Tennessee State Route 840

State Route 840
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length:	78.0 mi (125.5 km)
Existed:	1991 – present
Major junctions
Beltway around Nashville, Tennessee
West end:	I-40 near Dickson
	I-65 near Franklin I-24 near Murfreesboro
East end:	I-40 near Lebanon
Highway system
Tennessee State Routes Interstate US State ← US 641 SR 1 →

State Route 840 is a state highway around Nashville, Tennessee, built and directed by the Tennessee Department of Transportation. First proposed by former Governor Lamar Alexander as part of a system of "Bicentennial Parkways", construction began on this freeway in 1991 – on the first segment extending south from Interstate 40 at Lebanon. The roadway currently serves the cities of Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Dickson. The southern loop, completed in 2012, is about 78 mi (125.5 km) long. The final construction was done on the western half of this semicircle, between U.S. Route 31 near Franklin and State Route 100 near Dickson. The Tennessee Department of Transportation completed the final 14 mi (22.5 km) in 2012 and opened it up to traffic on November 2, 2012.^[1]

Plans to construct a northern loop of SR 840 north of Nashville and past Dickson, Clarksville, Springfield, and Gallatin were abandoned since the Tennessee General Assembly ordered the Department of Transportation to discontinue further studies and planning of that highway because of the current state budget problems. An entire circular loop would possibly be about 178 mi (286.5 km) long. Other important objections against additional extensions of the SR 840 highway include the hilly nature of the terrain north of Nashville (the Highland Rim), which would require huge and costly amounts of excavation, soil relocation, and bridge construction. In October 2003, the Department of Transportation placed the northern loop plan on indefinite hold, citing a lack of documented transportation needs and lack of participation from local politicians.^[2]

While initially referred to as "Interstate 840", or "I-840" by the press, all official materials now refer to the highway as a "State Route". It has been constructed entirely with state transportation funds and it is not part of the Interstate Highway System. The number 840 was chosen for an easy transition if the road ever becomes Interstate 840 (with Interstate numbers 140, 240, 440, and 640 already being in use in Tennessee).

Counties traversed

The route of the southern loop of SR 840 passes across five counties.^[3] It was announced by TDOT on July 31, 2012 that the unfinished section would be completed and the final 14 mile stretch was opened to traffic on November 2, 2012.

• Dickson - 6 mi (9.7 km)
• Hickman - 2 mi (3.2 km)
• Williamson - 37 mi (59.5 km)
• Rutherford - 20 mi (32.2 km)
• Wilson - 13 mi (20.9 km)

Exit list

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Dickson				1A/B	I-40 – Nashville, Memphis	Western terminus; signed as exits 1A (west) and 1B (east)
Williamson				7	SR 100 / SR 46 – Fairview, Centerville
				14	SR 46 (Pinewood Road) – Leiper's Fork
				23	SR 246 (Carter's Creek Pike)
	Thompson's Station			28	US 31 (Columbia Pike) – Columbia, Spring Hill
				30	US 431 / SR 106 (Lewisburg Pike) – Franklin
				31A/B	I-65 – Nashville, Birmingham, AL	Also the route to Huntsville, Alabama; signed as exits 31A (south) and 31B (north)
				34	Peytonsville-Trinity Road
				37	Arno Road
	Triune			42	US 31A / US 41A / SR 11 (Horton Hwy) – Triune, Nolensville, Eagleville, Chapel Hill
Rutherford				47	SR 102 (Almaville Road) – Smyrna
				50	Veterans Parkway – Blackman
	Murfreesboro			53A/B	I-24 – Nashville, Chattanooga	Exit to Smyrna and Murfreesboro; signed as exits 53A (east) and 53B (west)
				55A/B	US 41 / US 70S / SR 1 (NW Broad Street / Nashville Hwy) – Murfreesboro, Smyrna	Signed as exits 55A (south/east) and 55B (north/west)
				57	Sulphur Springs Road
				61	SR 266 (W Jefferson Pike) – Smyrna
				65	SR 452 (Bill France Blvd / Maddox Road / Potts Road) – Nashville Superspeedway
Wilson				67	Couchville Pike	Exit to Cedars of Lebanon State Park
				70	Stewarts Ferry Pike – Gladeville
				72	SR 265 to SR 109 (Central Pike)
				76A/B	I-40 – Nashville, Knoxville	Eastern terminus; signed as exits 76A (east) and 76B (west) to Lebanon, TN
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

• List of Tennessee state highways

References

External links

• Kurumi 3-Digit Interstates