Old Hickory Boulevard | |
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SR 45, SR 171, SR 254, SR 251 | |
Maintained by: | Tennessee Department of Transportation |
Location: | Davidson County |
Old Hickory Boulevard is a historic road that encircles Nashville, Tennessee. Originally the road, aided by ferries, formed an unbroken loop around the city. Today, it is interrupted by lakes and rerouted sections.
The road is named for Andrew Jackson, who was nicknamed "Old Hickory", and is not, as is often confused, an old road that has been replaced by a "New Hickory Blvd" or "Hickory Blvd." The road intersects with each of Interstates 24, 65, and 40 in the Nashville area at least twice, which contributes to the misconception that there are many roads in Nashville using this name, rather than one, and causes a great deal of confusion for directions in the area. It was this stretch of road in 1961 that Patsy Cline and her brother Sam were involved in a near fatal car accident. From I-40 exit 221 to I-24 exit 62 the path is not through. It was interrupted in the creation of Percy Priest Lake and is partly now underwater. Its loose ends at the Cumberland River near Belle Meade make it hard to figure out where the ferry originally was considering its north end vears east toward TN SR 155.
Along its path, it is part of several state routes: SR 171, SR 254, SR 251, and SR 45.