East Tennessee Crossing Byway

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East Tennessee Crossing Byway

East Tennessee Crossing National Scenic Byway
The East Tennessee Crossing Byway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length83 mi[1] (134 km)
Existed2009[2]–present
Component
highways
Major junctions
South end US 25 / US 70 at the North Carolina state line in Cocke County
Major intersections
North end US 25E at the Kentucky state line in Cumberland Gap Tunnel near Cumberland Gap
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesCocke, Jefferson, Hamblen, Grainger, Claiborne
Highway system

The East Tennessee Crossing Byway is a 83-mile (134 km) National Scenic Byway in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Established in 2009, it is one of the newest byways in the National Scenic Byway system.[2][3] The scenic byway traverses mostly along an unsigned concurrency of U.S. Route 25E/State Route 32 (US 25E/SR 32) in East Tennessee.[4]

Route description

The byway begins Cocke County at the Tennessee–North Carolina state line along US 25 in Cherokee National Forest. Northbound, the byway crosses the French Broad River twice before reaching the unincorporated community of Del Rio. Departing Del Rio, the byway crosses the Pigeon River and enters the city of Newport. The byway ends its unsigned concurrency (road) with US 25 and begins its concurrency with US 25E/SR 32. It exits Cocke County and enters Jefferson County after crossing Douglas Lake near the unincorporated community of Leadvale.[5]

The byway then goes through White Pine, until reaching the Interstate 81 (I-81) overpass at exit 8. It then enters Morristown in Hamblen County. In Morristown, the byway connects travelers to the city's central business district, College Square Mall, and Walters State Community College via SR 160 and US 11E (Morris Boulevard, Andrew Johnson Highway). The byway then exits the Morristown–Hamblen area after crossing Cherokee Lake on the Olen R. Marshall Bridge, entering Bean Station in Grainger County.[5]

In Bean Station, the byway gives scenic views of the Mooresburg Valley and Cherokee Lake. Near the town's central business district, the byway is joined with US 11W/SR 1 via trumpet interchange. The concurrency to US 11W continues until reaching Briar Fork Creek at the base of Clinch Mountain, where US 11W splits off and heads west along the Richland Valley towards Knoxville, and the byway northbound into Poor Valley ascending the southern slope of Clinch Mountain.[5]

The byway descending down the southern slope Clinch Mountain near Thorn Hill

The byway traverses by a scenic overlook and through Bean Gap before descending down Clinch Mountain's northern slope towards the unincorporated community of Thorn Hill at the intersection of SR 131. After leaving Thorn Hill, the byway crosses over the Clinch River and enters Claiborne County.[5]

In Claiborne County, the byway first enters the unincorporated community of Springdale, winding through the rolling hills of rural Claiborne County before entering Tazewell. In Tazewell, the byway bypasses the town's central business district and heads north. It crosses over the Powell River and enters Harrogate. The byway offers views of the Cumberland Gap, and access to Lincoln Memorial University before exiting Harrogate. It then bypasses the downtown area of Cumberland Gap, and enters the Cumberland Gap Tunnel, where the East Tennessee Crossing Byway ends.[5]

History

Ribbon cutting of the byway on-top of Clinch Mountain in 2010

What is now the East Tennessee Crossing Byway was supposedly first traversed by Native Americans, long before the area was settled by European pioneers. During this period, the route was considered a part of the Cherokee Warriors' Path.[4] Most notably, the Cumberland Gap to Bean Station section of the route was used as a pathway to Kentucky on famous pioneer and settler, Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road.[1]

In 1915, the Cumberland Gap to Morristown section was designated a part of the Dixie Highway, one of the routes in the National Auto Trail system, which was one of the earliest highway systems developed in the United States.[1]

Through-out the early to mid-20th century, the route from the Cumberland Gap to Tazewell, along with SR 33 from Tazewell to Knoxville, was part of the infamous Thunder Road, which was used by bootleggers to illegally transport and trade moonshine.[6] The story was later fictionally adapted into a 1958 crime-drama film and song of the same name.[7]

Based on the overall historical significance and proximity to historic sites such as the tavern once lived in by Davy Crockett in Morristown, the Battle of Bean's Station site in Grainger County, and the Appalachian Trail in the Cherokee National Forest, many local historians called for US 25E and US 25 to the North Carolina state line to become a scenic byway.[2] After a lengthy nomination and funding process, the efforts proved successful, as the East Tennessee Crossing National Scenic Byway was officially established in late 2009.[8]

Major intersections

CountyLocationmi[5][9]kmDestinationsNotes
CockeCherokee National Forest0.00.0

US 25 south / US 70 east (NW Hwy 25-70) – Hot Springs
Continuation into North Carolina; southern end of unsigned SR 9 concurrency
CockeWolf Creek Bridge over the French Broad River
Del Rio
SR 107 east – Greeneville
Southern end of SR 107 concurrency

SR 107 west
Northern end of SR 107 concurrency

SR 340 north (Baltimore Road) – Parrottsville
Southern terminus of SR 340
BridgeportMajor J.T. Huff Bridge over the French Broad River
Newport
SR 73 south (Wilton Springs Road) – Cosby
Northern terminus of SR 73
John W. Fisher Bridge over the Pigeon River

US 321 north (North Street/SR 35) – Greeneville
Southern end of US 321/SR 35 concurrency


US 321 south / SR 32 south (Cosby Highway) – Cosby, Gatlinburg
Southern end of SR 32 concurrency; northern end of US 321 concurrency



US 25E north (Dixie Highway/SR 32) / US 25W north / US 70 west (W Broadway Street/SR 9/SR 35) – White Pine, Morristown, Dandridge
Northern end of SR 32 concurrency; US 25 splits into US 25W and US 25E
Douglas Lake/French Broad RiverJ. W. Walters Bridge
JeffersonLeadvaleNina Road – BaneberryAccess road into Baneberry
White Pine
SR 341 west (Old Airport Road) – Talbott
Eastern terminus of SR 341

SR 113 south (Main Street) – Dandridge
Southern end of SR 113 concurrency
HamblenMorristown I-81 – Knoxville, BristolI-81 Exit 8

SR 343 north (Newport Highway) – Downtown
Southern terminus of SR 343

SR 113 north – Whitesburg
Northern end of SR 113 concurrency
SR 160 (Enka Highway)Southern end of freeway; interchange
College Square Drive/College Park DriveInterchange

US 11E south (Morris Boulevard/SR 34 west) – Morristown, Jefferson City
Southern end of US 11E/SR 34 concurrency; interchange

US 11E north (East A.J. Highway/SR 34 east/SR 66) – Greeneville, Morristown
Northern end of US 11E/SR 34 concurrency; northern end of freeway; interchange

SR 343 south (Buffalo Trail) – Morristown Central Business District
interchange; northern terminus of SR 343; southbound exit and northbound entrance; missing movements signed on Cherokee Park Road
Cherokee Lake/Holston RiverOlen R. Marshall Memorial Bridge
GraingerBean Station
SR 375 south (Lakeshore Drive) – German Creek, Cherokee
Northern terminus of SR 375

US 11W north (New Lee Highway/SR 1 east) – Rogersville, Kingsport
Southern end of US 11W/SR 1 concurrency; interchange

US 11W south (Lee Highway/SR 1 west) – Rutledge, Knoxville
Northern end of US 11W/SR 1 concurrency; interchange
Thorn Hill SR 131 (Mountain Valley Highway 131) – Washburn, Treadway
ClaiborneSpringdale
SR 33 north – Sneedville
Southern end of SR 33 concurrency
Tazewell
SR 33 south (N Broad Street) – New Tazewell, Maynardville
Northern end of SR 33 concurrency

SR 345 north (Cedar Fork Road)
Southern terminus of SR 345
Powell RiverPowell River Bridge
Harrogate
SR 63 east (Forge Ridge Road) – Hopewell, Sneedville
Southern end of SR 63 concurrency

SR 63 west (Appalachian Development Corridor F) – Arthur, Speedwell, Fincastle, LaFollette
Northern end of SR 63 concurrency
Cumberland Gap
US 58 east (Wilderness Road/SR 383 east) – Cumberland Gap, TN, Jonesville, VA
Interchange; eastern terminus of US 58/SR 383. Continuation into Kentucky; Northern end of unsigned US 25E/SR 32 concurrency
Cumberland Gap National Historical ParkCumberland Gap Tunnel
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c "East Tennessee Crossing". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Shearer, John (November 7, 2009). "Highway 25E earns byway designation". The Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  3. ^ O'Neil, Duay (October 20, 2009). "Hwy 25 East is Now a National Scenic Byway". The Newport Plain Talk. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "East Tennessee Crossing Byway". Tennessee Vacation. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Google (July 15, 2020). "East Tennessee Crossing Byway" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
  6. ^ Bowers, Larry (January 3, 2016). "Deciphering fact from fiction of 'Thunder Road'". Cleveland Daily Banner. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Thunder Road (1958) at IMDb
  8. ^ "Tenn. Earns Two National Scenic Byways". Road & Bridges. October 19, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "East Tennessee Crossing: Maps". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 15, 2020.

External links