Latest news with #BeckyHuckaby
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
REAL ID: When you need one and when you don't
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The deadline to get a REAL ID is approaching but unless you're boarding a flight soon, there's no need to rush. Millions of Tennesseans still don't have a REAL ID, which is marked with a gold star in the corner of your driver's license. The REAL ID deadline is May 7, but what happens if you don't have one by then? 'Unless they're flying domestically, then nothing is going to happen because your state ID, your state driver's license that you have, even if it's not a REAL ID, it's still good to drive. It's still good to vote. It's still good to buy beverages,' said Jason Pack with the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. REAL ID is part of the REAL ID Act, which was passed by Congress in 2005 after recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. It is meant to create minimum security standards for driver's licenses and ID cards. Starting May 7, you will need a REAL ID to routinely board a domestic flight or enter certain federal buildings. If you have a domestic flight coming up, but no REAL ID, a passport, permanent resident card or other select documents can serve as an alternative. Without one of these documents, you may experience some delays in your travel plans. 'They will be directed to additional screening, so we are encouraging people who are in that category to arrive to the airport at least three hours before their scheduled departure time,' said Becky Huckaby, Vice President of Public Relations for McGhee Tyson Airport. If you don't have your REAL ID yet, you may be out of luck getting an appointment at the DMV before the deadline. 6 News looked at available appointments at each location within an hour drive from downtown Knoxville. The Alcoa and Sevierville locations had the soonest available appointments, in early June. However, you can also get a REAL ID at some county clerk's offices. 'The Department of Safety partners with Tennessee county clerk's offices, those who chose to participate. In Knox County that's the case and in a lot of other counties around here that is the case too, so you just want to make sure they have that capability before you go out there,' Pack said. To get your REAL ID, you will need proof of U.S. Citizenship or legal presence, like a birth certificate, proof of your full social security number and two proofs of Tennessee residency, like a utility bill or paycheck. It's also important to note, if your name has changed from what is listed on any of the required documents, you must also bring certified legal documents supporting the name change. This could include marriage licenses and divorce decrees. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Yahoo
McGhee Tyson will close main Alcoa Highway entrance on spring break weekends: What to know
McGhee Tyson Airport will close its main entrance and redirect drivers to Hunt Road for three March weekends in anticipation of heavy spring break traffic. The airport's main entrance from Alcoa Highway will be inaccessible to southbound travelers (those coming from Knoxville) from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on these dates: Thursday, March 6 to Monday, March 10 Thursday, March 13 to Monday, March 17 Thursday, March 20 to Monday, March 24 The Hunt Road exit is the next exit south from the airport's main entrance, and it passes by economy parking lots and the Hilton hotel before reaching the terminal building. The traffic pattern will not change for passengers heading north on Alcoa Highway. After taking the exit, passengers will turn right onto Tyson Boulevard, which turns onto Terminal Loop Drive by the hotel. The airport will monitor traffic on these roads, which staff says is a safer option with the volume of travelers expected those weekends. "We don't want to create a safety hazard by having the backup on Alcoa Highway," airport spokesperson Becky Huckaby told Knox News. McGhee Tyson will consider repeating the closures at peak travel times if the change works well, Huckaby said. The airport has encouraged travelers and anyone giving a ride to use the Hunt Road exit, which leads directly to the "phone and wait" lot, even during normal operations. "Because our curb is not for parking, it's for continuous loading and unloading only and moving on, the more we can keep that movement going through that area, the quicker everybody can get pick up their person," Huckaby said. Knox County Schools are on spring break March 17-21, meaning students are off March 15-23, including weekends. Blount County Schools are on spring break March 10-14. Alcoa City Schools and Oak Ridge City Schools get two weeks of spring break March 10-21. See the dates: When is spring break? Here are Knoxville area schools and University of Tennessee dates The airport will open a new entrance to its parking garage alongside the old entrance, which closes the week of March 10 for construction on a new parking garage. Drivers will not need to change their route to the parking garage, since the new entrance is only slightly different, Huckaby said. As the airport serves record numbers of passengers – 3.3 million in 2024 – it is building a six-story, 3,500-space parking garage set to open next to its existing parking garage in 2027. The $185 million construction project is the most expensive in airport history. The garage is part of McGhee Tyson's "Flight Plan" for $700 million of construction over the next decade to expand its terminal and the number of gates. Upgrades range from large to small, like replacing the terminal's outmoded escalators. McGhee Tyson issued its standard holiday travel tips for passengers during spring break, which include: Arriving at the airport two hours early, even for 5 a.m. flights Building in enough time to park and get to the terminal Checking for real-time parking availability Downloading airline app to get latest flight updates Packing light and in the right size of luggage Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Email: Signal: @danieldassow.24. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: McGhee Tyson Airport closes main entrance for spring break travel in TN
