U.S. Route 19 in Tennessee

This article is about the section of U.S. Route 19 in Tennessee. For the entire length of the highway, see U.S. Route 19.

U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 19E

Route information

Maintained by TDOT

Length:

42.7 mi^[1] (68.7 km)

Existed:

1927 – present

Major junctions

South end:

US 19E at Elk Park, North Carolina

North end:

US 11E / US 19 / US 421 at Bristol, Virginia

Location

Counties:

Carter, Sullivan

Highway system

United States Numbered Highways

Tennessee State Routes

←

SR-18

SR-19

→

U.S. Route 19 in Tennessee traverses approximately 42.7 miles (68.7 km) across the Tri-Cities area of East Tennessee; from Elk Park, North Carolina, at the North Carolina state line, to the Virginia state line in Bristol. The designation from US 19 to US 19E happens in Bluff City, where US 19W continues along Volunteer Parkway towards Johnson City.

Route description

Entering Tennessee from Elk Park, North Carolina, US-19E lazily curves down to Roan Mountain, where travelers can take SR-143 to Roan Mountain State Park or further down to the official Roan Mountain at the Tennessee/North Carolina border. Near Hampton, US-19E widens to an expressway, which it will continue on as till downtown Bristol. At Elizabethton, travelers typically follow US 321 towards Johnson City. At Bluff City, US-19E and US-19W merge back into US-19, heading north to Bristol. Along the way, travelers cannot miss the Bristol Motor Speedway along the side of the road; during race weekend, the highway and farms adjacent to the road becomes miles of parking. In downtown Bristol, US-19 ends at State Street, which straddles the Tennessee/Virginia border.

Alternate names

Though the highway is commonly known as "US 19" or "US 19E" throughout the state, the highway does have other known names it uses locally in areas.

Veterans Memorial Parkway - Road name within Carter County.
Volunteer Parkway - Road name from Virginia state line to Bluff City (continues on towards Johnson City).

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History

US-19 first appears in Tennessee in 1927, from the North Carolina state line (near Elk Park) to Bluff City. Later in same year, it was extended through Bristol, into Virginia. In 1930, US-19 was truncated at Bluff City, splitting into US-19E along the original route into North Carolina and US-19W going towards Johnson City and then on into North Carolina. In 1994, a new four-lane expressway was completed between Elizabethton to Bluff City; the abandoned route became Old Bristol Highway, in Carter County, and Old Elizabethton Highway, in Sullivan County.^[2]

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Junction list

County	Location	Mile^[1]	km	Destinations	Notes
Carter	State line	0.0	0.0	US 19E	South end of hidden SR-37 overlap
	Roan Mountain	6.0	9.7	SR-143 south (Roan Road)	To Roan Mountain State Park
		12.0	19.3	SR-173 west (Simerly Creek Road) – Erwin
		15.0	24.1	SR-361 west (Gap Creek Road)
	Hampton	17.0	27.4	US-321 south / SR-67 east	South end of US-321 overlap, East end of SR-67 overlap; to Watauga Lake
	Elizabethton	22.0	35.4	US-321 south / SR-67 west	End of US-321 overlap, East end of SR-67 overlap
	Elizabethton	22.5	36.2	SR-91 north (Stony Creek) / Lovers Lane – Shady Valley	To Elizabethton Municipal Airport
Sullivan	Bluff City	30.7	49.4	SR-44 north (Bluff City Highway) – Bluff City
		31.0	49.9	US-11E south / US-19W south / SR-34 south (Volunteer Parkway) – Johnson City	US-19E ends/US-19 begins; south end of US-11E and hidden SR-34 overlap, north end of hidden SR-37 overlap
	Bristol	35.0	56.3	SR-394 / SR-390 – Bluff City, Blountville	To Bristol Motor Speedway
	Bristol	42.7	68.7	US-421 south / SR-34 north (State Street)	south end of US-421 overlap, north end of hidden SR-34 overlap; intersection straddles the Tennessee/Virginia border
Concurrency terminus Closed/former HOV only Incomplete access Tolled/ETC Unopened