Tennessee State Route 56

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State Route 56

Maintained by TDOT

Length:

164.85 mi (265.30 km)

South end:

SR-117 near Sherwood

Major
junctions:

I-24 at Monteagle

US-70S / SR-1 at McMinnville

US-70 / SR-26 at Smithville

I-40 near Silver Point & Baxter

US-70N / SR-24 near Baxter

North end:

KY 63 near Gamaliel, KY

Counties:

Franklin, Marion, Grundy, Warren, DeKalb, Putnam, Jackson, Macon

Major cities:

Sewanee, Monteagle, Altamont, McMinnville, Smithville, Gainsboro, Red Boiling Springs

Tennessee State Routes
< I-55		SR-57 >

State Route 56 is a 164-mile (265 km) highway that runs south to north in Middle Tennessee.

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Starting at the northern border, TN-56 is considered a secondary road; at the Kentucky state line, it terminates with KY-63. From there it starts its southern journey through the small town of Red Boiling Springs and on to the town of Gainesboro in Jackson County. It there becomes a primary route and a division of the Tennessee Scenic Parkway system, and it proceeds south to U.S. Route 70 N just outside of Baxter in Putnam County.

Before Interstate 40 was built in the 1960s, TN-56 went directly through the town of Baxter and proceeded down what is now the Old Baxter Road to Silver Point and then to Smithville. After the interstate came through, a spur route was built to intersect with Exit 280 (the Baxter - Gainesboro exit) that bypasses Baxter. Also, the route from I-40 to Gainesboro is known to Upper Cumberland residents as part of the Corridor J project. At the junction of I-40 and TN-56, TN-56 accompanies I-40 west for 7 miles. At Exit 273 (Smithville - McMinnville exit) TN-56 proceeds south towards Smithville and then to McMinnville in Warren County. This stretch of road between I-40 and Smithville was notorious for terrible curves prior to the late 1970s, but it was rebuilt and is now considered a good route to follow. Some refer to this route as the I-40 to I-24 corridor. In McMinnville, drivers can travel west on State Route 55 to Manchester to reach I-24. Beyond McMinnville, TN-56 once again is considered a secondary route. It goes through Altamont, Tracey City, and then terminates in Monteagle, Tennessee at U.S. Route 41 and Interstate 24.