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Tennessee State Route 158

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Chrsull (talk | contribs) at 15:36, 16 April 2023 (undid automatic edit that removed proper hyphens; used template to hopefully avoid that mistake the the future.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

State Route 158 marker State Route 158 marker
State Route 158
Neyland Drive
James White Parkway
Map
SR 158 is highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by TDOT
Length4.6 mi (7.4 km)
Major junctions
West end US 11 / US 70 in Knoxville
Major intersections US 129 in Knoxville
East end I-40 in Knoxville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateTennessee
CountiesKnox
Highway system
← SR 157→ SR 159

State Route 158 (SR 158) is a west-to-east highway in the city of Knoxville in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

The route is 4.6 miles (7.4 km) long. Its western terminus is at Kingston Pike (U.S. Route 11 or US 11, US 70, and SR 1). Its eastern terminus is at Interstate 40 (I-40) at exit 388A. Portions of the highway are known as Neyland Drive and James White Parkway. The entire limited-access highway serves as a bypass of Downtown Knoxville and as a direct connector to the University of Tennessee (UT) campus and athletic facilities. Given its direct access to such facilities such as Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena, SR 158 has been locally nicknamed "Game Day Highway."[1]

Route description

SR 158 begins as a secondary highway known as Neyland Drive at an intersection with Kingston Pike (US 11/US 70/SR 1). It goes east as a 4-lane undivided highway to have an interchange with US 129/SR 115 (Alcoa Highway) before having a signalized intersection with Joe Johnson Drive (SR 450). Neyland Drive then travels along the northern banks of the Tennessee River and the southern edge of UT's campus, passing directly beside Thompson-Boling Arena, Neyland Stadium, and the university's engineering complex. It then runs along the southern edge of downtown, passing directly under the Henley Street Bridge and the Gay Street Bridge, before having an eastbound access-only exit for Volunteer Landing. SR 158 then makes a sharp turn to the north, leaving the riverbank, and has an T interchange with SR 71, James White Parkway, where Neyland Drive ends and SR 158 becomes signed as a primary highway as it takes over James White Parkway from SR 71. SR 158 then has westbound access-only interchanges with Main Street, Cumberland Avenue, and Summit Hill Drive before coming to an end at another T-interchange with I-40 at exit 388A.

History

Background and early history

An illustration produced by The Knoxville News-Sentinel in 1962 showing the proposed routing of the Downtown Loop, with the first section that was constructed highlighted.

The original plat of Knoxville drawn out by Charles McClung in 1791 included a street along the riverfront called Front Street, which later came to be known as Front Avenue. This street was subsequently extended to the west in a plan created by General James White.[2]

In 1945, the city of Knoxville commissioned a plan which recommended that a series of freeways be constructed throughout the city to relieve traffic on surface streets.[3] These freeways were intended to be integrated into the then-proposed nationwide network of freeways that later became the Interstate Highway System, which at the time, was expected to eventually be authorized by Congress.[4] At the same time, the University of Tennessee and the city of Knoxville were looking to relieve game-day traffic congestion around Neyland Stadium, which was then called Shields–Watkins Field. On October 23, 1950, then-Governor Gordon Browning instructed state highway commissioner Charles F. Wayland Jr. to begin work on a two-lane extension of Front Street, initially known as Lakefront Drive, to Kingston Pike.[5] This road, which was renamed Neyland Drive along with Front Avenue, was constructed the following year, opening to traffic on September 29, 1951.[6][7] A wooden bridge on the original Front Avenue portion of Neyland Drive over Second Creek was replaced with a corrugated steel-structured bridge with an asphalt deck between February and March 1955.[8][9]

In 1951, a preliminary concept was drawn up for a freeway loop around downtown, which included upgrading part of Neyland Drive.[10] The northern portion of this loop included part of the Magnolia Avenue Expressway, which became part of Interstate 40 after the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 was passed.[4][11] On January 10, 1957, a proposal for a square-shaped freeway loop called the Downtown Loop was presented to the Knoxville Metropolitan Planning Commission.[12][13] Engineering work began in August 1957,[14] and the design for this freeway was joinly approved on July 17, 1958, by the Bureau of Public Roads, predecessor to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); and the Tennessee Department of Highways, now the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) .[15]

Work on the first section, located between Vine Street and Magnolia Avenue, began on January 22, 1963, and was opened to traffic on June 23, 1964, in a ceremony officiated by then-Knoxville Mayor John Duncan Sr..[16] [17] The section between Magnolia Avenue and I-40, along with the interchange with I-40 and a short section of this route, opened on April 11, 1967.[18][19] Preliminary work on the section between Riverside Drive and Vine Avenue began on June 18, 1970, with the construction of a long culvert over First Creek.[20] Major construction on this section was delayed on September 8, 1970, due to the need to acquire 0.16 acres from the Blount Mansion Property, which required additional studies under legislation designed to protect historic properties.[21] After this issue was resolved, the routing was approved by U.S. Secretary of Transportation John A. Volpe on April 14, 1971,[21] and construction began on July 20.[22] After multiple weather-related delays, this section opened to traffic on September 15, 1973,[23] and was dedicated in a ceremony by then-Governor Winfield Dunn and Knoxville Mayor Kyle Testerman four days later.[24][25] Neyland Drive was widened to four lanes between February 1973 and August 1974, which required small artificial fills in the river and relocating the railroad tracks. A dedication ceremony for the completion of this project by Governor Dunn took place on September 6, 1974.[26][27]

Later history

By the time the last stretch of SR 158 was under construction, the city's commercial center had already begun to shift towards the west, due to the completion of the concurrent stretch of I-40 and I-75 in the earlier 1960s. As a result of this, the original plans for the Downtown Loop were essentially rendered obsolete and never completed.[11] By this time, portions of the original freeway network in Knoxville were also starting to suffer from congestion, rendering the original designs dangerous and outdated. The eastern terminus of SR 158 with I-40 quickly developed a high crash rate, largely due to left-hand entrance and exit ramps on I-40 westbound, and reconstruction of this interchange to eliminate this hazard was suggested as early as 1971.[28] In preparation for the 1982 World's Fair, the Knoxville area received $250 million to accelerate a number of needed transportation projects, including reconstruction of the infamous "Malfunction Junction" between I-40 and I-75 (now I-275), which had also been planned as the terminus for the western leg of the Downtown Loop; widening parts of I-40; and completion of I-640, a northern bypass around downtown.[29][30] The connecting section of I-40 and the SR 158 interchange were not included in this project, but nevertheless, TDOT began tentative plans for improvements to these problematic spots.[31]

Concepts for proposed improvements were presented to the public on December 11, 1989, and April 5 and 6, 1990.[31] Preliminary engineering began in 1995, with the final design settled on that year.[32] Additional public meetings were held between November 1995 and January 2000, and the environmental impact statement for the project was approved by the FHWA on February 28, 2002.[31] On June 14, 2004, the details of the project were revealed to the public, and the name was announced as "SmartFix 40". The project was divided into two phases, each of which were divided into two smaller phases.[33]

The first part of the first phase, which began on July 6, 2005, consisted of extending Hall of Fame Drive to parallel SR 158 between SR 71 and I-40, which eliminated an on-ramp from this road to SR 158 eastbound, reconstructing the interchange on I-40 with Hall of Fame Drive, construction of new collector-distributor ramps between this interchange and the SR 158 interchange, and replacing the Summit Hill Drive bridge over SR 158.[34][35] The first part of the first phase was completed on December 14, 2006, when the Hall of Fame Drive extension was dedicated and opened.[36] For the next part of the first phase, the James White Parkway portion of SR 158 was closed to all traffic between December 17, 2006, and September 21, 2007, to accelerate the reconstruction of this segment.[37][38] The northern portion of this stretch was widened, the Church Avenue bridge was replaced with the transit center viaduct, and a new ramp from I-40 eastbound to SR 158 westbound was constructed.[34][35] For the second phase, I-40 between SR 158 and Hall of Fame Drive was completely closed to all traffic between May 1, 2008, and June 12, 2009.[39] This allowed for this stretch of I-40 to be widened to six lanes and for the SR 158 interchange to be reconstructed on an accelerated basis.[40] During this closure, through traffic was required to use I-640 or surface streets, and local traffic was required to exit I-40 onto SR 158 from the eastbound lanes and Hall of Fame Drive from the westbound lanes.[41] Both phases of SmartFix 40 won an America's Transportation Award from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials in 2008 and 2010, respectively.[42][43] At a cost of $203.7 million (equivalent to $281 million in 2023[44]), SmartFix 40 was at the time the largest project ever undertaken by TDOT, and the second of its kind attempted in the US.[45]

From March 1997 to January 2000, a connector between SR 158 and the South Knoxville Bridge was constructed, requiring expansion of the interchange with Hall of Fame Drive and Cumberland Avenue.[46] Initially known as the South Knoxville Boulevard, this route was later renamed as an extension of James White Parkway. Between April 2015 and August 2017, the City of Knoxville undertook a streetscaping project which transformed a short stretch of Cumberland Avenue east of the western terminus of SR 158 from an urban thoroughfare into a pedestrian and bike friendly corridor.[47][48] As part of this project, US 11/70 were rerouted onto the stretch of SR 158 between the eastern terminus and the interchange with SR 71, as well as onto Hall of Fame Drive between SR 71 and Magnolia Avenue.[49]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Knoxville, Knox County.

mikmDestinationsNotes
0.00.0

 US 11 south / US 70 east (Kingston Pike/SR 1 west)
Kingston Pike to Cumberland Avenue - Downtown		Western terminus; western end of US 11/US 70/SR 1 concurrency; SR 158 begins as a now unsigned secondary highway


 US 129 (Alcoa Highway/SR 115) to I-40 / I-75 – Alcoa, Maryville		Interchange

 SR 450 east (Joe Johnson Drive) – University of Tennessee		Western terminus of SR 450
Lake Loudoun Boulevard - University of Tennessee, Thompson-Boling Arena, Neyland Stadium
Walnut Street - Knoxville Civic Coliseum, William Blount Mansion, James White FortIntersection with exit to Tennessee Riverboat Landing
Volunteer LandingEastbound exit only; western end of freeway; SR 158 becomes a signed primary highway

 SR 71 south (James White Parkway)


 US 11 north / US 70 east (Hall of Fame Drive/SR 1 east/SR 71 north)		Eastern end of US 11/US 70/SR 1 concurrency
Cumberland Avenue to US 441 - DowntownWestbound exit and eastbound entrance from Main Street
Summit Hill DriveWestbound exit and eastbound entrance from Hall of Fame Drive (US 11/US 70/SR 1/SR 71)
4.67.4 I-40 – Nashville, AshevilleEastern terminus; I-40 exit 388A; SR 158 ends as a signed primary highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ Knoxville Urban Guy. "Neyland Drive and the Waterfront". Inside of Knoxville. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  2. ^ Heiskell, Samuel G. (1918). Map of Early Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, Showing the Original 1791 Plat of Charles McClung, and the Subsequent 1795 Expansion to the North and West (Map). Scale not given. Nashville: Ambrose Printing Company. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Wikimedia Commons.
  3. ^ Smith, Walter (November 1945). Major Street System (Report). City of Knoxville, Tennessee. pp. 2–23.
  4. ^ a b Ferguson, Don K. (May 18, 2008). "Ferguson: First downtown expressway spurred Malfunction Junction". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "Governor Orders State to Build Lake Road". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 24, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "New Road Used for Game Traffic". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 29, 1951. p. 8. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "'Neyland Drive' Is Twin Help for UT Opening Game". The Knoxville Journal. September 30, 1951. p. 5-A. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "City May Open Neyland Drive". The Knoxville Journal. March 7, 1955. p. 16. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Neyland Drive Open". The Knoxville Journal (Illustration). March 13, 1955. p. 13-A. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Two Loop Routes Around City Considered by Planners". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. May 11, 1951. p. 11. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Hickman, Hayes (August 26, 2001). "Driving in Circles: More Roads/More Traffic Cycle Has Roots in Knoxville's Past". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. A1, A10, A11. Retrieved April 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Downtown Loops to Expressways in the Works". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. January 6, 1957. p. A-7. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Replanning of Riverfront-Willow Street Project May Be Necessary". The Knoxville Journal. p. 5. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Griffith, Ralph (August 25, 1957). "Downtown Loop Engineer Named; Step May Be Completed by January". The Knoxville Journal. p. 1-A. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Griffith, Ralph (July 18, 1958). "$10,000,000 Downtown Loop Assured; State, US Approval Given". The Knoxville Journal. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Powell, Lem (January 22, 1963). "Favorite at the Loop Ceremony—Fire". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 3. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Davis, Lee M. (June 23, 1964). "1st Downtown Loop Leg Open to Traffic". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  18. ^ "I-40 to Open, Gay to Cherry". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. April 10, 1967. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "Expressway Opening Set Today". The Knoxville Journal. April 11, 1967. p. 14.
  20. ^ "Second Leg of Loop Started". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. June 18, 1970. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ a b Stillwell, Lee (April 14, 1971). "DOT Approves Leg of Downtown Loop". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. 1, 20. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Downtown Loop Work Resumes". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. July 24, 1971. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Loop Traffic Runs Smoothly". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 17, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Loop Leg Ceremony to Be Sept. 19". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 10, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Clinical Center Plan Gets Boost". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 20, 1973. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Dedication of Neyland Is Friday". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. September 5, 1974. p. A1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ McNeeley, Mark (September 7, 1974). "Neyland Dedication Is Orange". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. 1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "I-40-Loop Lane Plan Opposed by Engineer". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 19, 1971. p. 15. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Hunt, Keel (2018). Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the Twenty-First Century and Could Save America. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. pp. 101–102, 117–129, 122. ISBN 978-0-8265-2241-2 – via Google Books.
  30. ^ Stiles, John M. (March 7, 1982). "Interstate Works Stays on Schedule Despite Weather". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. B1. Retrieved December 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ a b c Tennessee Department of Transportation; Federal Highway Administration (February 28, 2002). Interstate 40 from I-275 to Cherry Street in Knoxville, Knox County: Environmental Impact Statement (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved October 22, 2022 – via Google Books.
  32. ^ Lackey, Skip (April 23, 1995). "Changes In Interchanges; Preliminary plans to be considered for downtown". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. F1. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "TDOT Launches SmartFIX40". City of Knoxville. June 14, 2004. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  34. ^ a b Accelerating Highway Construction (PDF) (Brochure). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. May 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Better Roads Faster, Better City Now (PDF) (Brochure). Tennessee Department of Transportation. September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 30, 2009. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  36. ^ "New Hall of Fame Drive Opens" (Press release). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. December 14, 2006. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  37. ^ "James White Parkway Closes" (Press release). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. December 14, 2006. Archived from the original on January 25, 2007. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  38. ^ "James White Parkway Reopens" (Press release). Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. September 21, 2007. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  39. ^ "Interstate 40 Reopens In Knoxville 18 days ahead of schedule". Tennessee Government Newsroom. Nashville: Tennessee Department of Transportation. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 15, 2009.
  40. ^ Jacobs, Don (June 1, 2008). "I-40 closure going smoothly as traffic adjusts to changes". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  41. ^ Jacobs, Don (April 13, 2008). "Downtown's 14-month I-40 shutdown will mean new routes, potential surprises". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  42. ^ "TN: SmartFix40". Americas Transportation Awards. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. 2008. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  43. ^ "TN: SmartFIX40 Phase 2 Knoxville Project". Americas Transportation Awards. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  44. ^ Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved November 30, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth series.
  45. ^ Walker, Jeff. "I-40 SmartFix 40 Phase I, II, III and IV". Franklin, Tennessee: Wilson and Associates Engineering. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  46. ^ Hickman, Hayes (January 15, 2000). "South Knox connector open to traffic, but some details undone". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. pp. A1, A5. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  47. ^ "Lane opening will bring relief on Cumberland Avenue". Knoxville: WBIR-TV. August 1, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  48. ^ Tieu, Annie (August 17, 2017). "Cumberland Avenue opens for business". The Daily Beacon. Knoxville. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  49. ^ "U.S. Highway Routes in City of Knoxville". City of Knoxville. 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  • Tennessee Department of Transportation (January 24, 2003). "State Highway and Interstate List 2003".
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