The Air National Guard wants to give McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base a new front door, and the road work that comes with it would change traffic on Louisville Road in Blount County.
A proposed project would move the base's main entrance to the intersection of Louisville Road and Louisville Loop Road/Proffitt Springs Road, according to Col. David Barrett, commander of the 134th Air Refueling Wing's Mission Support Group, WBIR reported.
The current main entry control point is on Airbase Road. The new entrance would sit west of the CSX railway and east of Louisville Road.
Cost and timeline
Barrett estimated the project at $25 million or more, WBIR reported. Funding has not been approved.
The project is at the 95% design phase, and Barrett said he expects the design to be complete and ready for bid by the end of this calendar year. A construction timeline hasn't been set. It will depend on congressional budget appropriations, contract award timelines and final design, he said.
Officials told WATE 6 News they hope to receive congressional authorization in fiscal year 2027.
Why the gate is moving
Long-term regional aviation planning drove the decision, Barrett told WBIR. The Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority is planning future expansions at McGhee Tyson Airport, which prevents the base's main gate land lease from being renewed beyond 2044.
Under the proposal, the current main gate would become a secondary access point until that property returns to the airport authority.
Barrett said the goal isn't to expand the base, but the project does strongly support future infrastructure realignment planned by both the Air National Guard and the airport authority.
Changes to Louisville Road
The project has been studied for traffic impact and would require significant changes to Louisville Road, Barrett said. Planned changes include dedicated turn lanes for the access road, a southbound left-turn lane, a northbound right-turn lane and better-timed traffic signals.
The base sees more than 360 vehicles during its morning inbound peak and more than 280 in its afternoon peak, according to Barrett.
To limit the impact on neighbors, the Air National Guard coordinated with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to fold the changes into Project Eagle, the name given to the Smith & Wesson plant and the road improvements built to serve it, WBIR reported.
WATE reported that Project Eagle is set to begin in 2027 and that its improvements would support the base by adding the entrance with a protected eastbound left-turn lane and acceleration and deceleration lanes. A fourth leg would be added to a traffic signal already planned with three legs.
Who's at the base
McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base is home to the Tennessee Air National Guard's 134th Air Refueling Wing, along with the I.G. Brown Air National Guard Training and Education Center and an Army Aviation Support Facility for the Tennessee Army National Guard, according to WATE.
Why it matters for contractors
A $25 million-plus military gate project is a sizable job, with site work, paving and traffic signal changes involved. As a military project paid for through congressional appropriations, it will likely suit firms comfortable with federal contracting.
The key fact for bidders is timing. The design could be ready to bid by year's end, but construction depends on Congress providing the money. Contractors should watch for funding in the federal budget process and for bid notices once design is done.
The Louisville Road work is a separate opportunity worth tracking. Because the turn lanes, acceleration and deceleration lanes and signal work are being coordinated with TDOT's Project Eagle, highway contractors following that Blount County program may find the base entrance improvements built into the same corridor work.
Between the airport authority's expansion plans, Project Eagle and the base's new entrance, the area around McGhee Tyson Airport has several public projects moving at once. Firms in East Tennessee should keep all three on their radar.