State Route 74 (SR 74) is a north–south state highway located primarily in Bradley County, Tennessee. It runs from the Georgia state line to downtown Cleveland. The route serves as a major shortcut, along with SR 60, for Cleveland citizens to commute to Atlanta, Georgia.
State Route 74 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 74 mainline in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 17.4 mi[1] (28.0 km) | |||
| Existed | October 1, 1923[2]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  SR 225 at the Georgia state line | |||
| North end |  US 11 in Cleveland | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Polk, Bradley | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
The section of SR 74 from its southern terminus to US 64 in Cleveland is a signed secondary highway, with the rest of the route to its northern terminus an unsigned primary highway.
Route description edit
SR 74 begins at the Tennessee–Georgia state line and runs along the Bradley–Polk county line as Spring Place Road, continuing into Murray County as Georgia State Route 225. The route takes its name from Spring Place, an unincorporated community in Murray County on GA 225. The route immediately crosses the Conasauga River Basin and the Conasauga River, then veers to the northeast approximately one-half mile (800 m) later, completely into Bradley County. The route travels for approximately eight miles (13 km), passing through primarily farmland and woodland, crossing several ridges and valleys. The route then comes to an intersection with SR 313, which continues southeast to Oldfort, and enters the community of Wildwood Lake. The route continues for another 2.75 miles (4.43 km) and comes to an interchange with APD-40 (US-64 Bypass/US 74/SR 311), and enters the city limits of Cleveland. The route continues for approximately one mile (1.6 km) through East Cleveland, and comes to an intersection with SR 60 (Dalton Pike), and the route turns right, continuing north as Wildwood Avenue. Approximately 1.25 miles (2.01 km) later the route comes to an intersection with US 64. Most maps show the route as ending here, but the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) lists the route as continuing along concurrently with US 11 (Ocoee Street) through downtown Cleveland up to its split with the US 11 Bypass (Keith Street) in northern Cleveland.[1][3]
History edit
The current SR 74 is the third state route in Tennessee to bear this designation. The first designation was one of the original 78 state highways established on October 1, 1923, and ran between SR 24 in Algood southeast to SR 1 in Cookeville.[2] Around 1925 or 1926, it was extended southeast to Crossville. In 1927 or 1928, this SR 74 was renumbered as part of SR 42. The second iteration of SR 74 was established in 1927 or 1928 between SR 39 (now US 411/SR 33) in Ocoee to the North Carolina line east of Ducktown. In 1933, US 64 was added to this routing, and the following year, the SR 74 designation was extended west along this route to Cleveland, and slightly rerouted. This route was further slightly rerouted in 1938, and renumbered SR 40 in 1941. The present-day SR 74 was established around 1949 or 1950, between the Georgia state line and US 64 in Cleveland. On July 1, 1983, as part of the highway renumbering and state takeover that year, SR 74 was extended along US 11 from downtown Cleveland to the intersection with the US 11 Bypass, replacing SR 2; SR 2 was rerouted onto the bypass, replacing SR 2 Bypass.
Between early 2012 and late 2013, TDOT rebuilt the bridges over the Conasauga River and Basin, closing the route for several miles.[4]
Major intersections edit
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk–Bradley county line | | 0.0 | 0.0 |  SR 225 south – Chatsworth | Georgia state line; southern terminus; SR 74 begins as a signed secondary highway |
| Bradley | Wildwood Lake |   SR 313 east (Ladd Springs Road) – Old Fort | Western terminus of SR 313 | ||
| East Cleveland |    US 64 Byp. / US 74 (APD-40/SR 311) | Interchange; beltway around the eastern side of Cleveland | |||
| Cleveland |  SR 60 south (Dalton Pike) – Dalton, GA | Southern end of SR 60 concurrency | |||
  US 64 east / SR 60 north (Inman Street/SR 40 east) to US 64 Byp. / US 74 – Ocoee | Southern end of US 64/SR 40 concurrency; northern end of SR 60 concurrency; SR 74 becomes an unsigned primary highway | ||||
  US 11 south / US 64 west (S Broad Street/S Ocoee Street/SR 40 west) / SR 312 west (Inman Street) – Ooltewah, Birchwood | US 11 south/US 64 west follow one-way pair; southern end of US 11 concurrency; northern end of US 64/SR 40 concurrency; eastern terminus of SR 312; US 11/SR 74 follow Broad Street/Ocoee Street one-way pair north | ||||
  SR 60 (25th Street/APD-40) to I-75 | Northern terminus of APD-40 | ||||
| 17.4 | 28.0 | US 11 Byp. south / US 11 north (Keith Street/SR 2) – Ooltewah, Charleston, Calhoun | Partial interchange; northern terminus of US 11 Bypass and SR 74; SR 74 ends as an unsigned primary highway | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Google (November 1, 2017). "Overview Map of State Route 74" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
- ^ a b Highway Planning Survey Division (1925). Biennial Report of the Commissioner of the Department of Highways and Public Works State of Tennessee for the Years 1923 and 1924 (PDF) (Report). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works. pp. 39–44. Retrieved May 19, 2023.
- ^ Tennessee Department of Transportation (2015). Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map) (2016–16 ed.). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2017.[full citation needed]
- ^ Higgins, Randall (February 2, 2012). "Cleveland: Spring Place Road closing for new bridges". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved November 1, 2017.