 East Tennessee Crossing Byway | |
|---|---|
| East Tennessee Crossing National Scenic Byway | |
 The East Tennessee Crossing Byway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained byTDOT | |
| Length | 83 mi[1] (134 km) |
| Existed | 2009[2]–present |
| Component highways | |
| Major junctions | |
| South end |   US 25 /US 70 at the North Carolina state line inCocke County |
| Major intersections |
|
| North end |  US 25E at the Kentucky state line inCumberland Gap Tunnel near Cumberland Gap |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Counties | Cocke,Jefferson,Hamblen,Grainger,Claiborne |
| Highway system | |
TheEast Tennessee Crossing Byway is a 83-mile (134 km)National Scenic Byway in the U.S. state ofTennessee. 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 ofU.S. Route 25E/State Route 32 (US 25E/SR 32) inEast Tennessee.[4]
The byway beginsCocke County at the Tennessee–North Carolina state line alongUS 25 inCherokee National Forest. Northbound, the byway crosses theFrench Broad River twice before reaching the unincorporated community ofDel Rio. Departing Del Rio, the byway crosses thePigeon River and enters the city ofNewport. The byway ends its unsignedconcurrency (road) with US 25 and begins its concurrency withUS 25E/SR 32. It exits Cocke County and entersJefferson County after crossingDouglas Lake near the unincorporated community ofLeadvale.[5]
The byway then goes throughWhite Pine, until reaching theInterstate 81 (I-81) overpass at exit 8. It then entersMorristown inHamblen County. In Morristown, the byway connects travelers to the city'scentral business district,College Square Mall, andWalters State Community College viaSR 160 andUS 11E (Morris Boulevard, Andrew Johnson Highway). The byway then exits the Morristown–Hamblen area after crossingCherokee Lake on the Olen R. Marshall Bridge, enteringBean Station inGrainger 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 withUS 11W/SR 1 viatrumpet interchange. The concurrency to US 11W continues until reaching Briar Fork Creek at the base ofClinch Mountain, where US 11W splits off and heads west along the Richland Valley towardsKnoxville, and the byway northbound intoPoor Valley ascending the southern slope of Clinch Mountain.[5]
The byway traverses by a scenic overlook and through Bean Gap before descending down Clinch Mountain's northern slope towards the unincorporated community ofThorn Hill at the intersection ofSR 131. After leaving Thorn Hill, the byway crosses over theClinch River and entersClaiborne County.[5]
In Claiborne County, the byway first enters the unincorporated community ofSpringdale, winding through the rolling hills of rural Claiborne County before enteringTazewell. In Tazewell, the byway bypasses the town's central business district and heads north. It crosses over thePowell River and entersHarrogate. The byway offers views of theCumberland Gap, and access toLincoln Memorial University before exiting Harrogate. It then bypasses the downtown area ofCumberland Gap, and enters theCumberland Gap Tunnel, where the East Tennessee Crossing Byway ends.[5]
What is now the East Tennessee Crossing Byway was supposedly first traversed byNative Americans, long before the area was settled byEuropean pioneers. During this period, the route was considered a part of theCherokee Warriors' Path.[4] Most notably, theCumberland Gap to Bean Station section of the route was used as a pathway toKentucky on famous pioneer and settler,Daniel Boone'sWilderness Road.[1]
In 1915, the Cumberland Gap to Morristown section was designated a part of theDixie Highway, one of the routes in theNational Auto Trail system, which was one of the earliest highway systems developed in the United States.[1]
Throughout the early to mid-20th century, the route from the Cumberland Gap to Tazewell, along withSR 33 from Tazewell toKnoxville, was part of the infamous Thunder Road, which was used bybootleggers to illegally transport and trademoonshine.[6] The story was later fictionally adapted into a1958 crime-drama film andsong of the same name.[7]
Based on the overall historical significance and proximity to historic sites such asthe tavern once lived in byDavy Crockett in Morristown, theBattle of Bean's Station site in Grainger County, and theAppalachian 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]
| County | Location | mi[5][9] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cocke | Cherokee National Forest | 0.0 | 0.0 |   US 25 south /US 70 east (NW Hwy 25-70) –Hot Springs | Continuation intoNorth Carolina; southern end of unsignedSR 9 concurrency |
| Cocke | Wolf Creek Bridge over theFrench 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 | ||||
| Bridgeport | Major J.T. Huff Bridge over theFrench Broad River | ||||
| Newport |  SR 73 south (Wilton Springs Road) –Cosby | Northern terminus of SR 73 | |||
| John W. Fisher Bridge over thePigeon 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 River | J. W. Walters Bridge | ||||
| Jefferson | Leadvale | Nina Road –Baneberry | Access 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 | ||||
| Hamblen | Morristown |  I-81 –Knoxville,Bristol | I-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 Drive | Interchange | ||||
 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 River | Olen R. Marshall Memorial Bridge | ||||
| Grainger | Bean Station |  SR 375 south (Lakeshore Drive) – German Creek,Cherokee | Northern terminus of SR 375 | ||
 US 11W north (NewLee 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 | ||||
| Claiborne | Springdale |  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 River | Powell 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 intoKentucky; Northern end of unsignedUS 25E/SR 32 concurrency | |||
| Cumberland Gap National Historical Park | Cumberland Gap Tunnel | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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