Interstate 81 in Tennessee
Interstate 81 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 I-81 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 75.66 mi[1] (121.76 km) | |||
| NHS | Entire route | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-40 near Dandridge | |||
| North end |  I-81 at Bristol | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Jefferson, Hamblen, Greene, Washington, Sullivan | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Interstate 81 (I-81) is an 855-mile (1,376 km) long expressway stretching from Dandridge, Tennessee northward to the Thousand Islands Bridge at the Canada–US border near Fishers Landing, New York. In Tennessee, I-81 travels 75.66 miles (121.76 km) from its southern terminus at I-40 in Dandridge to the Virginia state line in Bristol.
Route description
Interstate 81 begins in Tennessee at Interstate 40 in Dandridge. I-81 parallels the Appalachian Mountains for most of Tennessee and Virginia. At mile marker 8, I-81 meets U.S. Route 25E south of Morristown. I-81 doesn't go through either Johnson City or Kingsport; but at mile marker 57, I-81 meets Interstate 26 and U.S. Route 23 which go to Kingsport and Johnson City. At mile marker 75, I-81 leaves Tennessee and enters Virginia.
History
Construction on I-81 in Tennessee began in the 1960s.[2] The contracts for most sections of the route were awarded in 1969 and 1970.[3] On December 20, 1974, the entirety of the route was opened to traffic, with the opening of a section between US 25E near Morristown and SR 172 near Baileyton, and most was completed.[4][5] The final section in Tennessee was completed in August 1975.[6]
Exit list
| County | Location | mi | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | Dandridge | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1 | I-40 – Asheville, Knoxville | Southern terminus; I-40 exit 421; signed as left exit 1A (east) & 1B (west). |
| White Pine | 4.4 | 7.1 | 4 |  SR 341 (White Pine Road) – White Pine | ||
| Hamblen | Morristown | 8.6 | 13.8 | 8 |  US 25E – White Pine, Morristown | |
| 12.4 | 20.0 | 12 |  SR 160 – Lowland, Morristown | |||
| | 15.3 | 24.6 | 15 |  SR 340 (Fish Hatchery Road) | ||
| Greene | Mosheim | 23.1 | 37.2 | 23 |  US 11E – Mosheim, Greeneville, Bulls Gap | Access to Tusculum College |
| | 30.2 | 48.6 | 30 |    SR 70 to SR 66 – Rogersville, Greeneville | ||
| Baileyton | 36.2 | 58.3 | 36 |  SR 172 (Baileyton Road) – Baileyton, Greeneville | ||
| Jearoldstown | 43.9 | 70.7 | 44 | Jearoldstown Road | ||
| Washington | Fall Branch | 50.5 | 81.3 | 50 |   SR 93 to SR 81 – Fall Branch, Jonesborough | |
| Sullivan | Kingsport | 56.1 | 90.3 | 56 | Tri-Cities Crossing | |
| 57.7 | 92.9 | 57 |   I-26 / US 23 – Johnson City, Kingsport | Signed as Exits 57A (east) & 57B (west), I-26 exits 8A-B; former I-181 south | ||
| 59.4 | 95.6 | 59 |  SR 36 (Fort Henry Drive) – Johnson City, Kingsport, Colonial Heights | |||
| 63.5 | 102.2 | 63 |     SR 357 south (Airport Parkway) to SR 75 – Tri-Cities Regional Airport | Also access to Northeast State Community College | ||
| 66.1 | 106.4 | 66 |  SR 126 (Memorial Boulevard) – Blountville, Kingsport | |||
| Blountville | 69.6 | 112.0 | 69 |  SR 394 – Blountville, Bristol | Access to Bristol Motor Speedway | |
| Bristol | 74.8 | 120.4 | 74 |  US 11W (West State Street) – Kingsport, Bristol | Signed as Exits 74A (north) & 74B (south) | |
| 75.66 | 121.76 |  I-81 north – Roanoke | Virginia state line | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
Auxiliary routes
I-181 in Johnson City and Kingsport is a former spur route that was renumbered as I-26 by March 2007.
See also
References
- 2007 Rand McNally Atlas
- ^ "Table 1: Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
- ^ "Where Do We Stand On The Interstate?". Kingsport Times-News. May 2, 1965 – via Newspapers.com.[page needed]
- ^ "81 Moving Along:Chamber". Kingsport Times-News. May 2, 1965. Retrieved June 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.[page needed]
- ^ "East Tennessee's Christmas Present". Kingsport Times-News. December 10, 1974. Retrieved June 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.[page needed]
- ^ "Dunn Opens 96 Interstate Miles". The Tennessean. Nashville. December 21, 1974. Retrieved April 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.[page needed]
- ^ "Interstate 81 Four-Lane Opens". Kingsport Times-News. August 28, 1975.[page needed]
External links
Media related to Interstate 81 in Tennessee at Wikimedia Commons
