Beginning Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017, motorists will no longer be able to turn left off of southbound Alcoa Highway to Woodson Drive. Motorists going northbound will still be able to exit right onto Woodson Drive.

The detour will be in place through March 2018, depending on the weather.

I saw the sign warning of the pending turn lane closure. I wondered how they were going to detour the traffic to Woodson Drive. Now I know.

The detour will take motorists to John Sevier Highway, three miles down Alcoa Hwy, where there is not a great interchange. It appears this detour is the best alternative. However, for those that know the area there are other options. One would be to go Chapman Hwy. to Maryville Pike. For the adventuresome, you could go Cherokee Trail to Edington Road, then Maryville Pike. There are a couple of other roads where motorists could cut through some neighborhoods, but you would have to be wary of going left on Alcoa Hwy. and know the backroads.