Tennessee State Route 66

State Route 66
State Route 66
Route information
	Maintained by TDOT
Length	86.25 mi (138.81 km)
Major junctions
South end	US 441 / US 411 at Sevierville
	I-40 near Kodak; US 25W / US 70 at Dandridge; SR 160 near Morristown; US 11E at Morristown; US 11W at Rogersville
North end	SR 33 at Sneedville
Location
Counties	Sevier, Jefferson, Hamblen, Hawkins, Hancock
Highway system
	Tennessee State Routes; Interstate; US; State;

State Route 66 (SR 66) is a state-maintained highway in eastern Tennessee, including a six-lane divided highway segment in Sevier County, a four-lane expressway in Hamblen and Jefferson counties, and a two-lane segment through mountainous terrain continuing to the northeast terminus.

Route description[]

Sevier County[]

SR 66 begins as a primary highway in Sevier County in Sevierville at an intersection with US 441/US 411/SR 35/SR 71 (Chapman Highway/Forks of the River Parkway/Main Street) in downtown. The highway goes north as a 6-lane undivided highway (Winfield Dunn Parkway) to leave downtown and cross a bridge over the Little Pigeon River to have an intersection with SR 448 (North Parkway). The highway then becomes divided at the intersection with Allensville Road and continues north through a long major business district and has a concurrency with SR 338 (Douglas Dam Road/Boyds Creek Highway) before crossing a bridge over the French Broad River to leave Sevierville and enter Kodak. It continues past some more businesses before having an intersection with SR 139 (Douglas Dam Road) before passing some more businesses and coming to an interchange with I-40 (Exit 407). Here, SR 66 becomes unsigned as turns east to become concurrent with I-40 while the road continues north as Snyder Road to US 25W/US 70/SR 9.

This entire 6-lane section of SR 66 between US 441/411 and I-40 is a popular route for tourists traveling to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as it is also part of the Great Smoky Mountains Parkway.

I-40/SR 66 go east as a 6-lane freeway and cross into Jefferson County shortly afterwards.

Jefferson County[]

I-40/SR 66 go east through farmland and have an interchange with Deep Springs Road (Exit 412) before coming to an interchange with US 25W/US 70/SR 9 (Exit 415). Here, while SR 66 still remains unsigned, it turns secondary and leaves I-40 to go east, concurrent with US 25W/US 70/SR 9, and enter Dandridge. The highway passes through farmland as a 2-lane highway before becoming concurrent with SR 92 as they enter downtown. The highway then passes several businesses before SR 92 splits off in the center of town. After passing through some neighborhoods, SR 66 becomes signed as it splits off from US 25W/US 70/SR 9 to the northeast and leaves Dandridge as Valley Home Road. The highway continues through farmland as it parallels and crosses under I-40, eventually passing just north of the I-40/I-81 interchange and begins paralleling I-81. SR 66 then passes through White Pine, where it has an intersection with SR 341 (Roy Messer Highway) and becomes a four-lane expressway towards the Hamblen County line.^[1]

Hamblen County[]

SR 66 continues through rural unincorporated Hamblen County as a four-lane expressway with median crossings restricted to U-turns, and has an intersection with SR 342 before entering Morristown providing access to West View Middle School and a diamond interchange with SR 160.^[1] SR 66 then becomes a five-lane urban connector route known as Merchants Greene Boulevard where it continues through a commercial-oriented area of West Morristown until reaching the intersection of US 11E/SR 34 (Andrew Johnson Highway).^[2] The highway then travels east along a unsigned concurrency with Andrew Johnson Highway, where it continues until the intersection of US 11E/SR 34 and Morris Boulevard, where SR 66 maintains its concurrency along Andrew Johnson Highway and becomes First North Street while US 11E/SR 34 follows Morris Boulevard. It then passes by several more businesses before having an intersection with SR 343 (Cumberland Street) in the center of the city, where SR 66 becomes E 1st North Street. SR 66 then leaves downtown and continues east as a 4-lane undivided highway (Andrew Johnson Highway) as it passes through neighborhoods before having an interchange with Liberty Hill Road, just before having an interchange with US 25E/US 11E/SR 32/SR 34, where SR 66 again becomes concurrent with US 11E/SR 34 (US 25E/SR 32 Exit 2B). The highway then leaves Morristown as a 4-lane divided highway and passes through Russellville as it narrows to 2-lanes and has an intersection with SR 344. US 11E/SR 34/SR 66 then continue northeast through farmland to pass through Whitesburg and have an extremely short concurrency with SR 113 before crossing into Hawkins County.

Hawkins County[]

US 11E/SR 34/SR 66 continue northeast through farmland to Bulls Gap, where SR 66 separates from US 11E/SR 34 for the final time as it turns north as a primary highway to leave Bulls Gap and continues through farmland. SR 66 then passes through some hilly terrain before having another intersection with SR 113 and entering Persia. It then becomes concurrent with SR 70 (Trail of the Lonesome Pine) before leaving Persia and continuing north through farmland. They then have an intersection with Old Highway 70 before crossing the over Cherokee Lake/Holston River and entering Rogersville. They pass by several businesses before curving to the west and have a partial interchange with West Main Street. They then come to an interchange with US 11W/SR 1, where SR 70 splits off and turns northeast on US 11W/SR 1 while SR 66 turns secondary, becoming extremely narrow and curvy as it leaves Rogersville and enters mountainous terrain. SR 66 then passes through farmland again for a short distance before rentering the mountains to have an intersection with SR 94 before crossing into Hancock County.

Hancock County[]

SR 66 curves and winds its way through several miles of mountainous terrain before coming to an intersection with SR 31 just south of Sneedville. It then turns right and crosses a bridge over the Clinch River before coming to an end at an intersection with SR 33 just south of downtown.

History[]

A widening project was recently completed on SR 66 from I-40 to Chapman Highway/Main Street/Forks of the River Parkway (US 441/US 411). It was divided into 3 separate sections, each of which was expanded at different times. It expanded the 4-lane divided highway to a six-lane divided highway. The section closest to Sevierville was expanded first. This section stretched from Boyds Creek Highway (SR 338) to Nichols Street and began of July 15, 2009 and was completed on November 18, 2011. The second section from I-40 to Douglas Dam Road (SR 139) began in September 2010, and was completed in November 2012. The middle section from Douglas Dam Road to Boyds Creek Highway began in March 2012 and was completed in the summer of 2016, after multiple delays.^[3]

In 2013, construction work began on a relocated SR 66 from the intersection of SR 474 and SR 160 in West Morristown, connecting the city to Interstate 81 exit 4 in White Pine. The project was completed in November 2020.^[1]

Junction list[]

County	Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Sevier	Sevierville	0.0	0.0	US 411 / US 441 (West Main Street / Forks of the River Parkway / Chapman Highway / SR 35 / SR 71) – Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Newport, Seymour, Cherokee	Southern terminus; SR 66 begins as a primary highway
				Bridge over the Little Pigeon River
				SR 448 south (North Parkway) – Downtown Sevierville	Northern terminus of SR 448
				SR 338 north (Douglas Dam Road) – Douglas Dam	Southern end of concurrency with SR 338
				SR 338 south (Boyds Creek Highway) – Boyds Creek, Seymour	Northern end of concurrency with SR 338
	Sevierville–Kodak line			Bridge over the French Broad River
	Kodak			SR 139 (Douglas Dam Road) – Dandridge, Kodak
	Kodak			I-40 west – Knoxville	Begin unsigned concurrency with I-40; Road continues northward as Snyder Road; Diverging diamond interchange; I-40 Exit 407
Jefferson				Deep Springs Road – Douglas Dam	I-40 exit 412
				I-40 east – Asheville US 25W north / US 70 west (SR 9) – Dandridge, Strawberry Plains	End unsigned concurrency with I-40, Begin unsigned concurrency with US 25W/US 70/SR 9; SR 66 turns secondary; I-40 Exit 415
	Dandridge			SR 92 north – Jefferson City	Begin concurrency with SR 92, from here on the concurrency is signed
				SR 92 south (Gay Street) to SR 139 (West Main Street) – Chestnut Hill	End concurrency with SR 92
				US 25W south / US 70 east (SR 9) – Newport	End concurrency with US 25W/US 70/SR 9
	White Pine			SR 341 east (Roy Messer Highway) to I-81 – White Pine	Begin short concurrency with SR 341
	White Pine			SR 341 west (White Pine Road) – Talbott	End short concurrency with SR 341
Hamblen				SR 342 west (Alpha-Valley Home Road)	Eastern terminus of SR 342
	Morristown			SR 160 (Air Park Boulevard) – Jefferson City, Lowland	Interchange, northern end of expressway
				US 11E south (West Andrew Johnson Highway/SR 34)	Begin concurrency with US 11E/SR 34
				US 11E north (West Morris Blvd/SR 34)	End concurrency with US 11E/SR 34; US 11E/SR 34 turn right and SR 66 continues straight.
				SR 343 (Cumberland Street)
				Liberty Hill Road	Interchange
				US 11E south (SR 34) / US 25E (SR 32) – Newport, Bean Station	Interchange; Begin concurrency with US 11E/SR 34
	Russellville			SR 344 north (Old Russellville Pike) – Saint Clair	Southern terminus of SR 344
	Whitesburg			SR 113 (Simpson Road / Silver City Road) – White Pine, Saint Clair	Very short 46 ft concurrency with SR 113
Hawkins	Bulls Gap			US 11E north (SR 34) – Mosheim, Greeneville	End concurrency with US 11E/SR 34; SR 66 becomes primary
	Persia			SR 113 south – Saint Clair	Northern terminus of SR 113
	Persia			SR 70 south (Trail of the Lonesome Pine) – Baileyton, Greeneville	Begin concurrency with SR 70
				over Cherokee Lake/Holston River
	Rogersville			West Main Street – Downtown Rogersville	Interchange; no southbound access
	Rogersville			US 11W / SR 70 north (SR 1) – Bean Station, Church Hill	interchange; End concurrency with SR 70; SR 66 turns secondary
				SR 94 east – Pressmen's Home	Western terminus of SR 94
Hancock	Sneedville			SR 31 south – Mooresburg	Northern terminus of SR 31
				Bridge over the Clinch River
		86.25	138.81	SR 33 – Tazewell, Sneedville	Northern terminus; SR 66 ends as a secondary highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus Incomplete access

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Hightower, Cliff (November 8, 2020). "State Route 66 officially open". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
^ "State Route 66 Corridor Plan" (PDF). Lakeway Area Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization. 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
^ Good, Whitney (June 3, 2016). "Another phase completed in Highway 66 construction project in Sevier County". WATE-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved May 24, 2021.

External links[]

Media related to Tennessee State Route 66 at Wikimedia Commons

[connector-1] Hightower, Cliff (November 8, 2020). "State Route 66 officially open". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved November 9, 2020.

[corridor-2] "State Route 66 Corridor Plan" (PDF). Lakeway Area Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization. 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2021.

[3] Good, Whitney (June 3, 2016). "Another phase completed in Highway 66 construction project in Sevier County". WATE-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved May 24, 2021.

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