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Interstate 81 in Tennessee

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This article is about the section of Interstate 81 in Tennessee. For the entire route, see Interstate 81.

Interstate 81 marker
Interstate 81
Map
I-81 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length75.66 mi[1] (121.76 km)
ExistedAugust 14, 1957[2]–present
HistoryCompleted August 27, 1975[3]
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-40 near Dandridge
Major intersections
North end I-81 at the Virginia state line in Bristol
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesJefferson, Hamblen, Greene, Washington, Sullivan
Highway system
← SR 80→ SR 81

Interstate 81 (I-81) is part of the Interstate Highway System that runs 855.02 miles (1,376.02 km) northward from Dandridge, Tennessee, to the Thousand Islands Bridge at the Canadian border near Fishers Landing, New York. In Tennessee, I-81 serves the northeastern part of the state, running 75.66 miles (121.76 km) from its southern terminus with I-40 in Dandridge to the Virginia state line in Bristol. The route serves the Tri-Cities region of the state and the eastern parts of the Knoxville metropolitan area, terminating about 35 miles (56 km) east of Knoxville. I-81 bypasses most cities that it serves, instead providing access via interchanges with state and federal routes. It remains in the Ridge-and-Valley topographic region of the Appalachian Mountains for its entire length in Tennessee, and runs in a northeast to southwest direction.

I-81 roughly follows the corridors of U.S. Routes 11E and 11W in Tennessee, but unlike many stretches of Interstate Highways, does not closely parallel any U.S. Numbered Highway until it reaches Bristol. The first parts of I-81 in the state were constructed in the early 1960s, with additional progress made on the Interstate throughout that decade. However, most of the route was constructed later than the other Interstate Highways initially allocated to Tennessee, and did not open until after 1970. The last stretch of I-81 in Tennessee, which was more than half of the entire route in the state, was completed in 1975. From 1985 to 2007, the Interstate had one auxiliary route, I-181, which was renumbered as part of I-26.

Route description

[edit]
I-81 northbound at the SR 394 exit in Blountville

I-81 is maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), along with all other Interstate, US, and state highways in Tennessee. In 2022, annual average daily traffic (AADT) volumes ranged from 61,299 vehicles per day at the southern terminus to 34,896 vehicles per day between US 25E and SR 160.[4]

I-81 begins at a directional T interchange with I-40 near Dandridge in unincorporated Jefferson County about 35 miles (56 km) east of downtown Knoxville. Traveling in a northeast-to-southwest alignment in a valley through mostly farmland and some woodlands, the Interstate has its first interchange with State Route 341 (SR 341) a short distance later near White Pine. This route connects to SR 66, providing access to Morristown to the north. Soon thereafter, the highway crosses into Hamblen County and meets US 25E south of Morristown, which is a major north–south arterial route in the region and part of the East Tennessee Crossing Byway. Continuing through mostly rural terrain, I-81 has an interchange with SR 160, the final Morristown exit, a few miles beyond. After some distance, the Interstate crosses over a ridge and into Greene County.[5][6][7]

I-81 near Bristol looking south

About five miles (8.0 km) past the Greene County line is an interchange with US 11E near Mosheim, which provides access to Greeneville to the southeast and Bulls Gap to the northwest. Continuing through a predominantly rural and agricultural area, I-81 reaches SR 70, which connects to Greeneville to the south and Rogersville to the north. The Interstate proceeds through additional farmland for several more miles and passes the town of Baileyton, before beginning a slight uphill climb, with the northbound lanes utilizing a truck climbing lane for about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) near the community of Jearoldstown. Here, the route also shifts slightly to the northeast. A few miles later, I-81 veers sharply east and crosses into semi-urban Washington County. Immediately beyond this point is an interchange with SR 93, which provides access to Jonesborough to the south and Fall Branch to the north. I-81 then turns northeast again, and crosses into Sullivan County after a short distance.[5][8][9]

Entering a semi-urbanized part of the Tri-Cities area, I-81 reaches I-26 and US 23 at a cloverleaf interchange a few miles later. This route provides access to Kingsport to the north and Johnson City to the south, two of the principal municipalities of the Tri-Cities. Shortly thereafter is an interchange with SR 36, another major connector between these two cities. The freeway then crosses the Fort Patrick Henry Lake impoundment of the Holston River and begins another slight uphill climb, once again gaining a northbound truck climbing lane. About three miles (4.8 km) beyond this, the truck lane terminates at an interchange with SR 357, a connector to Tri-Cities Regional Airport. The route then proceeds through a mix of farmland, woodlands, and residential neighborhoods, briefly shifting eastward and crossing a ridge after a few miles. Shifting northeastwardly again, the Interstate has an interchange with SR 394 near the unincorporated town of Blountville. Beyond this exit, the route ascends over a slight upgrade, before reaching a relatively flat stretch again. A few miles beyond here, I-81 reaches Bristol, the final of the Tri-Cities, and widens to six lanes. It then has a cloverleaf interchange with US 11W before crossing into Virginia and its twin city of Bristol one mile (1.6 km) later.[5][10]

History

[edit]

Predecessor highways

[edit]
The crossroads between US 11W and US 25E in old Bean Station in 1942 with signs showing distances to cities along each route.

Prior to the settlement of Tennessee by European Americans, a series of Native American trails existed in the area that I-81 now passes through.[11] Most of these were part of the Great Indian Warpath, which the Interstate follows for most of its length.[12] A lesser used trail reportedly existed east of this path, which became part of the Great Wagon Road, also known as the Great Valley Road.[13] The northeastern part of Tennessee was the first part of the state to be significantly explored and settled, with long hunters exploring much of the region during the 1760s and the first permanent settlements arising by the end of that decade.[14] The Great Indian Warpath from Knoxville to Abingdon, Virginia, became a wagon road known as the Old Stage Road, and was used extensively by early Tennesseans and travelers from other states.[15]

In 1911, a series of Tennessee businesspeople formed the Memphis to Bristol Highway Association to encourage the state to improve the network of roads that ran between Memphis and Bristol.[16] After the formation of the Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works, the predecessor agency to TDOT, in 1915, the Old Stage Road was designated as part of the Memphis to Bristol Highway.[17] This section became part of the Lee Highway, an auto trail, in 1919.[18] When the Tennessee State Route System was established in 1923, this part of the Lee Highway became part of State Route 1 (SR 1), and the network of roads to the east that followed part of the Great Wagon Road became SR 34.[19] When the United States Numbered Highway System was formed by Congress in 1926, Lee Highway became US 11, and SR 34 was designated as US 511. Tennessee officials objected to this numbering scheme, and in 1929 successfully petitioned the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) to redesignate US 11 as US 11W and US 511 as US 11E in an event that came to be known as "The Tennessee Split".[20]

Planning and construction

[edit]

The general location of the highway that became I-81 was included in the National Interregional Highway Committee's 1944 report, titled Interregional Highways, and a subsequent 1947 plan produced by the Public Roads Administration of the now-defunct Federal Works Agency. These blueprints recommended that it terminate east of Knoxville with the highway that became I-40.[21][22] During the planning phase, it was also suggested that the Interstate follow the corridor of US 11W from Knoxville to Bristol, but residents of Grainger County were opposed to this.[23] The alignment was reaffirmed in a map produced by the Bureau of Public Roads, the predecessor agency to the Federal Highway Administration, in September 1955.[24] I-81 was part of the original 1,047.6 miles (1,685.9 km) of Interstate Highways authorized for Tennessee by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, commonly known as the Interstate Highway Act.[25] The numbering was approved by the AASHO on August 14, 1957.[2] That year, the Johnson City Planning Commission unsuccessfully lobbied to move the routing a few miles south between Morristown and Bristol to run closer to Johnson City and the Tri-Cities Regional Airport.[26]

I-81 in Tennessee roughly parallels US 11W, which had earned the nickname "Bloody 11W" and was the site of the deadliest collision in Tennessee history in 1972.[27]

The first stretch of I-81 in Tennessee to be completed was the one-mile (1.6 km) segment between US 11W and the Virginia state line, along with the southernmost 5.6 miles (9.0 km) of the Interstate in Virginia. Referred to at the time as the "Bristol Bypass", this section opened to traffic on November 20, 1961, along with I-381 directly across the state line.[28][29] Grading and bridge construction on the interchange with I-40 took place in the early 1960s, but this interchange was not opened to traffic until work on the approaches was complete.[30][31] The contract to construct the segment between the southern terminus with I-40 and US 25E near Morristown was awarded in June 1964,[32][33] and completed in December 1966, along with the connecting section of I-40.[34][35] Like much of the Interstate System in Tennessee, priority was generally given to completing sections in Middle and West Tennessee over East Tennessee. For this reason, most of I-81 was not constructed in the state until after the late 1960s.[36] The decision to prioritize other Interstate Highways was criticized by some due to the unsafe conditions and high accident rate on US 11W, which had earned the nickname "Bloody 11W" and was the site of the deadliest traffic collision in state history in 1972.[27][37][38] The slow progress on the Interstate became an issue in the 1966 gubernatorial election, when Democratic candidate John Jay Hooker accused primary opponent Buford Ellington, who served as Governor from 1959 to 1963, of neglecting the stretch allocated for Tennessee.[37] Ellington, who was elected that fall, responded with a promise to complete I-81 by 1971, the year the next governor would leave office, as well as improve US 11W.[39][40]

Contracts for construction of the stretch between US 25E near Morristown and US 11E near Mosheim were let in August 1967 and February 1968,[41][42] and the section opened to traffic on December 10, 1970.[43][44] Contracts for sections in Sullivan County were awarded throughout 1969,[45][46] and work on what became the final stretch of I-81 in Tennessee to be completed, the 43-mile (69 km) section located between US 11E and SR 126 near Blountville, began on July 7, 1969, in the southern part of that county.[47][48] The remaining Sullivan County portions were contracted for construction in December 1970 and March 1971,[49] and sections in Washington and Greene Counties were let in November and December 1971.[50][51] The last construction contract for I-81 in Tennessee, which was for the northernmost 5.8 miles (9.3 km) in Greene County, was awarded in March 1972.[52][53] The opening of the 9.6-mile (15.4 km) stretch between SR 126 and US 11W in Bristol was announced on December 23, 1972.[54][55] Once all remaining construction began, completion of I-81 in Tennessee was expected by late 1973,[56] but was delayed by the energy crisis that year.[57] On December 20, 1974, the entire final stretch between US 11E and SR 126 was dedicated by then-Governor Winfield Dunn, and partially opened, with some portions restricted to two lanes.[58][59] This stretch cost $49.4 million (equivalent to $238 million in 2023[60]), and was dedicated on the same day that the last sections of I-40 and I-75 in Tennessee were opened.[61][62] I-81 was officially completed in Tennessee on August 27, 1975, when all four lanes of the final section were fully opened to traffic.[3]

Later history

[edit]

On April 6, 1997, a carjacking that culminated in the Lillelid murders occurred at the I-81 southbound rest area near Baileyton.[63] A group of six youths from Pikeville, Kentucky, forced the four members of the Lillelid family into their van and to drive approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) on the Interstate to the SR 172 interchange, which was the next exit.[64] The family was then taken to a secluded road nearby where they were shot. Three of the victims died, and the lone survivor was left permanently disabled.[65] The perpetrators were apprehended two days later in Douglas, Arizona, trying to flee into Mexico, and later sentenced to life in prison.[66]

Work to widen the northernmost 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of I-81 in Tennessee to six lanes, along with the southernmost 7.5 miles (12.1 km) in Virginia, began in April 1998.[67] Initially planned for completion in late 2000, the project experienced multiple delays and cost overruns, and was not completed until March 2003.[68][69] A 2008 study conducted by TDOT on the I-40 and I-81 corridors identified a number of steep grades on both Interstates difficult for trucks to ascend, causing congestion and safety hazards. This study resulted in the construction of a truck climbing lane on I-81 northbound between the Holston River and SR 357 that was completed in 2019.[70][71]

Between September 2011 and June 2014, the interchange with US 25E was modified in a project that replaced the southbound loop onramp with a traditional diamond ramp, widened the radius of the northbound loop exit ramp, replaced the US 25E overpass with a wider bridge, and added turn lanes at the intersections with the ramps. This project was necessitated by the hazardous conditions of the previous configuration and the adoption of US 25E as part of an alternate route to I-75.[72]

Exit list

[edit]
CountyLocationmi[73]kmExitDestinationsNotes
JeffersonDandridge0.000.001 I-40 – Asheville, Knoxville, NashvilleSouthern terminus; I-40 exit 421; signed as left exit 1A (east) and 1B (west).
White Pine4.136.654
 SR 341 to SR 66 – White Pine, Morristown
HamblenWhite Pine–Morristown line7.9312.768 US 25E – Morristown, Newport, White Pine
Lowland11.9819.2812 SR 160 – Lowland, Morristown
​15.0924.2915 SR 340 (Fish Hatchery Road)
GreeneMosheim22.9136.8723 US 11E – Mosheim, Greeneville, Bulls GapAccess to Tusculum University
​30.3348.8130
 SR 70 to SR 66 – Greeneville, Rogersville
Baileyton36.4458.6436 SR 172 (Baileyton Road) – Baileyton, Greeneville
Jearoldstown44.3771.4144Jearoldstown Road
WashingtonFall Branch50.3881.0850
 SR 93 to SR 81 – Fall Branch, Jonesborough
SullivanKingsport55.9089.9656Tri-Cities Crossing
56.8191.4357 I-26 / US 23 – Johnson City, Kingsport, AshevilleSigned as exits 57A (east) and 57B (west), I-26 exits 8A-B; former I-181 and SR 137[74][75]
59.2695.3759 SR 36 (Fort Henry Drive) – Johnson City, Kingsport, Colonial Heights
63.17101.6663

 SR 357 south (Airport Parkway) to SR 75 – Tri-Cities Regional Airport		Access to Northeast State Community College
66.26106.6466 SR 126 (Memorial Boulevard) – Blountville, Kingsport
Blountville69.32111.5669 SR 394 – Blountville, BristolAccess to Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol74.74120.2874 US 11W (West State Street) – Kingsport, BristolSigned as exits 74A (north) and 74B (south)
75.66121.76
 I-81 north – Roanoke		Virginia state line
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Auxiliary routes

[edit]
See also: U.S. Route 23 in Tennessee § Designation history
Signage for former I-181, now part of I-26, in Johnson City

Interstate 181 (I-181) was designated by the Federal Highway Administration on December 4, 1985, for the 23.85-mile (38.38 km) controlled-access segment of US 23 between US 321/SR 67 in Johnson City and US 11W in Kingsport, which had been constructed as part of Corridor B of the Appalachian Development Highway System.[76] On June 9, 1986, the designation was officially established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).[77] Exit numbers were based on US 23 mileage, which at the time was in the process of being upgraded to a freeway to the North Carolina state line. On August 5, 2003, AASHTO approved extending I-26 west into Tennessee, replacing I-181 from Johnson City to I-81.[78] They ruled against an extension of the I-26 designation along the remainder of I-181 to Kingsport, however, since federal guidelines usually require mainline Interstate Highways to end at a junction with another Interstate Highway, an international border, or a seacoast.[79] TDOT had proposed to renumber that stretch as I-126, but rescinded that proposal later that year.[80] The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users act, signed into law on August 10, 2005, authorized the remainder of I-181 to be redesignated as part of I-26.[81] This took place in March 2007, when the remainder of I-181 was officially decommissioned, and replaced with I-26 signage.[74]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". FHWA Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. December 31, 2021. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Public Roads Administration (August 14, 1957). Official Route Numbering for the National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as Adopted by the American Association of State Highway Officials (Map). Washington, DC: Public Roads Administration. Retrieved June 14, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  3. ^ a b "All four lanes of Interstate 81 to be opened today". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. August 27, 1975. p. 16. Retrieved December 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation. "Transportation Data Management System". ms2soft.com. MS2. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c DeLorme (2017). Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer (Map) (2017 ed.). 1 in:2.5 mi. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 978-1946494047.
  6. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Jefferson County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  7. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Hamblen County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  8. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Greene County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  9. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Washington County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  10. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation Long Range Planning Division Office of Data Visualization (2018). Sullivan County (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation.
  11. ^ Smith, David Ray (October 8, 2017). "Historic Trails". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Keenan, William (1853). "Map of Cumberland & Franklin". Nashville: Tennessee State Library and Archives. OCLC 945721812. Retrieved June 1, 2023 – via Tennessee Virtual Archive.
  13. ^ Doughty, Richard Harrison (1975). Greeneville: One Hundred Year Portrait (1775-1875). Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press. p. 4.
  14. ^ Finger, John R. (2001). Tennessee Frontiers: Three Regions in Transition. Indiana University Press. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-253-33985-0 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ Hill, Ann (June 8, 1969). "The Old Stage Road: a trip with history". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. p. 5. Retrieved June 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Memphis-Nashville-Bristol Highway Association (1911). "Route of Memphis-Nashville-Bristol Highway, Tennessee's First State Road". Nashville: Tennessee State Library and Archives. OCLC 957558404. Retrieved February 10, 2021 – via Tennessee Virtual Archive.
  17. ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation (2014). "Brief History of TDOT" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 23, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  18. ^ "Lee Highway Body Meets In Bristol". The Bristol Herald Courier. December 14, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved June 1, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Highway Planning Survey Division (1925). Biennial Report of the Commissioner of the Department of Highways and Public Works State of Tennessee for the Years 1923 and 1924 (PDF) (Report). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. pp. 39–44. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
  20. ^ Weingroff, Richard. "U.S. 11 - Rouses Point, New York, to New Orleans, Louisiana". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  21. ^ Weingroff, Richard F. "Designating the Urban Interstates". Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
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  23. ^ "The Price of Power: How the Tennessee Valley Authority Impacted Attitudes Towards Economic Development in East Tennessee". Appalachian Free Press. January 12, 2022. Archived from the original on February 18, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  24. ^ Bureau of Public Roads (September 1955). General Location of National System of Interstate Highways Including All Additional Routes at Urban Areas Designated in September 1955 (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. OCLC 4165975. Retrieved September 4, 2010 – via Wikimedia Commons.
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  38. ^ Smith, Bob (May 14, 1972). "11-W Disaster Brings New Highway Pleas". Kingsport Times-News. pp. 1-A, 10-A. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ Binkley, Ellis (June 29, 1966). "Ellington Pledges 11-W Improvements". Kingsport Times. pp. 1-A, 6-A. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  40. ^ Jennings, Bill. "Ellington moves into Johnson City today with no-tax pledge". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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  42. ^ "I-81, I-75 Jobs in Feb. 23 Letting". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. January 4, 1968. p. 5. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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  44. ^ "I-81 Open In Hamblen and Greene Counties". Morristown Gazette-Mail. Morristown, Tennessee. December 10, 1970. p. 1.
  45. ^ Jennings, Bill (April 24, 1969). "Governor well pleased with area highway construction". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  46. ^ "81 Moving Along: Chamber". Kingsport Times-News. May 18, 1969. p. 5-A. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "Interstate 81–New Section Complete". Kingsport Times. November 17, 1972. p. 6. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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  49. ^ "Ft. Henry, I-81 Bids To Be Asked". Kingsport Times-News. November 22, 1970. p. 8-A. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  50. ^ "I-81 bids opened in Nashville". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. November 20, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  51. ^ "Low bids opened for road building". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. December 18, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ "I-75, I-81 in Next Lettings". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. January 21, 1972. pp. 1, 16. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  53. ^ "I-81 gets new work contracts". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. March 24, 1972. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved January 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  54. ^ "New I-81 Section Opens In County". Bristol Herald-Courier. Bristol, Tennessee. December 23, 1972. p. 15. Retrieved June 20, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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  56. ^ "All of state's I-81 expected to be open by December". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. Johnson City, Tennessee. February 25, 1973. p. 3. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  57. ^ Oleson, Lee (September 9, 1973). "Oil Shortage Stalls Highway: 81 May Not Be Done Till '75". Kingsport Times-News. pp. 1-A, 10-A. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  58. ^ Samples, Henry (December 20, 1974). "Dunn opens interstate from Blountville to Greeneville". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. Johnson City, Tennessee. p. 1. Retrieved April 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  59. ^ "East Tennessee's Christmas Present". Kingsport Times-News. December 10, 1974. p. 11. Retrieved June 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  60. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
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  62. ^ Yarbrough, Willard (December 21, 1974). "All Interstates in ET Open; Dunn Dedicates New Sections". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. 1, 14. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  63. ^ Sharp, Ashley (April 6, 2022). "25 years after gruesome murders, community remembers Lillelid family". WJHL-TV. Johnson City, Tennessee. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  64. ^ DeLozier, Stan (April 9, 1997). "6 suspects in triple slaying caught at U.S.-Mexico border; 'Wild bunch' charged in deaths of Powell family". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. 1A, 3A. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  65. ^ Wilhoit, Robin (May 9, 2022). "Overcoming tragedy: Peter Lillelid 25 years later". WBIR-TV. Knoxville. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  66. ^ "20 years later: 'Evil' killing of Powell family resonates". WBIR-TV. Knoxville. April 6, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  67. ^ Rutledge, Mark (April 9, 1998). "VDOT to celebrate I-81 expansion plan". Johnson City Press. p. 3. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  68. ^ Watson, James (December 20, 2002). "Lengthy I-81 project nearing end of road". Johnson City Press. pp. 1, 10. Retrieved September 24, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  69. ^ Powers, Gregg (March 23, 2003). "Today's the big day at BMS". Johnson City Press. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  70. ^ Osborne, J. H. (July 2, 2017). "What's all that work off I-81 about?". Kingsport Times News. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  71. ^ Wagner, Rick (February 6, 2020). "Tennessee seeks input on Interstates 40/81". Kingsport Times News. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
  72. ^ "From the archives, 2013; TDOT opens 81 access ramp at Exit 8". Citizen Tribune. November 16, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  73. ^ Bureau of Transportation Statistics (June 13, 2022). "National Highway Planning Network" (Map). National Transportation Atlas Database. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  74. ^ a b Barber, Rex (March 2, 2007). "New Directions: I-181 to become I-26 in Sullivan; all exit signs, markers to change". Johnson City Press. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  75. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 28, 1982). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 5. Retrieved November 11, 2015 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  76. ^ "Part of Route 23 gets interstate label". Kingsport Times-News. December 25, 1985. p. 3A. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  77. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 9, 1986). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 2. Retrieved January 28, 2023 – via Wikisource.
  78. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 31, 2003). "Report of the Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
  79. ^ Watson, James (July 25, 2003). "Kingsport won't get I-26 through town, state rules". Johnson City Press. pp. 1A, 4A. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  80. ^ Watson, James (April 19, 2003). "Kingsport fighting uphill battle to get I-26 into town". Johnson City Press. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved October 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  81. ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (May 6, 2006). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering Approved Applications" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
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KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Interstate 81 in Tennessee
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Interstate 81
Previous state:
Terminus 		Tennessee Next state:
Virginia
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