A water main break flooded the University of Tennessee Conference Center in downtown Knoxville and is causing massive traffic backups along busy Henley Street.
No one is allowed in the conference center while the issue is being fixed. The first floor and basement are flooded, according to UT emails from this morning acquired by Knox News.
UT Facilities Services and the Knoxville Utilities Board were working on the issue the morning of Aug. 21. The center at 600 Henley St. - which has boardrooms, a ballroom and a dining room - is used for meetings and events related to UT and by outside groups.
The UT Center for Professional Education & Lifelong Learning, and the UT Health Science Center's Audiology and Speech Pathology department, clinics and early intervention services also operate in suites at the center, according to UT websites.
"Due to a water main break just outside of the UT Conference Center, all services at UT Health Sciences Audiology and Speech Pathology Clinic have been canceled for Friday, August 21, 2026 and Monday, August 24, 2026," a post on UTHSC's Audiology and Speech Pathology's website said. "We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and are making every attempt to reach patients."
KUB has also closed the portion of Henley Street heading north between Clinch and West Church avenues − where the center is located − "for electric system repairs," according to a post on X.
"This lane closure is expected to remain in effect through Friday afternoon," the KUB post said. "The inside northbound lanes and all southbound lanes remain open to normal traffic flow. Traffic control measures, including channeling devices and signage, are in place to assist with maintaining traffic flow through the area."
Knox News has reached out to UT officials for comment and with questions, but had not received a response before publication.
Keenan Thomas is the higher education reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Henley Street partly closed after water main break floods UT Conference Center