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Pellissippi Parkway

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Interstate 140 marker Interstate 140 marker
Pellissippi Parkway
Map
I-140 highlighted in red; SR 162 in purple
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length19.7 mi[1] (31.7 km)
Component
highways
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
Western end SR 62 at Solway
Major intersections
Current Eastern end SR 33 in Eagleton Village
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesKnox, Blount
Highway system
← SR 139I-140→ SR 140
← SR 161SR 162→ SR 163

The Pellissippi Parkway is a highway in Knox and Blount counties in Tennessee. It extends from State Route 62 (SR 62, Oak Ridge Highway) at Solway in Knox County to a terminus east of U.S. Route 129 (US 129, Alcoa Highway) at SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) in Blount County. The central portion of the Pellissippi Parkway is included in the Interstate Highway System and is designated Interstate 140 (I-140), while portions at either end (a 5.9-mile-long (9.5 km) section in Knox County and a short section in Blount County) are designated State Route 162 (SR 162), a north–south primary highway.

Route description

The Pellissippi Parkway comprises I-140 and two sections of SR 162 that seamlessly extend from either end of the Interstate Highway. The northern segment of SR 162 runs 5.9 miles (9.5 km) from SR 62 at Solway south to I-40 and I-75 in Knoxville.[2] I-140 has a length of 11.17 miles (17.98 km) from the junction with I-40 and I-75 to US 129 in Alcoa.[3][4] The southern segment of SR 162 begins at US 129 and runs 2.7 miles (4.3 km) to SR 33 within Alcoa.[5] The Pellissippi Parkway from Solway to US 129 is a part of the National Highway System.[6] The predominant roadway configuration along the route is a four-lane divided cross-section.[7]

Solway to Knoxville

The Pellissippi Parkway begins at SR 162's northern terminus at a directional interchange with SR 62 (Oak Ridge Highway) at the east end of the village of Solway on the eastside of the Clinch River from Oak Ridge. There is no direct access from westbound SR 62 to the parkway. The Pellissippi Parkway heads southeast as a limited-access four-lane divided highway. The highway crosses Beaver Creek and has a four-ramp partial cloverleaf interchange with Hardin Valley Road, which leads to Pellissippi State Community College. The Pellissippi Parkway has another partial cloverleaf interchange with SR 131 (Lovell Road).

The highway becomes an Interstate just northwest of its partial cloverleaf interchange with Dutchtown Road. There, the Pellissippi Parkway enters the western end of the city of Knoxville, expands to six lanes, and is paralleled on both sides by frontage roads south to the parkway's interchange with I-40 and I-75, where SR 162's northern segment ends and I-140 begins. That interchange is a cloverleaf interchange with a flyover ramp from southbound SR 162 toward eastbound I-40 and northbound I-75, which head concurrently toward downtown Knoxville.[1]

Knoxville to Alcoa

The Pellissippi Parkway continues south through a partial cloverleaf interchange with Kingston Pike, which carries US 11 and US 70. South of Kingston Pike, the freeway passes along a sliver of the city of Knoxville that follows the freeway to the Tennessee River. The Pellissippi Parkway crosses a Norfolk Southern Railway line and the Sinking Creek arm of Fort Loudon Lake ahead of its diamond interchange with Westland Drive. The freeway curves east within its diamond interchange with SR 332 (Northshore Drive); the interchange includes a ramp from the eastbound parkway to Town Center Boulevard. The Pellissippi Parkway veers south onto a peninsula within a bend of the Tennessee River, then curves east again to cross the river, which forms the Knox–Blount county line.

At the eastside of the river, the Pellissippi Parkway enters the city of Alcoa, within which the highway remains to its eastern end. The freeway has a diamond interchange with SR 333 (Topside Road) and crosses a CSX rail line. The Pellissippi Parkway curves southeast through a cloverleaf interchange with US 129 (Alcoa Highway), where I-140 ends and the southern segment of SR 162 begins. The freeway has a southbound-only exit and northbound-only entrance from and to Cusick Road and crosses a Norfolk Southern rail line before reaching its terminus at a half diamond interchange at SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) in Eagleton Village.[1]

History

Solway to Knoxville construction

The Pellissippi Parkway was initially a 5.9-mile (9.5 km) four-lane limited-access highway in Knox County, extending from SR 62 at Solway to an interchange with I-40/I-75 in western Knox County.[8] After the completion of the adjoining section of I-40/I-75 in 1961, Oak Ridge officials began pushing for a connector route to the Interstate to improve access between Oak Ridge and Knoxville. On December 2, 1965, a delegation of Oak Ridge residents met with the Knox County Highway Technical Advisory Committee and presented their proposal for a new four-lane controlled-access highway to I-40, including a new bridge over the Clinch River.[9][8] The route's alignment was approved on January 25, 1967.[10] Initially referred to as the "Oak Ridge Connector", the highway was named the "Pellissippi Parkway" by an act of the Knox County Commission on December 7, 1971.[11] Local officials and residents in 1968 and 1969 unsuccessfully tried to pressure the Tennessee Department of Highways, the predecessor agency to the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), to construct the route as a fully controlled-access highway.[12][13]

Work on the first section, located between I-40/I-75 and Hardin Valley Road, began in June 1970 and was completed in late 1972.[14] This section was accessed via a partial Y-interchange along I-40/I-75 adjacent to the interchange with Mabry Hood Road; the Pellissippi Parkway was only accessible from the westbound lanes of the Interstate, and only the eastbound Interstate lanes were accessible from the Pellissippi Parkway. The section between Hardin Valley Road and SR 62 in Solway was completed in late 1973. The highway was dedicated by Governor Winfield Dunn on May 31, 1974.[15]

Extension to Alcoa

Although intended to initially improve access to Oak Ridge, the Pellissippi Parkway was envisioned from the start to be eventually extended from I-40/I-75 into Blount County in order to provide more efficient access to McGhee Tyson Airport.[16] State plans for extending the Pellissippi Parkway first appeared in a 1973 statewide transportation plan, and, in April 1975, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a resolution authorizing TDOT to study the possibility of extending the route east to US 129-SR 115 (Alcoa Highway).[17] The extension was subject to much controversy and did not receive funding until the passage of the Better Roads Program of 1986. This was an initiative by then-governor Lamar Alexander to fund a backlog of needed road projects throughout the state.[18] This part of the parkway was constructed in four sections, beginning with the Tennessee River Bridge in January 1987.[19] This was completed in the autumn of 1989 but not opened to traffic. The short segment between Wrights Ferry Road and the Tennessee River was completed in August 1990 but also not opened to traffic.[20]

The first section to open to traffic was the 6.6-mile (10.6 km) segment between US 129 in Blount County and SR 332 in Knox County. This segment opened on December 4, 1992, providing more efficient access to the McGhee Tyson Airport from Oak Ridge and Farragut.[21] The next segment completed was the four-mile (6.4 km) segment between SR 332 and US 11/US 70 (Kingston Pike) on October 6, 1993.[22] This segment was constructed on the former location of the Mabry Hood House, an antebellum home located on Kingston Pike that was demolished in 1983 after falling into disrepair. The next section, located between Kingston Pike and I-40/I-75, opened on December 16, 1996. The interchange with I-40/I-75 was expanded as part of this project, with ramp construction completed in the spring of 1997, and the interchange with Mabry Hood Road on I-40/I-75 was removed to make way for this expansion.[23] The interchange with Mabry Hood Road on I-40/I-75 was removed to make way for this interchange. The 1.1-mile (1.8 km) segment between US 129 and Cusick Road opened on December 19, 1996.[24] On August 15, 2005, the most recent section, located between Cusick Road and SR 33, was opened. Plans call for extending the highway eastward about 4.4 miles (7.1 km) to US 321 (SR 73) in Blount County.[25]

Proposed extension and reconstruction

Since the 1990s, the Pellissippi Parkway has been proposed to extend 4.4 miles (7.1 km) past its current eastern terminus in Blount County with SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) to US 321 (Lamar Alexander Parkway) near Walland, which would also include an exit with US 411.[26] This proposal has been met with much controversy and opposition from locals, causing multiple delays, redesigns, and court reviews since.[27] In 1999, TDOT conducted an environmental assessment to evaluate alternatives to the project. In April 2002, the Federal Highway Administration issued a "finding of no significant impact" (FONSI), which would have allowed TDOT to proceed with the project.[27] On June 7, 2002, a group of local citizens, reorganized as the Citizens Against the Pellissippi Parkway Extension (CAPPE), filed a lawsuit, arguing that TDOT had not complied with the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act requiring a legitimate environmental impact statement. On July 17, 2002, a US District Court judge issued an injunction against TDOT, prohibiting them from proceeding with construction activities.[28] In late August 2004, this injunction was modified to allow TDOT to prepare an environmental impact statement, and, on September 27, 2004, TDOT announced plans to do so.[29] The draft environmental impact statement was approved on April 14, 2010.[18] On July 27, 2013, TDOT announced that the alignment for the extension, which includes a westward shift of the southern end from the original plan, had been chosen.[26] The final environmental statement was approved on September 10, 2015, and the FHWA approved the route on August 31, 2017.[28] This extension, which TDOT is not expected to be able to begin construction on until at least 2025, has continued to be met with fierce community opposition, however.[30]

Following the cancellation of the construction of Tennessee State Route 475 (SR 475) bypass in the early 2010s, TDOT representatives discussed in a 2014 workshop that upgrades to Pellissippi Parkway into an entirely controlled access freeway north of I-40 are planned as an alternate of the SR 475 project. These plans include the removal of existing access, and the widening of Pellissippi Parkway into six-lane freeway by the horizon year 2024.[31]

In 2021, the interchange at Pellissippi Parkway with SR 62 (Oak Ridge Highway) in 2021 was studied by TDOT preliminary engineering officials regarding a new single-point urban interchange configuration with SR 62 and Solway Road. The interchange redesign project is programmed to begin construction in the fiscal year 2023-2024 as of May 2020.[32]

Etymology

The Pellissippi Parkway, alongside other landmarks throughout Eastern Tennessee, derives its name from an older name for the Clinch River. The name "Pelisipi River" was present on older maps with such variant spellings as "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi", and the variant form "Fiume Pelissipi".[33] In fact, the Mitchell Map (1755–1757) labels a tributary of the "Pelisipi River" as "Clinch's River". The word "Pellissippi" was long said to have been the Cherokees' name for the river and was purported to mean "winding waters" in the Cherokee language.[34] However, research completed in 2017 instead concludes that the Miami-Illinois name Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea" tribe) was first applied to what is now called the Ohio River. Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi, spelewathiipi, or peleewa thiipiiki, the name evolved through other variant forms, such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi", and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the "Pelisipi/Pelisippi/Pellissippi" form; these names were variously applied back and forth between the Ohio and Clinch rivers.[35][36]

Exit list

Construction planned for reconfiguration into a single-point urban interchange
CountyLocationmi
[1]		kmExitDestinationsNotes
KnoxSolway0.00.0 SR 62 (Oak Ridge Highway) – Oak Ridge, KarnsNorthern terminus of SR 162; directional interchange; no direct access from westbound SR 62 to southbound SR 162
​2.43.9–Hardin Valley Road – Pellissippi State Community CollegePartial cloverleaf interchange; beginning of limited-access highway
​3.65.8– SR 131 (Lovell Road) – Tusculum CollegePartial cloverleaf interchange
Knoxville4.67.4–Dutchtown RoadPartial cloverleaf interchange; beginning of, controlled-access highway
5.99.51 C-D I-40 / I-75 – Knoxville, Nashville, ChattanoogaSouthern terminus of northern segment of SR 162; western terminus of I-140; split into exits 1C (I-40 east / I-75 north) and 1D (I-40 west / I-75 south) westbound; I-40/75 exits 376A-B
6.410.31 A-B US 11 / US 70 (Kingston Pike/SR 1)Split into exits 1A (US 11 north / US 70 east) and 1B eastbound (US 11 south / US 70 west)
8.814.23Westland Drive
10.516.95 SR 332 (Northshore Drive) / Town Center BoulevardAccess to Town Center Boulevard from eastbound I-140 only
Tennessee River14.5–
14.8		23.3–
23.8		Bridge across Fort Loudon Lake
BlountAlcoa15.625.19 SR 333 (Topside Road) – Louisville
17.027.411 A-B US 129 (Alcoa Highway/SR 115) – Alcoa, Maryville, KnoxvilleEastern terminus of I-140; northern terminus of southern segment of SR 162; split into exits 11A (south) and 11B (north)
17.728.5–Cusick RoadSouthbound exit and northbound entrance only, no exit number
Eagleton Village19.731.714 SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) – Rockford, Maryville, Eagleton VillageCurrent southern terminus of SR 162 and Pellissippi Parkway
Maryville US 411 (Sevierville Road/SR 35) – Maryville, Seymour, SeviervilleScheduled for construction in 2025.[30]
US 321 (Lamar Alexander Parkway/SR 73) – Maryville, Townsend, Pigeon ForgeProposed southern terminus of SR 162 and Pellissippi Parkway. Scheduled for construction in 2025.[30]
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Traffic

As of 2010, daily traffic counts on the Pellissippi Parkway corridor ranged from 29,500 to 65,400.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Pellissippi Parkway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  2. ^ "Tennessee State Route 162 (northern section)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  3. ^ DeSimone, Tony (October 31, 2002). "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways as of October 31, 2002". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  4. ^ "Interstate 140" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  5. ^ "Tennessee State Route 162 (southern section)" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  6. ^ National Highway System: Knoxville, TN (PDF) (Map). Federal Highway Administration. October 1, 2012. Retrieved 2013-08-18.
  7. ^ a b Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization (March 2013). "Knoxville Regional Transit Corridor Study Final Report" (PDF). pp. 10–11.
  8. ^ a b Talbott, Chrystal B. (November 20, 2013). "Parkway's beginnings were humble". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. 1D, 7D. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Bridge, Road Site Changes Proposed". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 3, 1965. p. 10. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "OR Connector Link to I-40 Approved". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. January 25, 1967. p. 33. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Park, Museum Building Urged". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 7, 1971. p. 1, 2. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Ridge, I-40 Connector Criticized". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 4. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Ford-Thomas, Dana (March 27, 1969). "State Rules Out OR Highway Change". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 6. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Grading Under Way on I-40 Connector". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. July 1, 1970. p. 29. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ McNeely, Mark (June 1, 1974). "Dunn Dedicates 2 Knox Facilities". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Pittman, Bart (January 17, 1971). "Some Fear Rezoning Along OR Connector". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. A-1, A-8. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Tennessee Department of Highways (1984). Pellissippi Parkway Extension, I-40-I-75 to TN-115: Environmental Impact Statement (Report). Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2018-11-20 – via Google Books.
  18. ^ a b U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and Tennessee Department of Transportation, Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR 162), From SR 33 (Old Knoxville Highway) to US 321/SR 73/Lamar Alexander Parkway, Blount County, Tennessee, April 2010
  19. ^ Chester, Tom (October 13, 1987). "Pellissippi bridge columns nearing finish". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. A5. Retrieved November 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Moskos, Harry (October 28, 1990). "Pellissippi Parkway extension eventually will link three ET counties". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. F2. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Womack, Bob (December 5, 1992). "Traffic travels over new part of Pellissippi; More than 1,500 cars an hour figured". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. BC1. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "New Portion of Pellissippi Parkway Opens". Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 7, 1993. p. BC1. Retrieved November 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Pellissippi Parkway link opens (photo)". Knoxville News-Sentinel. December 18, 1996. p. A1. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Garland, Ken (December 22, 1996). "Alcoa Highway To Cusick Road Stretch Opens". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. BC6. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "State Route 162 (Pellissippi Parkway Extension)". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  26. ^ a b "Decision Made for Pellissippi Parkway Extension (SR 162) Project; West alignment shift at southern end of Preferred Alternative selected". news.tn.gov. Tennessee Department of Transportation. July 29, 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-08-25. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  27. ^ a b Coleman, Lance (March 21, 2012). "20 years later, Pellissippi Parkway Extension still sparks debate". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  28. ^ a b Bales-Sherrod, Lesli (September 12, 2017). "Federal Highway Administration approves route for Pellissippi Parkway Extension". The Daily Times. Maryville, Tennessee. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  29. ^ "TDOT Takes Next Step in Pellissippi Parkway Extension Project" (Press release). Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee Department of Transportation. September 27, 2004. Archived from the original on 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  30. ^ a b c Gallant, Kristen (September 21, 2021). "Residents voice concerns over proposed Pellissippi Parkway extension". WATE-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  31. ^ "TDOT Stakeholder Workshop" (PDF). Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization. August 8, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  32. ^ Luebke, Craig (June 7, 2021). "Amendment 20‐2017‐057 ‐ Pellissippi Parkway (SR‐162) Interchange at Oak Ridge Highway (SR‐62) in Solway" (PDF). Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  33. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  34. ^ "The Pellissippi State Story 1974-1998". Pellissippi State Community College. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2013. Note: The Cherokee origin of "Pellissippi" is questionable, as there is no "P" sound in the Cherokee syllabary (D. Ray Smith. "View of the Bear Creek Valley". Retrieved July 24, 2013.).
  35. ^ "The Winding River Home: Pellissippi State researches the meaning of 'Pellissippi'". Pellissippi State News. Pellissippi State Community College. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  36. ^ "Shawnees Webpage". Shawnee's Reservation. 1997. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
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