Blount County, between Knoxville and Maryville

Heavy Duty Towing in Alcoa, TN

Aluminum plant freight, airport cargo trucks and a highway that is being rebuilt around traffic.

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Honest arrival estimate on the call
Itemized written invoice estimate

Alcoa Highway, Airport Cargo and a Smelter Town

Heavy Duty Towing in Alcoa is shaped by one road and two giants. The road is US 129, locally Alcoa Highway. The giants are McGhee Tyson Airport and the aluminum works the city is named for. Alcoa had 10,978 people in the 2020 census and sits in Blount County. It took its present name when it incorporated in 1919, having been North Maryville before that. Call (865) 339-3202 with your road, direction and the nearest cross street.

The aluminum works

The Aluminum Company of America picked this site partly for the hydroelectric power of the Little Tennessee River. The company had been the Pittsburgh Reduction Company until it renamed itself in 1907. A rolling mill, now called the West Plant, was finished in 1919, and the North Plant went up in the early 1940s. Heavy metal freight moves on flatbeds, so a shifted load or a stuck trailer on a plant approach is a different job from a roadside breakdown. Tell us what is on the deck.

Alcoa Highway

US 129 is 52.8 miles long in Tennessee, and the stretch through Alcoa is its busiest. The route notes mile 38.2 near Bessemer Street and Middlesettlements Road, SR 35 (Hall Road) at 40.0, Tesla Boulevard and SR 335 (Hunt Road) at 40.7, and SR 333 (Topside Road) at 45.8. The Wikipedia article for the route calls the stretch between the airport and the Pellissippi Parkway dangerous because of traffic and crashes.

TDOT is converting the road to a controlled-access highway in seven phases. The cost projection passed $1 billion by 2023. One phase, Woodson Drive to Cherokee Trail, began July 18, 2023 and is expected to finish in spring 2030. Work zones mean narrow lanes, barrier walls and little shoulder, so a heavy wrecker may need a lane closed to work safely.

The airport

McGhee Tyson Airport is in Blount County and managed by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority, about 12 miles south of downtown Knoxville. About 90 percent of its cargo operations are FedEx and UPS. Its two runways are 10,000 and 9,000 feet. The 134th Air Refueling Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard is based there. Cargo vans, box trucks and tractors serve the field day and night, and a breakdown on an approach road needs a clear plan for getting the unit away from the curb.

Pellissippi Parkway

I-140 (Pellissippi Parkway) runs 11.17 miles from I-40/I-75 to US 129 in Alcoa, then a 2.74-mile SR 162 stub carries on to SR 33. It crosses the Tennessee River on the Lt. Alexander "Sandy" Bonnyman Memorial Bridge and passes the Topside Road interchange. Bridges are the hard part of a recovery.

What to tell the dispatcher

US 129 mile marker or nearest cross street (Hall Road, Hunt Road, Topside Road)
Whether you are in a work zone
Tractor, box truck or flatbed, and its cargo
Who pays

Dispatch gives an honest arrival estimate on the call.

Call (865) 339-3202

Alcoa on the Map

Aluminum plant history. The Aluminum Company of America (the Pittsburgh Reduction Company until 1907) built a smelter in Alcoa, with the West Plant rolling mill finished in 1919 and the North Plant built in the early 1940s.
Alcoa Highway project. TDOT is rebuilding US 129 into a controlled-access highway in seven phases, with the Woodson Drive to Cherokee Trail phase starting July 18, 2023 and expected to finish in spring 2030.
Airport cargo. About 90 percent of air cargo operations at McGhee Tyson Airport, 12 miles south of Knoxville, are FedEx and UPS.
Pellissippi Parkway. I-140 runs 11.17 miles from I-40/I-75 to US 129 in Alcoa and crosses the Tennessee River on the Bonnyman Memorial Bridge.

Our Services in Alcoa, TN

Alcoa Questions

Can you recover a truck inside the Alcoa Highway work zone?

Yes, but the scene may need a lane closed or traffic control first. Tell the dispatcher the cross street and if barrier walls are on both sides.

Do you serve trucks heading to McGhee Tyson Airport?

Yes, including cargo vans, box trucks and tractor-trailers on the airport roads and US 129. Give the dispatcher your exact curb or approach.

What can you do for a flatbed with a shifted load?

We assess the load, secure or offload it as needed, then tow or upright the unit. Describe the cargo and the weight.

Do you cover the Pellissippi Parkway in Alcoa?

Yes, I-140 and the SR 162 stub, including the river bridge. State your direction and the last exit you passed.

Free Estimates in Alcoa, TN

Dispatch is open 24/7 for heavy duty towing in Alcoa. Call (865) 339-3202 or send the details.

Call (865) 339-3202 Free Estimate