 State Route 266 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 266 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byTDOT | ||||
| Length | 39.81 mi[1] (64.07 km) | |||
| Existed | July 1, 1983[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-24 inSmyrna | |||
| Major intersections |
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| North end |  US 70 inLebanon | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Rutherford,Wilson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 266 (SR 266) is a state highway inMiddle Tennessee. The southern terminus is in a currently undeveloped section ofSmyrna at an interchange withI-24. The northern terminus is inLebanon at an intersection withUS 70.
SR 266 begins inRutherford County inSmyrna at an interchange withI-24 (Exit 66). It goes east as a 4-lane, changing to a 6-lane, divided highway calledSam Ridley Parkway, a major thoroughfare featuring numerous strip malls, apartments, a high school, and a hospital. It has an interchange withUS 41/US 70S/SR 1 (N Lowry Street) on the southern edge ofSmyrna Airport. SR 266 then becomes undivided and continues east to an intersection withSR 102 (Nissan Drive), where Sam Ridley Parkway officially end and SR 266 continues east asJefferson Pike. The highway then narrows to 2-lanes and crosses a bridge over theStones River just south ofPercy Priest Lake, where it leaves Smyrna. SR 266 then passes through rural areas to come to have an interchange withI-840 (Exit 61) before passing throughWalterhill and having an intersection withUS 231/SR 10. SR 266 then continues east through farmland to pass throughLascassas, where it has a short concurrency withSR 96 before turning northward and crossing intoWilson County.
SR 266 winds its way northward through farmland asCainsville Road, where it passes throughNorene and has an intersection withSR 265. The highway then entersLebanon and passes through an industrial area and has an intersection with Maddox-Simpson Parkway before crossing an overpass overI-40. SR 266 continues north through industrial areas before entering downtown at an intersection with Tennessee Boulevard, where it becomesS College Street. It goes north to have an intersection withUS 70 Bus./SR 24 (E Main Street), where it becomesN College Street, before coming to an end at an intersection withUS 70/SR 26 (E High Street) in a business district.
For most of its length through Smyrna, Route 266 is a 4-lane, now changing to a 6-lane, highway calledSam Ridley Parkway, named for the mayor of the city from 1947 to 1987. (Sam Ridley was forced to resign in 1987 due to aconflict-of-interest suit; as a testament to his popularity, his identical twin brother Knox was promptly instated as mayor.)[3] Once an undeveloped highway forming part of a beltway around Smyrna and serving theSmyrna Airport, Sam Ridley Parkway now features numerous Strip Malls, Apartments, and even a Hospital.
The Tennessee General Assembly, along with State Representative Mike Sparks and Senator Bill Ketron honored former Rutherford County Historian Ernie Johns by naming a section of Jefferson Pike, "Ernie Johns Honorary Highway."
Beginning in 2021, construction began on the Jefferson Pike section of highway from Sam Ridley Parkway to I-840 to widen it to four lanes.[4]
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutherford | Smyrna | 0.0 | 0.0 | I-24 –Nashville,Chattanooga | Southern terminus; exits 66A-B on I-24 |
  US 41 /US 70S (N Lowry Street/SR 1) –La Vergne, Downtown,Murfreesboro | Interchange | ||||
  SR 102 south (Nissan Drive) | Northern terminus of SR 102 | ||||
| Bridge over theStones River | |||||
| |  I-840 –Chattanooga,Knoxville | Exit 61 on I-840; former SR 840 | |||
| Walterhill |  US 231 (Lebanon Pike/SR 10) –Murfreesboro,Lebanon | Provides access toCedars of Lebanon State Park andNashville Superspeedway | |||
| Lascassas |   SR 96 west (Lascassas Pike) –Murfreesboro | Southern end of SR 96 concurrency | |||
 SR 96 east (Lascassas Pike) –Auburntown | Northern end of SR 96 concurrency | ||||
| Wilson | |  SR 265 (Chicken Road/Trammel Lane) –Mount Juliet,Watertown | Provides access toCedars of Lebanon State Park | ||
| Lebanon |  US 70 Bus. (E Main Street/SR 24) | ||||
| 39.81 | 64.07 | US 70 (SR 26 / East High Street) –Mount Juliet,Watertown | Northern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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