Tennessee State Route 840
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee National Guard Parkway | ||||
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by TDOT | ||||
| Length: | 77.28 mi[1] (124.37 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1991 – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: |
 I-40 near Dickson | |||
| ||||
| East end: |
I-40 near Lebanon | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Dickson, Hickman, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Tennessee State Route 840 (SR 840), also designated as Tennessee National Guard Parkway,[2] is a state highway around Nashville, Tennessee, built by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). First proposed by former Governor Lamar Alexander as part of a system of Bicentennial Parkways, construction began in 1991 and was completed in 2012. The freeway is 77.28 miles (124.37 km) long,[1] and it serves the cities of Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Franklin, and Dickson.[3][4]
In 2015, approval was given by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) to redesignate SR 840 as Interstate 840 (I-840) as part of its integration into the Interstate Highway System. As of February 2016, the highway had not been resigned by TDOT.
History
The SR 840 project was initiated in 1986 with the passage of the Better Roads Program in the Tennessee legislature.[2] While initially referred to as Interstate 840 (I-840) in the state plan,[2] the highway was constructed entirely with state transportation funds and is officially referred to as a state route.[5] The first contract for construction was signed in 1991, and work progressed in stages. The section of road between I-40 at Lebanon and I-24 near Murfreesboro was completed in November 1996, between I-24 and I-65 near Franklin in October 2001, and between I-40 near Dickson and SR 100 in December 2002.[2][6] Due to high costs and environmental concerns, the proposed northern half of SR 840 was indefinitely placed on hold in 2003.[2] As work moved into Williamson County, residents filed complaints and eventually lawsuits in an effort to have TDOT address both environmental and aesthetic issues, considerably slowing work in that county.[5] The full southern route of SR 840 was opened on November 2, 2012.[2] The project took 26 years to complete at a cost of $753.4 million.[5]
Northern loop
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 TDOT to discontinue further studies and planning of that highway because of state budget problems. An entire circular loop would possibly be about 178 miles (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, TDOT placed the northern loop plan on indefinite hold, citing a lack of documented transportation needs and lack of participation from local politicians.[1]
Redesignation
In 2015, TDOT submitted a request to AASHTO to redesignate SR 840 as I-840. Though the application had an error that required TDOT to refile it, AASHTO conditionally approved it and submitted it to the FHWA for their approval.[7][8] FHWA approved the change on July 22, 2015, and AASHTO finalized their approval on September 25, 2015.[9]
Exit list
| County | Location | mi[4] | km | Exit | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dickson | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | I-40 – Nashville, Memphis | Western terminus; signed as exits 1A (west) and 1B (east) | |||
| Hickman |
No major junctions | |||||||
| Williamson | 7.3 | 11.7 | 7 |   SR 100 / SR 46 – Fairview, Centerville | ||||
| 14.1 | 22.7 | 14 | SR 46 (Pinewood Road) – Leiper's Fork | |||||
| 22.9 | 36.9 | 23 |  SR 246 (Carter's Creek Pike) | |||||
| Thompson's Station | 28.3 | 45.5 | 28 |  US 31 (Columbia Pike) – Columbia, Spring Hill | ||||
| 30.3 | 48.8 | 30 |   US 431 / SR 106 (Lewisburg Pike) – Franklin | |||||
| 31.1 | 50.1 | 31 |  I-65 – Nashville, Birmingham, AL | Also the route to Huntsville, AL; signed as exits 31A (south) and 31B (north) | ||||
| 34.9 | 56.2 | 34 | Peytonsville–Trinity Road | |||||
| 37.1 | 59.7 | 37 | Arno Road | |||||
| Triune | 41.9 | 67.4 | 42 |    US 31A / US 41A / SR 11 (Horton Highway) – Triune, Nolensville, Eagleville, Chapel Hill | ||||
| Rutherford | 46.9 | 75.5 | 47 |  SR 102 (Almaville Road) – Smyrna | ||||
| 50.8 | 81.8 | 50 | Veterans Parkway – Blackman | |||||
| Murfreesboro | 53.1 | 85.5 | 53 |  I-24 – Nashville, Chattanooga | Exit to Smyrna and Murfreesboro; signed as exits 53A (east) and 53B (west) | |||
| 55.1 | 88.7 | 55 |    US 41 / US 70S / SR 1 (NW Broad Street / New Nashville Highway) – Murfreesboro, Smyrna | Signed as exits 55A (south/east) and 55B (north/west) | ||||
| 57.8 | 93.0 | 57 | Sulphur Springs Road | |||||
| 61.4 | 98.8 | 61 |  SR 266 (West Jefferson Pike) – Smyrna | |||||
| 65.2 | 104.9 | 65 |  SR 452 (Bill France Boulevard / Maddox Road / Mona Road) – Nashville Superspeedway | |||||
| Wilson | 67.2 | 108.1 | 67 | Couchville Pike | Exit to Cedars of Lebanon State Park | |||
| 70.6 | 113.6 | 70 | Stewarts Ferry Pike – Gladeville | |||||
| 72.0 | 115.9 | 72 |   SR 265 to SR 109 (Central Pike) | |||||
| 76.8 | 123.6 | 76 | I-40 – Nashville, Knoxville | Eastern terminus; signed as exits 76A (east) and 76B (west) to Lebanon | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||||
See also
- U.S. Roads portal
- Tennessee portal
References
- 1 2 3 Tennessee Department of Transportation (October 31, 2003). "TDOT Announces Decision on State Route 840 North" (PDF) (Press release). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 27, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tennessee Department of Transportation (2012). State Route 840: Enjoy the Ride (PDF) (Dedication program). Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 19, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ↑ Tennessee Department of Transportation (2014). Tennessee: 2014 Official Transportation Map (Map). 1 in≈10 mi. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. §§ C7–B8.
- 1 2 Google (June 20, 2015). "State Route 840" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Anderson, Skip (November 5, 2012). "State Route 840 Opening Ends Arduous, Laborious and Costly Project". The City Paper (Nashville, TN). Retrieved June 11, 2015.
- ↑ Tennessee Department of Transportation (n.d.). "SR 840 South: Brief History". Tennessee Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on July 14, 2007.
- ↑ Vitale, Marty (May 14, 2015). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering Spring 2015 Report to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Cheyenne, WY: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 6. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Wright, Bud (June 4, 2015). "Interstate Applications for I-840 TN" (PDF) (Letter to Greg Nadeau). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Vitale, Marty (September 25, 2015). "Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering Report to the Standing Committee on Highways" (PDF) (Report). Chicago: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tennessee State Route 840. |
- Interstate 840 at Kurumi.com
- Interstate 840 at Interstate-Guide.com
| ||||||||||||