U.S. Route 70S

U.S. Route 70S marker

U.S. Route 70S
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length: 113.1 mi[1] (182.0 km)
Existed: 1939 – present
Major junctions
West end: US 70 / SR 1 / SR 24 in Nashville
  I-440 in Nashville
I-40 / I-65 in Nashville
I-24 in Nashville
I-840 in Murfreesboro
East end: US 70 / SR 26 / SR 111 in Sparta
Location
Counties: Davidson, Rutherford, Cannon, Warren, Van Buren, White
Highway system
← US 70NSR 70 →

U.S. Route 70S (US 70S) is an alternate to U.S. Route 70 between the western part of Nashville, Tennessee, and Sparta, Tennessee. It runs concurrent with US-70 for several blocks in downtown Nashville. The highway follows Murfreesboro Pike from Nashville to Murfreesboro then heads due east to McMinnville then northeast to Sparta where it ends at its junction with US 70. It was originally designated as U.S Route 270 in 1926.

Route description

US 70S begins at a junction with US 70 and SR 24 as the Charlotte Pike, and runs concurrently with SR 1. The road descends to an interchange with I-40, before passing through the community of Bellevue and intersecting SR 251. After this, US 70S enters the urban Nashville area along Harding Pike, intersecting SR 100 and then crossing I-440 as West End Avenue. US 70S and SR 1 merge with US 431 and SR 106 and crosses the I-40 and I-65 freeway as Broadway. At that interchange, the one-way couplet of US 70 and SR 24 meets US 70S, and all these routes continue into downtown Nashville. At the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Broadway, US 31 and US 41 run concurrently with the other routes on 8th Avenue South and then Lafayette Street, while US 431 splits off with US 31 and US 41 headed north, and US 70 and SR 24 continue east. US 31 eventually continues south, splitting from the other routes. US 70S and SR 1 and US 41 come to an interchange with I-24 near the I-40 interchange, before the three routes leave the Nashville area as Murfreesboro Pike, intersecting SR 155 and passing under the runways of Nashville International Airport.[1]

East of the airport, US 70S intersects SR 255, Donelson Pike, and later SR 254 as well as SR 171 (Hobson Pike), as it passes through the suburbs east of Nashville. In Rutherford County, US 70S has an interchange with SR 266 near the airport before passing through Smyrna. The highway then has an interchange with Lee Victory Parkway (SR 102) and I-840 before briefly paralleling the west fork of the Stones River and entering the city of Murfreesboro. U.S. Route 231 and SR 10 briefly run concurrently with the route, and SR 96 intersects it. Southeast of town, US 41 and SR 2 continue south, splitting off from SR 1 and US 70S. As Mercury Boulevard, and then as the John Bragg Highway, the two routes leave the city and continue east through forested areas and farmland for several miles.[1]

In the town of Woodbury, the highway intersects with SR 145, and passes through the town as Main Street, also briefly running concurrently with SR 53. The road then winds through foothills before intersecting SR 281, SR 146, and SR 287. Main Street comes to an interchange with SR 380 and SR 55, and US 70S and SR 1 continue northeast on the Bobby Ray Memorial Parkway. The parkway continues along the outskirts of McMinnville, intersecting SR 56 and SR 380. As Sparta Highway, the routes continue east, intersecting SR 30 and SR 288 before passing near Campaign and becoming first Bone Cave Parkway and then Memorial Highway. After several miles, the routes run concurrently with SR 111 before heading due north on Spencer Highway before SR 1 exits from the divided highway. US 70S and SR 111 continue north to the diamond interchange with US 70 and SR 26 just west of Sparta.[1]

History

Route improvements

During the 1980s the section of the route between Belle Meade and Smyrna was upgraded from two to four lanes.

In 1991 the portion from Smyrna to Murfreesboro was also upgraded to four lanes.

In the early 1990s the 18-mile (29 km) stretch from Murfreesboro to Woodbury was widened from two to four lanes.

Between 1994 and 2002 the section between McMinnville and Sparta was widened to four lanes and a four lane bypass around McMinnville was built.

As of 2006, besides the two-mile (3.2 km) western terminus near Bellevue past Interstate 40 to the intersection with US 70, the only section of US-70S that lacked four lanes was between Woodbury and McMinnville. Construction began outside McMinnville on widening to five lanes (including one left turn lane) for three miles (5 km) as a way to avoid congestion. As of 2014, the section between McMinnville and Woodbury had been upgraded to a four-lane divided highway. As the remaining two-lane portion will be adjacent to the site chosen in late January 2017 by the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Board of Education for the relocation of Hillwood High School,[2] this may also be upgraded.

Junction list

CountyLocationmikmDestinationsNotes
Davidson​ US 70 / SR 1 west / SR 24 eastWestern end of SR 1 concurrency
Bellevue I-40
SR 251 (Old Hickory Boulevard)
Belle Meade SR 100
SR 155
Nashville US 431 / SR 106Western end of US 431 concurrency
I-440I-440 west exit 1, east exit 1A.
I-40 / I-65 / US 70 / SR 24Western end of US 70 / SR 24 concurrency
US 70 / US 31 / US 41 / US 431 / SR 11 / SR 24Eastern end of US 70 / SR 24 concurrency; western end of US 31 / US 41 / SR 11 concurrency
US 31 (8th Avenue South)Eastern end of US 31 concurrency
US 11Eastern end of SR 11 concurrency
I-24 / I-40
SR 155
SR 255
SR 254
SR 171
Rutherford​ SR 266
​ I-840Interchange
Murfreesboro US 231 / SR 10 / SR 96Western end of US 231 / SR 96 concurrency
US 231 / SR 10 (South Church Street)Eastern end of US 231 / SR 96 concurrency
US 41 / SR 2 (Southeast Broad Street)Eastern end of US 41 concurrency
CannonWoodbury SR 53 (South McCrary Street)Western end of SR 53 concurrency
SR 53 (Gassaway Road)Eastern end of SR 53 concurrency
​ SR 281 (Center Hill Road / Manaustown Road)
​ SR 146 (Short Mountain Road)
WarrenCentertown SR 287 (Short Mountain Road)
SR 287 (Short Mountain Road)
McMinnville SR 55 / SR 380
SR 56
SR 380
​ SR 30
​ SR 288
​ SR 136
White​ SR 111Western end of SR 111 concurrency
Sparta SR 1Eastern end of SR 1 concurrency
US 70 / SR 26Eastern end of SR 111 concurrency
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Google (March 3, 2013). "U.S. Route 70S" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  2. ↑ WKRN, January 24, 2017
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