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Interstate 65 in Tennessee

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Interstate 65 marker
Interstate 65
Albert Arnold Gore Sr. Memorial Highway
Map
I-65 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length121.71 mi[1] (195.87 km)
Existed1958–present
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-65 / US 31 at Alabama state line
Major intersections
North end I-65 at Kentucky state line
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesGiles, Marshall, Maury, Williamson, Davidson, Sumner, Robertson
Highway system
SR 64 SR 65

Interstate 65 (I-65) runs from Ardmore north in Tennessee to just south of Franklin, Kentucky, forming part of the national highway that goes from Mobile, Alabama, to Gary, Indiana. In Tennessee the highway's official name is the Albert Arnold Gore Sr. Memorial Highway, named for Albert Gore Sr., the former United States Senator.

Of the four states which I-65 runs through, the segment in Tennessee is the shortest, at 121.71 miles (195.87 km) long. I-65 serves the state capital and largest city of Nashville, and parallels U.S. Route 31 its entire length in Tennessee.

Route description

I-65 southbound crossing from Kentucky to Tennessee

Southern section and Nashville suburbs

I-65 enters Tennessee from Alabama concurrent with U.S. Route 31 in rural Giles County near the town of Ardmore. About 1.5 miles (2.4 km) later, near the town of Elkton, is an interchange with State Route 7, where US 31 splits off into a concurrency with that route, heading north toward Pulaski Continuing through mostly rural territory characterized by slight rolling hills, I-65 crosses the Elk River about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) later, and has an interchange with US 64 about 10 miles (16 km) beyond this point, which serves Pulaski to the west and Fayetteville to the east. Continuing through further rural terrain, I-65 crosses into Marshall County about 8 miles (13 km) later and immediately has an interchange with US 31 Alternate near the town of Cornersville, which also serves as a connector to Lewisburg. Bypassing Lewisburg to the west, I-65 enters Maury County about 13 miles (21 km) later. Slightly over 2 miles (3.2 km) later is an interchange with SR 50, which serves Columbia to the northwest and Lewisburg to the southeast. Bypassing Columbia to the east, I-65 crosses the Duck River about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) later, and has an interchange with SR 99 and the eastern terminus of US 412 about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) later.

Almost 7 miles (11 km) later, I-65 crosses into Williamson County and has an interchange with the eastern terminus of SR 396 (Saturn Parkway), a freeway spur that serves Spring Hill and the General Motors Spring Hill Manufacturing plant. 6 miles (9.7 km) later, I-65 widens to six lanes and reaches a cloverstack interchange with Interstate 840, which serves as an outer southern bypass of Nashville. I-65 then receives eight lanes from this interchange, with the left lanes serving as HOV lanes during rush hour. About 2 miles (3.2 km) later, I-65 enters Franklin, one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area, and has an interchange with the eastern terminus of SR 248. In Franklin, I-65 crosses the Harpeth River and has interchanges with SR 96 (a major arterial route that also serves Murfreesboro to the east), McEwen Drive, Cool Springs Boulevard, and SR 441 (Moores Lane). I-65 then leaves Franklin and enters Brentwood, and has an interchange with SR 253 (Concord Road) a little over 2 miles (3.2 km) later. Passing through the center of Brentwood, I-65 crosses into Davidson County about 3 miles (4.8 km) later, and immediately has an interchange with SR 254 (Old Hickory Boulevard), which is considered the second Brentwood exit due to its extreme proximity. I-65 then continues into the southern neighborhoods of Nashville.

Nashville and northern section

I-65 southbound in Nashville concurrent with I-24

Entering the southern neighborhoods of Nashville, I-65 has an interchange with SR 255 (Harding Place) about 3 miles (4.8 km) later. A little over 1 mile (1.6 km) later, the HOV lane restrictions terminate and I-65 widens to ten lanes at an interchange with Armory Drive. The route then crosses SR 155 (Thompson Lane) and has a spaghetti junction four-level stack interchange with I-440, which serves as a southern bypass to downtown Nashville. At this interchange, I-65 reduces to six lanes, and a little over two miles later, I-65 enters Downtown Nashville, and begins a concurrency with I-40. Forming part of the Downtown Loop, the set of interstate highways that encircle Downtown Nashville, the routes shift sharply to the east, before shifting to the northwest, and have interchanges with US 70 (Charlotte Avenue) and US 70S/US 431 (Broadway). About 1 mile (1.6 km) later, I-40 splits off to the west, heading towards Memphis, and I-65 curves sharply to the northeast, reaching an interchange with US 41A (Rosa L. Parks Boulevard) about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) later. About 1 mile (1.6 km) later, the route crosses the Cumberland River on the Lyle H. Fulton Memorial Bridge, and reaches an interchange with I-24, beginning a concurrency with that route and shifting into a northward direction. Carrying eight lanes, the combined routes have an interchange with US 431 (Trinity Lane) just under 1 mile (1.6 km) later. Almost 1.5 miles (2.4 km) later, I-24 splits off, heading northwest towards Clarksville, a I-65 shifts northeast, carrying a total of ten through lanes, the left lanes once again functioning as HOV lanes during rush hour. Slightly over one mile later is a complicated interchange with US 31W/US 41, and SR 155 (Briley Parkway), the latter of which is a freeway that serves as a northern bypass around Nashville. The widest section of I-65 is in Tennessee is found on the north side of this interchange, where the road briefly accommodates 15 through lanes (8 northbound, 7 southbound). The road passes through Madison, has an interchange with SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard) about 2 miles (3.2 km) later. A little over 3 miles (4.8 km) later, I-65 reaches an interchange with SR 386 (Vietnam Veterans Blvd) in Goodlettsville, a freeway spur which serves the Nashville suburbs of Hendersonville and Gallatin. At this interchange, I-65 reduces to six lanes, and the HOV restrictions terminate. I-65 then leaves the urban Nashville area and enters Sumner County at this point.

A few miles after leaving the urban Nashville area, at an interchange with SR 174 (Long Hollow Pike), I-65 reduces back to four lanes. Just under 2 miles (3.2 km) later is an interchange with US 31W/41 near the city of Millersville. I-65 then enters a predominantly rural area, and begins a steep descent out of the Nashville Basin, with the northbound lanes utilizing a truck climbing lane over a distance of about 2 miles (3.2 km). I-65 then crosses into Robertson County, and 4 miles (6.4 km) later has an interchange with SR 76 in White House, which also serves Springfield to the west. Passing through rural terrain characterized mostly by farmland, I-65 reaches an interchange with SR 25 about 5 miles (8.0 km) later, and then crosses the Red River. I-65 crosses the Red River again almost 1 mile (1.6 km) later, and reaches an interchange with SR 52 about 1 mile (1.6 km) beyond this point near Portland. About 3 miles (4.8 km) later, I-65 reaches an interchange with SR 109 northwest of Portland, and then crosses into Kentucky about 12 mile (0.80 km) later.

History

A small part of I-65 was the first section of Interstate Highway opened to traffic in Tennessee. A 1.8-mile (2.9 km) section near the Alabama–Tennessee state line opened on November 15, 1958. The McDowell and McDowell Construction company had started work on the interchange in May 1957.[2] The section of I-65 through Brentwood was completed in 1967.[3] The last segment between the Alabama state line and Nashville was completed in 1967.[citation needed] The 2.5 miles (4.0 km) section between US 431 (Trinity Lane) and US 41 (Dickerson Pike) in north Nashville was opened to traffic on December 24, 1968.[4] In June 1970, the 8.8 miles (14.2 km) section between SR 25 near Cross Plains and the Kentucky state line was completed.[5] The 2 miles (3.2 km) segment between Berry Road, near the present location of the I-440 interchange, and the split with I-40 south of downtown Nashville was completed in October 1972.[6] The 14 miles (23 km) segment of I-65 between US 31W in Millersville and SR 25 near Cross Plains, opened on December 15, 1972.[7] The final section of I-65 completed was the approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) section between SR 255 and Berry Road, completed in the fall of 1973.[8]

Until 2000, the 2-mile (3.2 km) northern leg of the loop in Nashville was designated as Interstate 265. On April 7, 2000, the I-265 designation vanished, and I-65 itself was re-routed from the southern and eastern half of the loop (where it traveled concurrently with I-24/I-40) to the western and northern half of the loop (where it travels concurrently with I-40 only on the western side, and has the northern stretch to itself). Nashville–Davidson County's city/county government had argued to have the designations changed in order to help alleviate traffic congestion caused by motorists' following I-65 through the main body of the city. Because of this, the new I-65 route is approximately 0.6 miles (0.97 km) longer than the previous route. Mile markers north of Nashville were not changed with the reroute.[9][10]

Reconstruction on the segment of I-65 between US 41 (Dickerson Pike) in north Nashville and SR 45 in Madison between early 2001 and early 2004 widened this segment from three to five lanes in each direction and improved the interchange with Briley Parkway. The section between SR 45 and SR 386 near Goodlettsville was widened from three to five lanes in each direction between early 2002 and late 2005.[11] Work to widen the segment between US 431 (Trinity Lane) through the split with I-24 and US 41 (Dickerson Pike) began in October 2012 and was completed in May 2016.[12]

The first high-occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV lanes) in Tennessee opened on September 10, 1993, on the approximately 8 miles (13 km) section of I-65 between Armory Drive in south Nashville and SR 253 in Brentwood with the completion of a project that widened that segment from two to four lanes in each direction.[13][14] Widening of the 7 miles (11 km) segment between SR 253 and SR 96 in Franklin from two to four lanes in each direction was completed in September 1997.[15] Widening approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) of I-65 from SR 96 to I-840 from four to eight lanes began in November 2010 and was completed in two phases between April 2013 and June 2016. This project also included reconstruction of the interchange with SR 248, including widening the route through the interchange and lengthening the ramps.[16][17]

Future

TDOT has approved widening the approximately 23 miles (37 km) segment between SR 174 in Goodlettsville and about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the Kentucky line from four to six lanes, connecting two existing six lane segments.[18] The approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) segment south of the Kentucky line was widened to six lanes with the construction of the interchange with SR 109, completed in the spring of 2020.[19]

Exit list

CountyLocationmikmExitDestinationsNotes
Giles0.000.00

I-65 south / US 31 south – Huntsville
Continuation into Alabama
1.482.381 US 31 / SR 7 (Elkton Highway) – Ardmore, Pulaski, Lawrenceburg, HuntsvilleNorthern end of US 31 overlap
6.2310.036 SR 273 (Bryson Road) – Elkton
14.1422.7614 US 64 (Fayetteville Highway/SR 15) – Pulaski, Fayetteville
Marshall22.5236.2422 US 31A (Sam Davis Highway, Lewisburg Highway/SR 11) – Pulaski, Lewisburg, Cornersville
27.2143.7927 SR 129 (Lynnville Road) – Lynnville, Cornersville
32.6652.5632 SR 373 (Mooresville Highway) – Lewisburg
MauryColumbia37.5460.4137 SR 50 (New Lewisburg Highway) – Columbia
46.2474.4246
US 412 west / SR 99 (Bear Creek Pike/Sylvester Chunn Highway) – Columbia, Chapel Hill
Eastern terminus of US 412
WilliamsonSpring Hill53.1885.5853
SR 396 west (Saturn Parkway) – Spring Hill
Eastern terminus of SR 396
Buckner RoadTo be completed in 2024[20]
59.1595.1959 I-840 – Memphis, Dickson, Knoxville, MurfreesboroI-840 exit 31; signed as exits 59A (east) and 59B (west); cloverstack interchange
Franklin61.8199.4761
SR 248 west (Goose Creek Bypass) – Spring HillModule:Jct warning: "road" parameter is deprecated
Eastern terminus of SR 248
65.64105.6465 SR 96 (Murfreesboro Road) – Franklin
67.05107.9167McEwen Drive
68.01109.4568Cool Springs BoulevardSigned as exits 69A (east) and 68B (west)
Brentwood69.34111.5969 SR 441 (Moores Lane)Southbound exit to Galleria Boulevard
71.60115.2371 SR 253 (Concord Road) – Brentwood
DavidsonNashvilleOak Hill line74.73120.2774 SR 254 (Old Hickory Boulevard) – BrentwoodSigned as exits 74A (east) and 74B (west)
78.01125.5478 SR 255 (Harding Place)Signed southbound as exits 78A (east) and 78B (west)
79.33127.6779Armory Drive
NashvilleBerry Hill line80.45129.4780 I-440 – Memphis, KnoxvilleI-440 exit 5, access to Nashville International Airport
Nashville81.75131.5681Wedgewood Avenue
82.75133.1782


I-40 east to I-24 east – Knoxville, Chattanooga
Southern end of I-40 overlap, east exit 210, west exit 210B; concurrency uses I-40 exit numbers, access to Nashville International Airport
83.43134.27209BDemonbreun Street
83.59–
83.78
134.53–
134.83
209A US 70 / US 70S / US 431 (Broadway/SR 1/SR 24)
84.01135.20209 US 70 (Charlotte Pike/Church Street/SR 24)
84.93136.6884
I-40 west – Memphis, Jackson
Northern end of I-40 overlap, west exit 208, east exit 208B
85.77138.0385 US 41A (Rosa L. Parks Boulevard/SR 12) – Downtown Nashville
87.21140.3586


I-24 east to I-40 east – Chattanooga, Knoxville
Southern end of I-24 overlap, west exit 46B
88.10141.7887 US 431 (Trinity Lane/SR 65)
89.28143.6888
I-24 west – Clarksville
Northern end of I-24 overlap, east exit 44B
90.71145.9890A US 31W / US 41 (Dickerson Pike/SR 11)No southbound exit to Dickerson Pike from I-65 (must use Briley Parkway exit)
91.11146.6390B SR 155 (Briley Parkway)Access to Nashville International Airport
93.03149.7292 SR 45 (Old Hickory Boulevard) – Madison
Goodlettsville96.32155.0195
SR 386 east (Vietnam Veterans Boulevard) – Hendersonville, Gallatin
Western terminus of SR 386; northbound exit and southbound entrance
96.69155.6196Rivergate ParkwayGoodlettsville
97.82157.4397 SR 174 (Long Hollow Pike) – Goodlettsville, Gallatin
Sumner99.57160.2498
US 31W (Louisville Highway/SR 41) to US 41 – Millersville, Springfield
RobertsonMillersville104.72168.53104 SR 257 (Bethel Road) – Ridgetop
White House108.79175.08108 SR 76 (Hwy 76) – White House, Springfield
Cross Plains113.47182.61112 SR 25 (Main Street) – Cross Plains, Springfield, Gallatin
Orlinda118.49190.69117 SR 52 (Maple Street) – Portland, Orlinda
Portland121 SR 109 (Vaughn Road) – Portland
122.27196.77
I-65 north – Louisville
Continuation into Kentucky
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. ^ Adderly, Kevin (May 6, 2019). "Table 1: Main Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways as of December 31, 2018". Route Log and Finder List. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Facts About Tennessee's Interstate System 50th Anniversary, 1956-2006". Retrieved August 17, 2007.
  3. ^ "City History Timeline". City of Brentwood, Tennessee. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  4. ^ Fontenay, Charles (January 12, 1969). "Interstate Traffic Still Stalls in Metropolitan Nashville". The Nashville Tennessean. Nashville. p. 86. Retrieved March 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "East–West Interstate Finish Set Here by 1971". The Nashville Tennessean. August 22, 1970. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "I-65 South Section Opens This Week". The Tennessean. Nashville. October 17, 1972. p. 15. Retrieved September 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Chances Of Re-Opening Prison Dim, Dunn Says". Kingsport Times. United Press International. December 8, 1972. p. 2. Retrieved September 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "No Matter How You Look At It (photo)". The Tennessean. September 23, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved September 10, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Kurumi. "3-digit Interstates from I-65". Kurumi.com. Retrieved October 4, 2014.[self-published source]
  10. ^ "I-65 Goes West to Relieve Congestion" (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. May 2000. Archived from the original on August 16, 2004. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  11. ^ "Reconstruction of I-65". Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2005. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  12. ^ Lewis, Mikayla (February 20, 2016). "Some Lanes in I-65 Widening Project Open". Nashville: WZTV-TV. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  13. ^ Johnson, Carl (September 21, 1993). "HOVs on the move". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 6. Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "The Road To The Future Is Actually Paved With Diamonds". The Tennessean. Nashville. August 29, 1993. p. 17. Retrieved January 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Saez, David (September 3, 1997). "Gridlock clears up in east Franklin, merchants upbeat". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 52. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  16. ^ Brown, Josh (June 26, 2013). "Intermission on I-65". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. V1, V3. Retrieved March 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Marley, Susannah (June 15, 2016). "Peytonsville Road Bridge is officially opened". The Williamson Herald. Franklin, Tennessee. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  18. ^ "SPOT". tn.gov. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  19. ^ "Interstate 65 Interchange at State Route 109". tn.gov. Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  20. ^ "Buckner Road / I-65 Interchange BUILD Project". Retrieved September 12, 2020.
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Interstate 65
Previous state:
Alabama
Tennessee Next state:
Kentucky