State Route 30 (SR 30) is an east-west state highway in the central and eastern portions of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It runs generally west to east, connecting McMinnville in Warren County with Parksville along the Ocoee River in Polk County. It crosses several major geographic features in Tennessee, including the Cumberland Plateau, the Sequatchie Valley, the Tennessee River, and parts of the Cherokee National Forest.
State Route 30 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 30; primary in red, secondary in blue | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length | 118.15 mi (190.14 km) | |||
| Existed | October 1, 1923[1]–present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end |  US 70S near McMinnville | |||
| East end |   US 64 / US 74 in the Cherokee National Forest | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Tennessee | |||
| Counties | Warren, Van Buren, Bledsoe, Rhea, Megis, McMinn, Polk | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description edit
SR 30 begins just east of McMinnville in Warren County at an intersection with US 70S. Just beyond this initial junction, SR 30 intersects SR 127, which connects the area to Tullahoma to the southwest. SR 30 continues eastward, crossing into Van Buren County at the Rocky River. After passing several miles through predominantly-rural western Van Buren, the highway ascends over 900 feet (270 m) through a series of switchback curves to the top of the Cumberland Plateau, where it enters the town of Spencer.[2] Following College Street through Spencer, SR 30 intersects SR 111 just east of the town's downtown area.[3]
Continuing east beyond Spencer, SR 30 descends more than 900 feet (270 m) from the edge of the plateau into the Dry Fork Gulf.[4] This area marks the outer reaches of Fall Creek Falls State Park. At the base of the valley, SR 30 crosses Cane Creek and joins SR 285, which approaches from further down the valley in the direction of Doyle. The merged highway then continues eastward, reascending more than 800 feet (240 m) back to the top of the plateau,[4] before SR 285 diverges northward, and SR 30 continues toward the east. Just before reaching the Van Buren-Bledsoe county line, SR 30 intersects SR 284, which provides the primary access to Fall Creek Falls State Park to the south.[3]
In the Mount Crest area of western Bledsoe, SR 30 intersects SR 101, which runs in a northeastward direction to Crossville. Just past Mount Crest, SR 30 begins another significant elevation change, this time descending more than 1,000 feet (300 m) from the edge of Cumberland Plateau into the Sequatchie Valley.[5] This particularly steep section of the highway endures occasional closures due to rockslides.[6] In Pikeville, SR 30 merges with the north-south-oriented US 127. This merged route travels along the east side of Pikeville before the two highways split just south of the downtown area, with US 127 continuing southward to Dunlap, and SR 30 crossing the Sequatchie River before turning east.[3]
Continuing across the relatively narrow Sequatchie Valley, SR 30 begins another ascent of the Cumberland Plateau, climbing more than 1,000 feet (300 m) before topping out near Summer City.[7] After traversing this section of the plateau, known as Walden Ridge, and crossing into Rhea County, SR 30 enters its final major elevation change, this time winding its way more than 1,200 feet (370 m) down the side of the Cumberland Plateau into the Tennessee Valley.[8] In Dayton, SR 30 intersects US 27, which connects Dayton with Chattanooga to the south.[3]
After crossing the Tennessee River east of Dayton, SR 30 continues winding its away around the various ridges and valleys that characterize the region, and passes through the county seats of Decatur and Athens. In the latter city, SR 30 crosses I-75 and US 11, both of which run northeastward to Knoxville and southwestward to Chattanooga. In Etowah in eastern McMinn County, SR 30 merges with US 411, and veers southward into Polk County. The highway provides access to Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park (via Spring Creek Road) before crossing the Hiwassee River, with SR 30 splitting off from US 411 less than a mile later, turning eastward up the Hiwassee Valley into the Cherokee National Forest.[3]
In the old community of Reliance, SR 30 intersects SR 315, which runs northward in the direction of Tellico Plains. Just past this junction, SR 30 turns sharply to the south, and winds its way into the Greasy Creek Valley. The highway follows this valley southwestward to the Parksville area along the Ocoee River, where it terminates at US 64 and US 74.[3]
Major intersections edit
This section is missing mileposts for junctions. |
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren | | 0.0 | 0.0 | US 70S (Sparta Highway/SR 1) – McMinnville, Doyle, Sparta | Western terminus; SR 30 begins as a primary highway |
| |   SR 127 south (Shellsford Road) – McMinnville, Viola | Northern terminus of SR 127 | |||
| Van Buren | Spencer |  SR 111 (Artillery Road) – Sparta, Dunlap | Interchange | ||
| |   SR 285 west (Cane Creek-Cummingsville Road) – Doyle | Western end of SR 285 concurrency | |||
| |  SR 285 east (Mooneyham Road) | Eastern end of SR 285 concurrency | |||
| Bledsoe | |  SR 284 west (Park Road) – Fall Creek Falls State Park | Eastern terminus of SR 284 | ||
| Mount Crest |   SR 101 north (Lantana Road) – Lake Tansi Village, Crossville | Southern terminus of SR 101 | |||
| Pikeville |  US 127 north (Alvin C. York Highway/SR 28 north) – Crossville | Western end of US 127/SR 28 concurrency | |||
| US 127 south (Alvin C. York Highway/SR 28 south) – Dunlap | Eastern end of US 127/SR 28 overlap | ||||
| Bridge over the Sequatchie River | |||||
| Summer City |  SR 443 east (New Harmony Road) – New Harmony | Western terminus of SR 443 | |||
| Rhea | | SR 443 west (Ogden Road) – Ogden | Eastern terminus of SR 443 | ||
| |  SR 303 south (Cranmore Cove Road) – Graysville | Northern terminus of SR 303 | |||
| Dayton |  SR 378 north (Market Street) | Western end of SR 378 concurrency | |||
| SR 378 south (Market Street) | Eastern end of SR 378 concurrency | ||||
 US 27 (Rhea County Highway/SR 29) – Chattanooga, Soddy-Daisy, Spring City | |||||
| Old Washington |  SR 302 north (Old Dixie Highway) – Spring City | Southern terminus of SR 302 | |||
| Tennessee River | Washington Ferry Bridge over the Tennessee River | ||||
| Meigs | Decatur |  SR 58 (Meigs County Highway) – Kingston, Georgetown, Chattanooga | |||
| McMinn | Athens |  I-75 – Chattanooga, Knoxville | I-75 exit 49 | ||
 US 11 (Congress Parkway/SR 2) – Cleveland, Calhoun, Charleston, Niota, Sweetwater | |||||
 US 11 Bus. (N Jackson Street) – Downtown | |||||
 SR 39 west (E Washington Avenue/E Madison Avenue) – Downtown, Riceville | one-way pair; western end of SR 39 concurrency | ||||
   SR 305 north (Ingleside Avenue) / SR 307 north (E Madison Avenue) to I-75 – Sweetwater | Southern terminus of SR 305 and SR 307 | ||||
| SR 39 east (New Englewood Road) – Englewood | Eastern end of SR 39 concurrency | ||||
| Etowah |  US 411 north (Tennessee Avenue/SR 33 north) – Englewood | Western end of US 411/SR 33 concurrency | |||
 SR 310 east (Mecca Pike) – Tellico Plains | Western terminus of SR 310 | ||||
| Polk | Delano |  SR 163 west (Bowater Road) to I-75 – Calhoun | Eastern terminus of SR 163 | ||
| Bridge over the Hiwassee River | |||||
| US 411 south (SR 33 south) – Benton | Eastern end of US 411/SR 33 concurrency; SR 30 turns secondary | ||||
| Reliance |  SR 315 north (Reliance Road) – Tellico Plains | Southern terminus of SR 315 | |||
| Cherokee National Forest | 118.15 | 190.14 | US 64 / US 74 (Ocoee Scenic Byway/SR 40) – Cleveland, Ocoee, Ducktown | Eastern terminus; SR 30 ends as a secondary highway | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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References edit
- ^ 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.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Spencer, TN. 1:24,000.
- ^ a b c d e f Tennessee Department of Transportation (2016). Official Transportation Map (PDF) (Map). c.1:1,013,760. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ C10-C11, D11-D12, E12. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey. Bald Knob, TN. 1:24,000.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Billingsley Gap, TN. 1:24,000.
- ^ Ben Burton, "Road Repairs to Close State Highway 30 Between Pikeville and Fall Creek Falls," Chattanooga Times Free Press, 17 June 2016.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Pikeville, TN. 1:24,000.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. Morgan Springs, TN. 1:24,000.
External links edit
Media related to Tennessee State Route 30 at Wikimedia Commons