State Route 160 (SR 160) is a state highway in East Tennessee that has both four-lane expressway and two-lane rural collector sections. It serves as a arterial bypass route of US 11E/SR 34 in the city of Morristown in Hamblen County.[1]
State Route 160 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 160; primary in red, secondary in blue | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 27.1 mi (43.6 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| North end |  US 11E in Morristown | |||
| South end |  US 321 near Newport | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Hamblen, Cocke | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description edit
Hamblen County edit
SR 160 begins as a primary highway at an intersection with US 11E/SR 34 (W Andrew Johnson Highway) in a concurrency with SR 342 in Morristown, heading southeastward as a 4-lane divided highway, serving essentially as a southern bypass of Morristown. SR 342 (Alpha Valley Home Road) exits after SR 160 curves more eastwardly, and has an intersection with SR 66 (Merchants Greene Boulevard) shortly afterwards. SR 160 continues east to have an interchange with SR 343 (S Cumberland Street) before coming to an interchange with US 25E/SR 32 (S Davy Crockett Parkway; Exit 1 on US 25E). SR 160 then leaves Morristown and has an intersection with SR 113 before coming to an interchange with Interstate 81 (Exit 12 on I-81) in Lowland, where it turns secondary, narrows to 2-lanes, and continues through farmland before crossing the Nolichucky River into Cocke County.
Cocke County edit
SR 160 enters the mountains and passes by Briarwood Ranch Safari Park before passing through Bybee as it exits the mountains and re enters farmland. The highway then winds its way southeast along the banks of the French Broad River to enter Community Newport and come to an end at an intersection with US 321/SR 35 east of downtown.[2]
History edit
Prior to the extension of the highway, SR 160's original northern terminus was at TN State Route 343, also known as South Cumberland Street and Old US Highway 25E. Construction of the four-laned section began in 1990 and it took roughly two years to complete, passing through a number of hills and valleys, requiring extensive bridges. The first few miles of the highway took over part of Tennessee State Route 342. The four lane section goes from US 11E in Morristown to 1.7 miles south of Interstate 81.[3]
Junction list edit
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamblen | Morristown | 0 | 0.0 |   US 11E / SR 342 west (W Andrew Johnson Highway/SR 34) – Jefferson City, Morristown | Northern terminus and northern end of SR 342 concurrency, expressway; at-grade intersection with traffic signal |
| 1.8 | 2.9 |  SR 342 east (Alpha Valley Home Road) | Southern end of SR 342 concurrency | ||
| 3.2 | 5.1 |  SR 66 (Merchants Greene Boulevard) – White Pine, Dandridge, Morristown | Diamond interchange | ||
| 7.3 | 11.7 |  SR 343 (South Cumberland Street) – Morristown | Former northern terminus, interchange; access to downtown Morristown | ||
| 8 | 13 |  US 25E (S Davy Crockett Parkway/SR 32) – Bean Station, Tazewell, White Pine, Newport | Partial cloverleaf interchange; US 25E exit 1 | ||
| | 10 | 16 |  SR 113 (Springvale Road) – White Pine, Whitesburg | at-grade un-signalized intersection | |
| Lowland | 11.4 | 18.3 |  I-81 – Knoxville, Bristol | I-81 exit 12; southern end of expressway, primary highway classification; northern end of secondary classification | |
| Cocke | | 27.1 | 43.6 | US 321 (SR 35) – Newport, Greeneville | Southern terminus |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References edit
- ^ Mattern and Craig Inc. "Intersection Improvement: State Route 160 at Commerce Boulevard. Morristown, Hamblen County" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- ^ Google (September 30, 2013). "Morristown, TN" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
- ^ Bureau of Engineering. "Hamblen County: SR 160 from End of Bridge over Nolichucky River" (PDF). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2008.