Tennessee State Route 59

State Route 59
State Route 59
Route information
	Maintained by TDOT
Major junctions
West end	Mississippi River near Randolph
East end	SR 76 north of Somerville
Location
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Counties	Tipton, Fayette,
Highway system
	Tennessee State Routes; Interstate; US; State;

State Route 59 is a state highway in Tennessee. It runs from the Mississippi River to just north of Somerville, Tennessee passing through Tipton and Fayette counties. It is a two-lane rural highway throughout its length and carries a 55 miles per hour (89 km/h) speed limit except when it passes through towns, in which case this speed limit can be significantly less.

Route description

SR 59 begins at the Mississippi River in Tipton County in an area known as Richardson Landing. The route used to extend about 200 feet (61 m) further, but has since been eroded by the river, so much that barricades block the edge of the pavement to prevent motorists from driving into the river (See photo at left). As one continues east along the highway, one will notice that the elevation increases from around 250 to 400 feet (76 to 122 m) above sea level in less than 2 miles (3.2 km). This sharp increase is due to what is known as the second Chickasaw Bluff, a formation created by wind-blown silt which has accumulated from around the last Ice Age. At the top of this bluff is the small community of Randolph, which was important during the civil war and at one time was bigger than Memphis, Tennessee, 40 miles (64 km) down the river. One can witness spectacular views of the Mississippi River and Arkansas from the tops of the bluffs.

Continuing eastward from the bluffs, the road starts to level out into gently rolling farmland. SR 178 intersects SR 59 in the town of Gilt Edge, Tennessee. SR 59 also passes through Burlison, Tennessee before it crosses U.S. Highway 51 in downtown Covington.

SR 59 takes a southeast direction and crosses State Route 14 and joins US 70/US 79 in Mason, Tennessee. It is in this portion of the highway in which a wrong-way concurency occurs. SR 59 is traveling southwest, is signed as "East 59", while US 70 is signed as westbound and US 79 is signed as northbound. The same is true for motorists heading in the other direction.

SR 59 separates from the US highways in Braden, Tennessee and continues in a southeast direction. It crosses Interstate 40 south of Braden and is the terminus for both TN 194 and TN 222. The highway ends when it joins with TN 76 just a few miles north of Somerville.

SR 59 takes a southeast direction and crosses State Route 14 and joins US 70/US 79 in Mason, Tennessee. It is in this portion of the highway in which a wrong-way concurency occurs. SR 59 is traveling southwest, is signed as "East 59", while US 70 is signed as westbound and US 79 is signed as northbound. The same is true for motorists heading in the other direction.SR 59 separates from the US highways in Braden, Tennessee and continues in a southeast direction. It crosses Interstate 40 south of Braden and is the terminus for both TN 194 and TN 222. The highway ends when it joins with TN 76 just a few miles north of Somerville.

Major intersections

County	Location	Destinations	Notes
Tipton		Dead end at Mississippi River	Western terminus of TN 59
	Gilt Edge	SR 178 south	Northern terminus of TN 178
	Covington	US 51 north / SR 3 north	Eastern end of US 51/TN 3 concurrency
		SR 54 east	Western terminus of TN 54
		US 51 south / SR 3 south	Southern end of US 51/TN 3 concurrency
		SR 384 south	Western end of TN 384 concurrency
		SR 384 north	Eastern end of TN 384 concurrency
		SR 14
	Mason	US 70 east / US 79 north / SR 1 north	Eastern end of US 70/US 79/TN 1
Fayette	Braden	US 70 west / US 79 south / SR 1 south	Western end of US 70/US 79/TN 1
		I-40 – Memphis, Nashville
		SR 194 south	Northern terminus of TN 194
		SR 222 north	Southern terminus of TN 222
		SR 76	Eastern terminus of TN 59
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus

References