Interstate 24

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Interstate 24
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length: 316.4 mi (509.1 km)
West end: I-57 near Marion, IL
Major
junctions:		 I-65 in Nashville, TN
I-40 in Nashville, TN
I-59 near Lookout Mountain, GA
East end: I-75 in Chattanooga, TN

Interstate 24 (abbreviated I-24) is an interstate highway in the eastern United States. It runs (diagonally) from Interstate 57 (10 miles south of Marion, Illinois) to Chattanooga, Tennessee at Interstate 75.

Contents

[edit] Route description

Interstate 24 travels through the following states:

[edit] Illinois

In the state of Illinois, Interstate 24 is a remote, four-lane freeway that travels through hilly rural southern Illinois and the Shawnee National Forest. Although 37 miles in length, there are only five mainline exits; of those five, four have services. Interstate 24 crosses into Kentucky via the aptly-named Interstate 24 Bridge from Metropolis, Illinois to Paducah, Kentucky.

[edit] Kentucky

In the state of Kentucky, Interstate 24 runs from Paducah to the Tennessee border just northwest of Clarksville. Along its route are Kentucky Dam which forms Kentucky Lake and Barkley Dam which forms Lake Barkley, Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area ("LBL"; under the management of the US Forest Service ), and Fort Campbell.

[edit] Tennessee

In the state of Tennessee, Interstate 24 runs from Clarksville to Chattanooga by way of Nashville. Just west of Chattanooga I-24 drops into Georgia for 4 miles (6 km).

One of the most notoriously hazardous stretches of Interstate highway in the United States is approximately 40 miles (64 km) west of Chattanooga on I-24 in Monteagle, where the highway goes over the Cumberland Plateau. Compared to grades elsewhere, Monteagle's 4 to 6% grade does not come close to the steepest highway roads (Interstate 40 between Nashville and Knoxville features 5% grades in each direction), but the slope is protracted over a distance of several miles. While all motorists need to exercise caution, truckers are particularly vexed by Monteagle, and many have died going through this area.[citation needed] The east bound lanes feature several runaway truck ramps where a truck with no brakes can exit into a long pit full of loose gravel to safely stop. This dangerous stretch of highway inspired Johnny Cash to write a song about Monteagle Mountain.

Another interesting tidbit about the Monteagle grade is that it sports one of the 3 widest medians of any Interstate highway. (The other 2 being I-8 thru the In-Ko-Pah grade in California and I-84 through the Cabbage Hill grade east of Pendleton, Oregon.) There's more than a mile between the eastbound and westbound lanes at one point. The eastbound lanes descend the mountain on one side of a ridge, while the westbound lanes ascend on the other side of the ridge. Also of interest on Monteagle Mountain is the steep grade on I-24 north of Monteagle. This steep grade occurs for Westbound traffic and features a very sharp 45 MPH curve to the right while descending steeply at the same time. This downhill curve also features off-ramp approach style lane dividers, too, in order to tell motorists and truckers both to slow down.

[edit] Georgia

Main article: Interstate 24 in Georgia

In the state of Georgia, Interstate 24 runs for 4 miles (6 km), running along the southern flank of Raccoon Mountain before turning back north to the Tennessee River and around the northern flank of Lookout Mountain. The exits remain numbered according to Tennessee's mileposts.

[edit] Length

Miles km state
38.73 62.33 Illinois
93.37 150.26 Kentucky
180.16 289.94 Tennessee
4.10 6.60 Georgia
316.36 509.13 Total[1]

[edit] Major cities

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

[edit] Intersections with other interstates

Interstate 24 intersects with the following interstates, from west to east:

[edit] Spur routes

 Auxiliary routes of Interstate 24
I-124 Tennessee

[edit] Notes

The Olgiati Bridge on former I-124 (now US 27), spanning the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.
Enlarge
The Olgiati Bridge on former I-124 (now US 27), spanning the Tennessee River in Chattanooga.
  • I-24 has a very small (four mile) section southwest of Chattanooga that dips south into Georgia to meet I-59. This section maintains the Tennessee mile marker and exit numbering scheme. The Georgia segment is also officially State Route 409.
  • A spur into Chattanooga, formerly called I-124 (now part of US Highway 27), is designated a secret route. There are no official spurs from I-24.
  • I-24 makes up a highway between St. Louis, Missouri and Atlanta, Georgia. It links up through links with I-64 and I-57 across Illinois and I-75 in Georgia.
  • Long-range plans have I-24 being extended from its current terminus at Interstate 57 into the St. Louis metropolitan area.
  • When completed, the southern extension of I-69 will cross I-24 in Eddyville, Kentucky, and will exit near Calvert City, Kentucky.
  • When completed, the western extension of I-66 will cross I-24 in Eddyville, Kentucky, and exit near Paducah, Kentucky

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ United States Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration (2002-10-31). Route Log- Main Routes of the Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways - Table 1. Retrieved on 2006-07-12.


edit
Main Interstate Highways (multiples of 5 in pink)		 Interstate Highway marker
4 5 8 10 12 15 16 17 19 20 22 24 25 26 27 29 30
35 37 39 40 43 44 45 49 55 57 59 64 65 66 66 (W) 68
69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 (W) 76 (E) 77 78 79 80 81 82
83 84 (W) 84 (E) 85 86 (W) 86 (E) 87 88 (W) 88 (E) 89 90
91 93 94 95 96 97 99 (238) H-1 H-2 H-3
Unsigned  A-1 A-2 A-3 A-4 PRI-1 PRI-2 PRI-3
Lists  Main - Auxiliary - Suffixed - Business - Proposed - Unsigned
Gaps - Intrastate - Interstate standards - Replaced
Browse numbered routes
< US 24 IL ILL 25 >
← 408 Georgia 410 →
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