Interstate 40 in Tennessee - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

In the state of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, Interstate 40

Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...

traverses the entirety of the state from west to east, running from the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...

at the Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...

border to the northern base of the Great Smoky Mountains

Great Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...

at the North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

border. The road connects Tennessee's three largest cities—Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, and Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...

—and crosses all of Tennessee's physiographical provinces—the Mississippi Embayment

Mississippi embayment

The Mississippi Embayment is a physiographic feature in the south-central United States, part of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. It is essentially a northward continuation of the fluvial sediments of the Mississippi River Delta to its confluence with the Ohio River at Cairo, Illinois. The embayment...

and Gulf Coastal Plain

Gulf Coastal Plain

The Gulf Coastal Plain extends around the Gulf of Mexico in the Southern United States and eastern Mexico.The plain reaches from the western Florida Panhandle, the southwestern two thirds of Alabama, over most of Mississippi, some of western Tennessee and Kentucky, southwest Arkansas, the Florida...

in West Tennessee

West Tennessee

West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the State of Tennessee. Of the three, it is the one that is most sharply defined geographically. Its boundaries are the Mississippi River on the west and the Tennessee River on the east...

, the Highland Rim

Highland Rim

The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions....

and Nashville Basin

Nashville Basin

The Nashville Basin, also known as the Central Basin, is a term often used to describe the area surrounding Nashville, Tennessee. The Central Basin was caused by an uplifting known as the Nashville Dome. The Nashville Dome is evidenced by the underlying rock strata that all dip downwards away from...

in Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee

Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....

, and the Cumberland Plateau

Cumberland Plateau

The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...

, Appalachian Valley and Ridge Province, and Blue Ridge Province

Blue Ridge Mountains

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...

in East Tennessee

East Tennessee

East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...

. The Tennessee section of I-40 is 455 miles (732.2 km) long, the longest of any state.

West Tennessee

Interstate 40 enters Tennessee from Arkansas via the Hernando de Soto Bridge

Hernando de Soto Bridge

The Panda Bridge is a through arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee...

, which spans the Mississippi River at River Mile 736. The interstate passes across the southern half of Mud Island

Mud Island, Memphis

Mud Island is not actually an island but a small peninsula, surrounded by the Mississippi River to the west and the Wolf River Harbor to the east. In 1960, the Wolf River was diverted so that it went north of Mud Island, and Mud Island opened to the public in 1982...

before crossing the Wolf River

Wolf River (Tennessee)

The Wolf River is a alluvial stream in western Tennessee and northern Mississippi, whose confluence with the Mississippi River was the site of various Chickasaw, French, Spanish and American communities and forts that eventually became Memphis, Tennessee....

into downtown Memphis. At the I-240 interchange, I-40 abrubtly turns north, following the route redesignated due to the Overton Park controversy in the 1970s

Citizens to Preserve Overton Park

Citizens to Preserve Overton Park is a nonprofit advocacy group founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1957. CPOP is best known for its success at preventing the extension of Interstate 40 through Overton Park adjacent to the Memphis Zoo, through the landmark 1971 Supreme Court case Citizens to...

.

The first 130 miles (209.2 km) of the interstate in Tennessee are relatively flat as the road traverses the Gulf Coastal Plain. At Mile 78, the road crosses the South Fork Forked Deer River into Jackson, Tennessee, and from Jackson proceeds through the northern half of Natchez Trace State Park. At Mile 135, I-40 crosses the Tennessee River into Middle Tennessee.

Middle Tennessee

East of the Tennessee River, the rugged hills of the Western Highland Rim flank I-40 for a considerable stretch before the interstate descends to the Nashville Basin between Miles 186 and 188. In Downtown Nashville, I-40 converges with Interstate 24

Interstate 24

Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....

and Interstate 65

Interstate 65

Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...

, making Nashville one of just four cities in the United States where six interstate legs converge within the city's boundaries. Before and after I-40 converges into I-24 and I-65, I-40 is named Needles Freeway and Blue Star Memeorial Highway. At Mile 219, the interstate crosses the Stones River

Stones River

The Stones River is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region.-Geography and hydrography:The Stones River is composed of three major forks: the West, Middle, and East forks. The West Fork, long, rises in southernmost Rutherford County near the Bedford County...

just downstream from Percy Priest Dam

J. Percy Priest Dam

J. Percy Priest Dam is a dam in north central Tennessee at mile 6.8 of the Stones River, a tributary of the Cumberland. It is located about ten miles east of downtown Nashville. The reservoir behind the dam is Percy Priest Lake....

, and continues for roughly 50 miles (80.5 km) across mostly open farmland.

Between Miles 263 and 266, I-40 crosses the meandering Caney Fork five times before ascending the Eastern Highland Rim, reaching 1000 feet (304.8 m) for the first time in the state near Silver Point. The interstate steadies at the edge of the table-top rim at Mile 272 (near Baxter

Baxter, Tennessee

Baxter is a town in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,279 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.Though this is a small town it had its few minutes of fame when the little family store was featured in "Coal Miner's...

) and continues across relatively flat farmland in south Cookeville

Cookeville, Tennessee

Cookeville is a city in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 23,923 at the 2000 census. of Cookeville's population was 30,435, and the combined total of those living in Cookeville's in 2010 was 65,014. It is the county seat of Putnam County and home to Tennessee...

. Between Miles 292 and 297, the interstate ascends the western escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau, reaching 2000 feet (609.6 m) southeast of Monterey

Monterey, Tennessee

Monterey is a town in Putnam County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,717 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Monterey is located at ....

. At Mile 308, I-40 crosses the Tennessee Divide, where the Cumberland

Cumberland River

The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...

and Tennessee River watersheds meet (in the eastbound lane, the divide is marked by a sign reading "Entering Emory River

Emory River

The Emory River is a stream draining a portion of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau.-Hydrography:The Emory River rises on the slopes of Frozen Head and Bird Mountain, prominent peaks in that part of the Cumberland Plateau in Morgan County, Tennessee. Frozen Head is the focus of a Tennessee state park...

watershed"; its westbound lane counterpart notes the beginning of the Caney Fork watershed).

East Tennessee

I-40 remains relatively steady as it continues across the Cumberland Plateau and passes through the northern part of Crossville

Crossville, Tennessee

Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...

. East of Crossville, the Crab Orchard Mountains

Crab Orchard Mountains

The Crab Orchard Mountains are a rugged, detached range of the southern Cumberland Mountains. They are situated in East Tennessee atop the Cumberland Plateau just west of the plateau's eastern escarpment, and comprise parts of Morgan, Anderson, and Cumberland counties. The Crab Orchard Mountains...

(the southern fringe of the Cumberland Mountains

Cumberland Mountains

The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in southern West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains...

) come into view as the road descends several hundred feet. At Mile 329, the interstate enters Crab Orchard Gap and proceeds through a narrow valley once prone to rockslides

Landslide

A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...

. At Mile 340, the interstate enters the Eastern Time Zone

Eastern Time Zone

The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...

, and shortly thereafter the road begins its descent of the Cumberland Plateau into the Tennessee Valley. I-40 hugs the slopes of the plateau's Walden Ridge

Walden Ridge

Walden Ridge is a mountain ridge and escarpment located in Tennessee, in the United States. It marks the eastern edge of the Cumberland Plateau and is generally considered part of it. Walden Ridge is about long, running generally north-south...

escarpment for several miles— with dramatic views of the Tennessee Valley below to the south— before reaching the base of the plateau at Mile 347 between Harriman

Harriman, Tennessee

Harriman is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, primarily in Roane County, with a small extension into Morgan County. It is the principal city of and is included in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Roane County and is a component of the Knoxville-Sevierville-La...

and Rockwood

Rockwood, Tennessee

Rockwood is a city in Roane County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 5,774 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

.
As it enters the Ridge-and-Valley province (of which the Tennessee Valley is a part), I-40 crosses a series of ridges and valleys characteristic of the region's topography. At Mile 351, the road crosses the Clinch River, with the Kingston Fossil Plant

Kingston Fossil Plant

Kingston Fossil Plant, commonly known as Kingston Steam Plant, is a Tennessee Valley Authority 1.7-GW coal-burning power plant located at in Roane County, just outside Kingston, Tennessee on the shore of Watts Bar Lake....

and its 1000 ft (304.8 m) twin smokestacks dominating the view to the north. The road widens to four lanes at Mile 368 as I-40 merges with Interstate 75

Interstate 75

Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...

. Knoxville's skyline comes into view at Mile 387 before the road passes through downtown Knoxville.

Beyond Knoxville, the interstate crosses the Holston

Holston River

The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...

and French Broad

French Broad River

The French Broad River flows from near the village of Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into the state of Tennessee. Its confluence with the Holston River at Knoxville is the beginning of the Tennessee River....

rivers (the French Broad is much wider due to its impoundment by Douglas Dam

Douglas Dam

Douglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority , which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II...

a few miles downstream) and continues for several miles along the northern base of English Mountain. At Mile 440, the road turns south through the gap between English Mountain and Stone Mountain, revealing a dramatic view of the 4928 feet (1,502.1 m) Mount Cammerer

Mount Cammerer

Mount Cammerer is a mountain on the northeastern fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains, in the Southeastern United States. The mountain is situated on the state line between Cocke County, Tennessee and Haywood County, North Carolina...

at the northeastern end of the Great Smokies range, and the road proceeds into the Pigeon River Gorge

Pigeon River (Tennessee - North Carolina)

The Pigeon River of western North Carolina and east Tennessee rises above Canton, North Carolina. Below this, it flows roughly parallel to Interstate 40 for many miles and is impounded by a dam -- Walters Dam -- belonging to Progress Energy before entering Tennessee, where it flows into the French...

, closely following the north bank of the river. The massive mesh nets on the cliffslopes are indicative of the rockslide prevention measures along this stretch of I-40.

Music Highway

The term Music Highway refers to a section of I-40 between Memphis and Nashville. I-40 was designated as such by an act of the Tennessee legislature in 1997 "from the eastern boundary of Davidson County

Davidson County, Tennessee

Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...

to the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

in Shelby County

Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...

," a distance of about 222 miles. Interstate 40 is desingated as such because of the rich music history in Memphis, Nashville, and the areas in between them. Memphis is known as "The Home of the Blues and the Birthplace of Rock and Roll." Nashville is known as "Music City USA" for its influence on numerous types of music, especially country. Several cities and towns between the two, such as Jackson

Jackson, Tennessee

Jackson is a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. The total population was 65,211 at the 2010 census. Jackson is the primary city of the Jackson, Tennessee metropolitan area, which is included in the Jackson-Humboldt, Tennessee Combined Statistical Area...

, Brownsville

Brownsville, Tennessee

Brownsville is a city in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Haywood County. The city is named after Jacob Jennings Brown, an officer who served during The War of 1812.-Geography:...

, Nutbush

Nutbush, Tennessee

Nutbush is an unincorporated rural community in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States, in the western part of the state.Established in the early 19th century, Nutbush is home to two early American churches founded by white settlers, Woodlawn Baptist Church and Trinity United Methodist Church...

(Near Ripley

Ripley, Tennessee

Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,844 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County...

), Waverly

Waverly, Tennessee

Waverly is a city in Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,028 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Humphreys County.-Geography:...

and others were birthplaces or homes of numerous singers and songwriters. Signs that display the words "Music Highway" along with music notes are erected in both directions along Interstate 40, especially at the borders of Shelby County and Davidson County (Nashville).

History

The Tennessee leg of Interstate 40 was part of the original 1047 miles (1,685 km) of interstate highways authorized for Tennessee by the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956

Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act , was enacted on June 29, 1956, when Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill into law...

. The first section of Interstate 40— Nonconnah Creek to Hindman Ferry Road in Shelby County

Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...

— was contracted in 1956, and within a year contracts had been awarded for sections in Davidson

Davidson County, Tennessee

, Knox

Knox County, Tennessee

Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...

, Roane, Haywood, Madison, Jefferson

Jefferson County, Tennessee

*...

, and Cocke counties. By 1958, sections in Loudon, Smith, Putnam

Putnam County, Tennessee

Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 62,315, a 21 percent increase from 1990. The was 72,321, an increase of 16.1% since 2000...

, Cumberland, Humphreys

Humphreys County, Tennessee

Humphreys County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 17,929. The 2005 Census Estimate placed the population at 18,212. Its county seat is Waverly.-Geography:According to the U.S...

, Hickman, and Sevier

Sevier County, Tennessee

Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...

counties had been contracted. Most of Interstate 40 had been completed by the late 1960s.

In Memphis, I-40 was originally slated to pass through the city's Overton Park

Overton Park

Overton Park is a large, public park in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee. The park grounds contain the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis Zoo, a 9-hole golf course, Memphis College of Art, Rainbow Lake, Veterans Plaza, Greensward, and other features...

, a 342 acres (138.4 ha) wooded refuge that had become an important stopover for migratory birds. Fearing that the interstate's construction would upset the park's fragile ecological balance, environmentalists waged a 12-year legal battle to prevent highway construction in the park, culminating in the United States Supreme Court

Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...

decision, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe
Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 , is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States that established the basic legal framework for judicial review of the actions of administrative agencies...

. The Supreme Court remanded the case to the district court for further review, and the district ruled that the highway commission had not adequately explored alternative routes. In 1981, the highway commission abandoned plans to route I-40 through Overton Park, and instead redesignated the northern portion of Interstate 240

Interstate 240 (Tennessee)

Interstate 240 is an Interstate Highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Running or 31.0 km, it loops southward from Interstate 40 in east Memphis, then turning west at TN 385 . At I-55, the highway turns north and runs through midtown to end at I-40...

as Interstate 40. For over 20 years, I-40 signage existed on the dead-end route toward Overton Park. Several miles of interstate were actually built within the Interstate 240 loop; this portion of highway still exists and is in regular use as Sam Cooper Boulevard

Sam Cooper Boulevard

Sam Cooper Boulevard is a six-lane controlled-access parkway/expressway in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.A.. The more recent western segment of the road follows a parkway design, the older eastern portion which was proposed and constructed as a segment of Interstate 40 is built as an expressway, without...

, reaching the eastern end of Chickasaw Country Club.

Rockslides

The rugged terrain of East Tennessee presented numerous challenges for I-40 construction crews and engineers. Rockslides

Landslide

, especially along the eastern Cumberland Plateau

Cumberland Plateau

and in the Pigeon River Gorge, have been a persistent problem since the road's construction. Twenty rockslides occurred along the Walden Ridge section (Miles 341-346) of the eastern plateau in 1968 alone, prompting various remedial measures throughout the 1970s, including the employment of rock buttresses, gabion walls, and horizontal drains. In December 1986, a truck driver was killed when his truck skidded across some rocks that had spilled across the road just east of Crab Orchard

Crab Orchard, Tennessee

Crab Orchard is a city in Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 838 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crab Orchard is located at . The town is situated atop the Cumberland Plateau in a gap amidst the Crab Orchard Mountains, a sub-range of the Cumberland Mountains...

(between Miles 331 and 333). In response, the Tennessee Department of Transportation

Tennessee Department of Transportation

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads...

(TDOT) flattened the cutslopes along this stretch of interstate and moved the road 60 feet (18.3 m) away from the problematic cliffside.

Another area prone to rockslides is the Pigeon River Gorge, especially in the vicinity of the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. Throughout the 1970s, this stretch of I-40 was repeatedly shut down by rockslides, sometimes for several weeks at a time. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, TDOT dug over 24000 feet (7,315.2 m) of horizontal drains, blasted out large volumes of unstable rocks, and installed massive mesh catchment fences. Nevertheless, rockslides in 1985 and 1997 again forced the closure of I-40 in the Pigeon River Gorge for several weeks. Additional stabilization measures were implemented, including the blasting of loose rock, the installation of rock bolts, and the construction of a better drainage system. In spite of these measures, another massive rock slide occurred in the Pigeon River Gorge on October 26, 2009, blocking all lanes just across the border at North Carolina Mile Marker 3. The section was closed to traffic in both directions until April 25, 2010.

Sinkholes

Sinkholes are a consistent issue along highways in East Tennessee. One particularly problematic stretch is a section of I-40 between Miles 365 and 367 in Loudon County, which is underlain by cavernous rock strata. In the 1970s and 1980s, TDOT employed numerous stabilization measures in this area, including backfilling existing sinkholes with limestone, collapsing potential sinkholes, and paving roadside ditches to prevent surface water from seeping into the volatile soil.

SmartFix 40

Until June 12, 2009, a section of I-40 through downtown Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

between James White Parkway

Tennessee State Route 158

Tennessee State Route 158 is a west-to-east highway in Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee.The route is 4.5 miles long. Its western terminus is in Knoxville, Tennessee at TN 1. Its eastern terminus is in Knoxville at Interstate 40...

and Hall of Fame Drive was completely closed to all traffic for about 18 months for a massive reconstruction. Through traffic was required to use Interstate 640

Interstate 640

Interstate 640 is a bypass of Interstate 40 running north of Knoxville, Tennessee. For many years only about a two-mile segment of it between State Route 33 and U.S. Highway 25W was open. Finally, the road was completed in anticipation of the traffic which was to be generated by the 1982...

or to use surface streets. The four-lane section, which was quite substandard, congested, and accident-prone, was widened to six lanes to improve traffic flow and safety. Several interchanges along that stretch were also reconstructed.

Future

The Tennessee Department of Transportation

Tennessee Department of Transportation

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads...

officially announced the I-40/I-81 Corridor Feasibility Study on July 27, 2007. The intent of this study is to assess deficiencies along I-40 & I-81

Interstate 81 in Tennessee

Interstate 81 is an long expressway stretching from Dandridge, Tennessee northward to the Thousand Islands Bridge at the United States-Canada border near Fishers Landing, New York...

in Tennessee and to develop upgrade proposals for the existing corridor. This study was completed in 2008.

On January 18, 2008, the Federal Highway Administration authorized the states of Mississippi and Tennessee to extend I-69 from the I-40/TN 300 interchange in north Memphis to the I-55/I-69 interchange in Hernando, Mississippi

Hernando, Mississippi

Hernando is a city in central DeSoto County, Mississippi. The population was 6,812 at the 2000 census. The 2006 census estimate reflects a population of 10,580. Hernando is the county seat of DeSoto County, the second-most-populous county in the Memphis metropolitan area. US Hwy 51 and the I-55...

; however, Tennessee has signed the extension of the route, although Mississippi has already done so.

Exit list

Exits are numbered from west to east, in accordance with AASHTO guidelines.
{| class=wikitable
|-
!County
!Location
!#

Exit number

An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....

!Destinations
!width=25%|Notes
|-
|rowspan=24|Shelby

Shelby County, Tennessee

Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the state's largest both in terms of population and geographic area, with a population of 927,644 at the 2010 census...

|rowspan=20|Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

!colspan=4|Hernando de Soto Bridge

Hernando de Soto Bridge

The Panda Bridge is a through arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee...

over the Mississippi River

Mississippi River

|-
|1
|Riverside Drive, Front Street – Downtown Memphis

Downtown Memphis, Tennessee

Downtown Memphis, Tennessee is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south and I-240 to the east, where it abuts Midtown Memphis....

|Beginning of Music Highway Designation
|-
|1A
|2nd Street, 3rd Street (SR-3/SR-14

Tennessee State Route 14

State Route 14 is a south–north route from the Mississippi border in Memphis, Tennessee to intersect with State Route 54 in Tipton County.- Route description :...

)
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|1B
|
|Signed as exits 1C (south) and 1D (north) westbound
|-
|1E
| – Jackson

Jackson, Mississippi

Jackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...

|West end of I-69 overlap
|-
|1F
|
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|2
|Chelsea Avenue, Smith Avenue
|
|-
|2A
|
|Future continuation of I-69 north
|-
|3
|Watkins Street
|
|-
|5
|Hollywood Street
|
|-
|6
|Warford Street
|
|-
|8
|
|Signed as exits 8A (north) and 8B (south) westbound
|-
|10
|
|
|-
|12A
|
|
|-
|12B
|Sam Cooper Boulevard

Sam Cooper Boulevard

|
|-
|12C
| – Jackson
|
|-
|12
|Sycamore View Road
|
|-
|14
|Whitten Road
|
|-
|15
|Appling Road
|Signed as exits 15A (south) and 15B (north) eastbound
|-
|16
|
|Signed as exits 16A (south) and 16B (north) westbound
|-
|rowspan=2|Lakeland

Lakeland, Tennessee

Lakeland is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb of Memphis. The population was 12,430 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Lakeland is located at ....

|18
|
|
|-
|20
|Canada Road — Lakeland
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Arlington

Arlington, Tennessee

Arlington is a town in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census and 11,517 at the 2010 census, for a gain of 348.3% during the decade...

|24
|
|Signed as exits 24A (west) and 24B (east); future Interstate 269

Interstate 269

Interstate 269 is a partially built outer beltline around the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and its adjacent suburban areas in northern Mississippi. The sections of the route which are currently open are designated as State Route 385 and Mississippi Highway 304...

|-
|25
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Fayette
|
|35
|
|
|-
|
|42
|
|
|-
|rowspan=5|Haywood
|
|47
|
|
|-
|
|52
|
|
|-
|Brownsville

Brownsville, Tennessee

|56
|
|
|-
|
|60
|
|
|-
|
|66
|
|
|-
|rowspan=10|Madison
|
|68
|
|
|-
|
|74
|Lower Brownsville Road
|
|-
|
|76
| McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport

McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport

McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles west of the central business district of Jackson, a city in Madison County, Tennessee, United States. It is owned by the City of Jackson & Madison County. The airport is mostly used for general aviation...

|
|-
|rowspan=5|Jackson

Jackson, Tennessee

|79
|
|
|-
|80
|
|Signed as exits 80A (south) and 80B (north)
|-
|82
|
|Signed as exits 82A (south) and 82B (north)
|-
|83
|Campbell Street
|
|-
|85
|Christmasville Road, Dr. F.E. Wright Drive - Jackson

Jackson, Tennessee

|
|-
|
|87
|
|
|-
|
|93
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Henderson
|
|101
|
|
|-
|
|108
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|116
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|
|-
|Carroll

Carroll County, Tennessee

Carroll County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 28,522. Its county seat is Huntingdon. It was named for Governor William Carroll.-Geography:According to the U.S...

|-
|Decatur
|
|126
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Benton
|
|133
|
|
|-
!colspan=4 rowspan=2|Bridge over the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

|-
|rowspan=3|Humphreys

Humphreys County, Tennessee

|-
|
|137
|Cuba Landing
|
|-
|
|143
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Hickman
|
|148
|
|
|-
|
|152
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Dickson
|
|163
|
|
|-
|Dickson

Dickson, Tennessee

Dickson is a city in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,244 at the 2000 census.-Demographics:...

|172
|
|
|-
|
|176
|
|
|-
|Williamson

Williamson County, Tennessee

Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010 US Census, the population was 183,182. The County's seat is Franklin, and it is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, a...

|
|182
|
|
|-
|Cheatham
|
|188
|
|
|-
|rowspan=26|Davidson

Davidson County, Tennessee

|
|192
|McCrory Lane - Pegram

Pegram, Tennessee

Pegram is a town in Cheatham County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,146 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pegram is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all of it land....

|
|-
|
|196
|
|
|-
|
|199
|
|
|-
|rowspan=22|Nashville
|201
|
|Signed as exits 201A (east) and 201B (west) eastbound
|-
|204
|
|Signed as exits 204A (north) and 204B (south) westbound
|-
|205
|51st Avenue, 46th Avenue - West Nashville
|
|-
|206
|
|
|-
|207
|28th Avenue
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|207
|Jefferson Street
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|208
| - Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

, Clarksville
|West end of I-65 overlap; signed as exit 208B eastbound
|-
|209
|
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|209A
|Church Street, Charlotte Avenue
|Signed as exit 209 westbound
|-
|209B
|
|Signed as exit 209A westbound
|-
|209B
|Demonbreun Street
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|210
| – Huntsville
|East end of I-65 overlap; signed as exit 210B westbound
|-
|210C
|
|
|-
|211B
|, Louisville

Louisville, Kentucky

|West end of I-24 overlap, formerly the point where I-24, I-40, and I-65 met
|-
|212
|Hermitage Avenue (US-70, SR-24)
|Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
|-
|212
|Fesslers Lane
|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|213A
|
|East end of I-24 overlap
|-
|213
|
|Eastbound exit is via 213A
|-
|215
|
|Signed as exits 215A (south) and 215B (north)
|-
|216A
|International Airport

Nashville International Airport

Nashville International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in southeastern Nashville, Tennessee. The IATA Airport Code BNA is derived from the early name of the facility—Berry Field, NAshville. Berry Field was the name of the airport until 1988, when the name was changed to reflect...

|Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
|-
|216
| – International Airport

Nashville International Airport

, Air Cargo
|Signed as exits 216B (south) and 216C (north) eastbound
|-
|219
|Stewarts Ferry Pike – J. Percy Priest Dam

J. Percy Priest Dam

|
|-
|
|221
|
|Signed as exits 221A (north) and 221B (south) eastbound, end of Music Highway designation
|-
|rowspan=8|Wilson
|
|226
|
|Signed as exits 226A (south) and 226B (north) eastbound.
|-
|
|229
|Beckwith Road
|Signed as exits 229A (south) and 229B (north) eastbound
|-
|rowspan=5|Lebanon

Lebanon, Tennessee

Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...

|232
|
|Signed as exits 232A (south) and 232B (north) eastbound
|-
|235
|
|
|-
|236
|South Hartmann Drive
|-
|238
|
|
|-
|239
|
|Signed as exits 239A (east) and 239B (west) eastbound
|-
|
|245
|Linwood Road
|-
|rowspan=2|Smith
|
|254
|
|
|-
|
|258
|
|
|-
|rowspan=10|Putnam

Putnam County, Tennessee

Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 62,315, a 21 percent increase from 1990. The was 72,321, an increase of 16.1% since 2000...

|
|268
|
|
|-
|
|273
|
|West end of SR-56 overlap
|-
|
|276
|Old Baxter Road
|
|-
|Baxter

Baxter, Tennessee

Cookeville, Tennessee

|286
|
|
|-
|287
|
|
|-
|288
|
|
|-
|290
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Monterey

Monterey, Tennessee

|300
|
|
|-
|301
|
|
|-
|rowspan=7|Cumberland
|
|311
|Plateau Road
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Crossville

Crossville, Tennessee

Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...

|317
|
|
|-
|320
|
|
|-
|322
|
|
|-
|
|329
|
|
|-
|
|338
|
|West end of SR-299 overlap
|-
|
|340
|
|East end of SR-299 overlap
|-
|rowspan=7|Roane
|rowspan=2|Harriman

Harriman, Tennessee

|347
|
|
|-
|350
|
|
|-
!colspan=5|Bridge over the Clinch River

Clinch River

The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...

|-
|rowspan=3|Kingston

Kingston, Tennessee

Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States, and is adjacent to Watts Bar Lake. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area....

|352
|
|West end of SR-58 overlap
|-
|355
|Lawnville Road
|
|-
|356
|
|East end of SR-58 overlap; signed as exits 356A (north) and 356B (south) westbound
|-
|
|360
|Buttermilk Road
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Loudon
|
|364
|
|
|-
|
|368
|
|
|-
!colspan=5|West end of I-75 overlap
|-
|rowspan=25|Knox

Knox County, Tennessee

|
|369
|Watt Road
|
|-
|
|373
|Campbell Station Road - Farragut

Farragut, Tennessee

Farragut is a town in Knox and Loudon counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is generally a suburb of nearby Knoxville. Farragut's population was 20,689 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area...

|
|-
|rowspan=20|Knoxville

Knoxville, Tennessee

|374
|
|
|-
|376
|
|Signed as exits 376A (north) and 376B (east)
|-
|378
|Cedar Bluff Road
|Signed as exits 378A (south) and 378B (north) westbound
|-
|379
|Bridgewater Road, Walker Springs Road
|
|-
|379A
|Gallaher View Road
|Eastbound exit is via exit 379
|-
|380
|
|
|-
|383
|
|
|-
!colspan=4|East end of I-75 overlap
|-
|385
| - Lexington
|
|-
|386A
|University Avenue, Middlebrook Pike (SR-169

Tennessee State Route 169

State Route 169 is a west-to-east secondary highway in Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee.The route is 11.7 miles long. Its western terminus is in west Knox County at Tennessee State Route 131 . Its eastern terminus is in Knoxville at Tennessee State Route 62...

)
|Westbound exit is part of exit 386B
|-
|386B
|

McGhee Tyson Airport

-Top Destinations:-Accidents and incidents:* On 06 August, 1962, an American Airlines Lockheed L-188 Electra veered off the runway on landing, striking the raised edge of an under-construction taxiway with the landing gear, causing it to collapse...

|
|-
|387
|
|
|-
|387A
| - Lexington
|
|-
|388
|
|No westbound exit
|-
|388A
|
|West end of SR-158 overlap (unsigned)
|-
|389
|
|East end of SR-158 overlap (unsigned)
|-
|390
|Cherry Street
|
|-
|392
|
|Signed as exits 392A (south) and 392B (north)
|-
|393
| - Lexington
|West end of US-25W/SR-9 overlap
|-
|394
|
|East end of US-25W/SR-9 overlap
|-
!colspan=5|Bridge over the Holston River

Holston River

|-
|
|398
|Strawberry Plains Pike
|
|-
|
|402
|Midway Road
|
|-
|Sevier

Sevier County, Tennessee

|Sevierville

Sevierville, Tennessee

Sevierville is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 11,757 at the 2000 United States Census; in 2004 the estimated population was 14,101. Sevierville is the county seat of Sevier County, Tennessee....

Jefferson County, Tennessee

*...

|
|412
|Deep Springs Road - Douglas Dam

Douglas Dam

|
|-
|rowspan=2|Dandridge

Dandridge, Tennessee

Dandridge is a town in Jefferson County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area....

|415
|
|East end of SR-66 overlap
|-
|417
|
|
|-
|
|421
|
|
|-
|
|424
|
|
|-
!colspan=5|Bridge over the French Broad River

French Broad River

Newport, Tennessee

Newport is a city in Cocke County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,242 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Cocke County.-Geography:...

|432A
|
|
|-
|432B
|
|
|-
|435
|
|West end of US-321 overlap
|-
|
|440
|
|East end of US-321 overlap
|-
|
|443
|Foothills Parkway

Foothills Parkway

The Foothills Parkway is a national parkway which, if completed, will traverse the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The 71-mile parkway will ideally connect U.S...

- Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...

|
|-
|
|447
|Hartford Road
|
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|451
|Waterville Road
|This exit is immediately to the west of the boundary with North Carolina. There are no advance notification signs for this exit on westbound I-40 that inform drivers of the distance to the exit. The only sign for this exit is a sign immediately preceding the exit located in Tennessee that indicates the exit is to the right of I-40.

|-

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