Increase in military vehicles, helicopters expected at Fort Campbell as trainings begin

Kenya Anderson, Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

The presence of soldiers, by sight or sound, have probably become more obvious as Fort Campbell soldiers begin their three-week training.

Residents in the Tennessee and Kentucky state border area should anticipate seeing more military vehicles on the roads and helicopters in the skies from April 10 to 30, as the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldiers begin their division-wide training.

For the next thee weeks, more noise will be heard from the base as soldiers participate in air assault operations, small unit maneuvers and live fire exercises with small arms, artillery and military aircraft.

Disruption of traffic is possibly as convoy of military vehicles will use public roads between Fort Campbell and Fort Knox during the daylight hours. Military aviation traffic is also expected to cause disruption in and around Fort Knox, Kentucky and Camp Atterbury, Indiana, which the division is using as an aviation refuel points.

“We’re alerting the public to reduce delays in travel time and remind motorists to use extra caution when driving near military vehicles," said Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division. “Our priority is safety, and we encourage the public to plan accordingly and plan for extra travel time, especially if traveling on I-24, I-169, Western Kentucky Parkway, I-69, and through construction zones.”

The majority of military on public roads will be on:

  • Interstate 24 from Exit 86 to Exit 81

  • Interstates 169 and 69

  • Western Kentucky Parkway

The three-week trainings will also temporarily close Palmyra Gate, 101st Airborne Gate and Lafayette Gate. Access to Fort Campbell through Angels and Mabry gates will be restricted to authorized personnel only. Personally-owned vehicles without pre-authorization will need to access the installation through Gates 7 and 10.

Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32. Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com.

This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Military vehicles, helicopters expected at Ft. Campbell during training

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