9, the Cumberland Avenue side of the Walters Life Sciences Building, and at Volunteer Hall Garage. The T- Access (pdf), for persons with disabilities, runs from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Call 865-974-4080. The Volunteer Garage is also already part of the “T” North/South route.

More Changes Set for Summer

The project has two phases. The first involves a new bookstore, Career Services office space, dining facilities, and other office and programming space.

The larger facility will extend the building to the west and south. Demolition of the former Student Counseling Center, 812 Volunteer Blvd., Temple Court, and Aconda Court should begin in late May.

Also in late May, a portion of Phillip Fulmer Way—from Cumberland Avenue to Andy Holt Avenue—will close until mid-August, and several pedestrian bridges from the current UC Plaza will be disassembled.

A new traffic light will also be installed at the corner of Phillip Fulmer Way and Peyton Manning Pass to accommodate increased campus traffic.

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C O N T A C T :

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Peyton Manning Pass will be closed from December 12 to January 5 to add a turning lane and widen the intersection with Phillip Fulmer Way. A traffic signal also will be added at the intersection of Peyton Manning Pass and Volunteer Boulevard.

This is one of several infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate the new $160 million Student Union, which will be nearly double the size of the current university center.

The project is the largest single building project in UT Knoxville’s history. The facility will greatly enhance services for students and the campus community through a larger auditorium, more programming and meeting space, a larger book and technology store, and varied food options including more seating, along with other new amenities.

Several large-scale changes to campus must be in place before construction of the new Student Union can begin. Here’s a look at some of those changes:

Section of Andy Holt Avenue to Close Permanently

In early 2012, the section of Andy Holt Avenue between Volunteer Boulevard and Phillip Fulmer Way, near Staff Lot 9, will close permanently. The campus will be notified well in advance of the closing date.

Once Andy Holt Avenue is closed, employees and visitors who park in Staff Lot 9 near Neyland Stadium will have to enter and exit the lot from Peyton Manning Pass.

The closure of Andy Holt Avenue will allow utility work to begin in preparation for closing the university center parking garage on Saturday, March 17.

Alternative Parking and Relocated ATMs

Once the garage closes in March, it will be razed to accommodate the first phase of the construction of the new Student Union. Arrangements are being made now to establish alternative visitor parking locations. Those plans will be announced as they are finalized.

In conjunction with the closure of the parking garage, the Money Wall of various ATMs will no longer be available. Two ATMs will be available in the Phillip Fulmer Way entrance to the existing university center. The banking sponsors for the new ATMs and other campus ATM options will be finalized in January.

More information on the overall Student Union project, including a timeline of future construction phases, architectural renderings, and campus maps, will be shared via a new website set to launch early next year.

CONTACT:

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

Jeff Maples (865-974-3061, maples@utk.edu)