U.S. Route 51 in Tennessee
U.S. Route 51 (US 51), mostly overlapped by the unsigned State Route 3 (SR 3), is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee, that is 135.9 miles (218.71 km) long, completely within West Tennessee.[2] It begins in Shelby County and ends in Obion County. The SR 3 designation is seen largely on mileposts.
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| State Route 3 | |||||||
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| Route information | |||||||
| Maintained by TDOT | |||||||
| Length | 135.90 mi[1] (218.71 km) | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| South end |  | ||||||
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| North end |  | ||||||
| Location | |||||||
| Counties | Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale, Dyer, Obion | ||||||
| Highway system | |||||||
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The two places where US 51 and SR 3 differ are in Memphis, where US 51 has been moved to Danny Thomas Boulevard (State Route 1 / State Route 4), while SR 3 remains on the one-way pair of 2nd and 3rd Streets, and in South Fulton, where US 51 crosses the state line on State Route 215 to the Purchase Parkway, while SR 3 remains on the old road, now U.S. Route 45.[1]
Route description
US 51 enters Tennessee at Memphis and runs north through the cities of Millington, Munford, Atoka, Brighton, Covington, Henning, Ripley, Halls, Dyersburg, Troy, Union City, and South Fulton.
This highway crosses four interstate highways on its journey through the state and actually crosses Interstate 240 twice within the City of Memphis but interchanges with it only at Union Avenue. US 51 is the westernmost south–north United States Highway in the State of Tennessee. US 51 is an interstate standard facility[1] from Dyersburg to South of Troy and then resuming interstate standard status north of Union City to South Fulton. US 51 is a four-lane or larger facility throughout the state with some sections north of Dyersburg carrying a 70 mph (110 km/h) speed limit.
Near Henning is also the site of the Hatchie River Bridge collapse on April 1, 1989 that killed 8 motorists when 3 spans of the structure collapsed. The 54-year-old bridge was 45 miles (72 km) north of Memphis and carried the northbound lanes of US 51. Its collapse was the result of pier scour and movement of the river channel.[3][4]
US 51 carries the Tennessee Scenic Parkway designation from its junction with SR 385 in Millington to SR 104 in Dyersburg and also carries the Great River Road designation from US 64/US 70/US 79 in Memphis to SR 88 in Halls.[1]
History
Historic two-lane alignments of this highway from Henning north are represented by State Route 209, a portion of State Route 88, State Route 210, State Route 211, a portion of State Route 183 and State Route 184. From Memphis to Henning, most of the original two lane road was upgraded to four lane expressway in the 1960s.
Future
Most of US 51 north of Dyersburg is expected to be upgraded as part of future Interstate 69. Plans currently call for Interstate 69 to run along the existing US 51 freeway from Dyersburg to Troy and from Union City to South Fulton. This section is part of SIU 7 for Interstate 69 and will require few changes beyond resigning the existing highway, however, a bypass route around Troy and Union City will need to be built before this section of future Interstate 69 is completed.[5][6]
Dyersburg business route
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| Location | Dyersburg |
| Length | 3.9 mi (6.3 km) |
U.S. Route 51 Business (US 51 Bus.) is a 3.9-mile-long (6.3 km) business route of US 51 located entirely in the city of Dyersburg in Dyer County, Tennessee. It has the unsigned designation of State Route 211 (SR 211) for its entire length.
The highway begins as South Main Avenue at a large three-way intersection with US 51/SR 3 on the southern edge of the city. It heads north, concurrent with SR 211, as a two-lane road through a business district before traveling through wooded areas and crossing a bridge over the North Fork of the Forked Deer River into downtown. US 51 Bus./SR 211 pass by the Dyer County Courthouse and becomes concurrent with SR 104 (East Court Street) as the road becomes North Main Avenue shortly before making an abrupt left turn onto McGaughey Street. US 51 Bus./SR 211 then split before heading through neighborhoods along Troy Avenue before turning right onto Gordon Street. The highway then makes a left turn onto North Sampson Avenue and passes through more neighborhoods before merging onto Saint John Avenue. They then travel through a business district before widening to a four-lane highway and coming to an end at an intersection with US 51/SR 3, where US 51 Bus. ends and SR 211 follows northbound US 51/SR 3 north on Saint John Avenue.
The entire route is in Dyersburg, Dyer County.
| mi | km | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | | Southern end of unsigned SR 211 concurrency; southern terminus of US 51 Bus. and SR 211 | ||
| 1.7 | 2.7 | Bridge over the North Fork of the Forked Deer River | |||
| 1.9 | 3.1 |  | Southern end of SR 104 concurrency | ||
| 2.1 | 3.4 | | Northern end of SR 104 concurrency | ||
| 3.9 | 6.3 |  | Northern end of unsigned SR 211 concurrency; northern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby | Memphis | 0.0 | 0.0 | | Continuation into Mississippi; southern terminus of SR 3; southern end of unsigned SR 3 concurrency |
| 1.8 | 2.9 |  | |||
| 4.6– 4.8 | 7.4– 7.7 |   | I-55 exit 5; no access from US 51 south to I-55 north or I-55 south to US 51 north; connections provided via E Brooks Road | ||
| 4.9 | 7.9 | Bridge over Nonconnah Creek | |||
| 9.3 | 15.0 |  | |||
| 9.9 | 15.9 |     | Southern end of US 64/US 70/US 79 overlap; western terminus of unsigned SR 23 | ||
| 10.2 | 16.4 | | No direct access to north(west)bound I-240 nor from south(east)bound I-240 (both signed at Madison Avenue); I-240 exit 30 | ||
| 11.3 | 18.2 | | Northern end of US 64/US 70/US 79/SR 3 overlap; southern end of SR 1/SR 4 overlap; interchange | ||
| 11.5 | 18.5 | Madison Avenue | Interchange | ||
| 11.6 | 18.7 | Jefferson Avenue | Interchange | ||
| 12.1– 12.3 | 19.5– 19.8 |  | I-40 exits 1B–D | ||
| 12.5 | 20.1 |   | Northern end of SR 1 overlap; southern end of SR 14 overlap | ||
| 12.6 | 20.3 |  | Northern end of SR 14 overlap | ||
| 13.1 | 21.1 | Chelsea Avenue (SR 3 south) | Eastern terminus of SR 4; southern end of SR 3 overlap; no left turn from either direction | ||
| 14.8– 15.0 | 23.8– 24.1 | Bridge over the Wolf River | |||
| 15.4– 15.7 | 24.8– 25.3 |  | I-40 exit 2A; future I-69 | ||
| 16.2 | 26.1 |  | |||
| 18.4 | 29.6 |  | Southern terminus of SR 388 | ||
| 20.3– 20.4 | 32.7– 32.8 | Bridge over the Loosahatchie River | |||
| Millington | 26.7– 26.9 | 43.0– 43.3 |  | Northern terminus of SR 385; future I-269 | |
| 27.7 | 44.6 |  | Northern terminus of SR 205 | ||
| Tipton | Atoka–Munford line | 35.3 | 56.8 |  | Southern terminus of SR 178 |
| 37.7 | 60.7 |  | |||
| Brighton | 40.8 | 65.7 | Old Highway 51 – Brighton Business District | ||
| 42.7 | 68.7 | Old Highway 51 – Brighton Business District | |||
| Covington | 47.2 | 76.0 |  | Southern end of SR 59 overlap; truck route to SR 54 east | |
| 49.2 | 79.2 |  | Western terminus of SR 54; one-way pair between W Pleasant Street and W Liberty Street | ||
| 49.3 | 79.3 |  | Northern end of SR 59 overlap | ||
| 50.4 | 81.1 |  | Northern terminus of SR 384; truck route to SR 54 east | ||
| Tipton–Lauderdale county line | | 54.7– 54.9 | 88.0– 88.4 | Mark Anthony Walker Bridge over the Hatchie River | |
| Lauderdale | | 56.4– 56.5 | 90.8– 90.9 |  | Southern terminus of SR 209 |
| Henning | 58.0 | 93.3 |  | ||
| Ripley | 61.9 | 99.6 |  | Southern end of SR 19 overlap | |
| 63.7 | 102.5 |  | North end of SR 19 overlap; interchange | ||
| 64.5 | 103.8 |  | Northern terminus of SR 208 | ||
| | 72.0 | 115.9 |  | Northern terminus of SR 180 | |
| Halls | 75.0– 75.3 | 120.7– 121.2 |  | Interchange | |
| Dyer | Fowlkes | 79.9 | 128.6 | Bridge over the South Fork of the Forked Deer River | |
| 82.1 | 132.1 |  | |||
| Dyersburg | 83.9 | 135.0 | | ||
| 84.2 | 135.5 |   | Interchange; southern terminus of US 51 Business and unsigned SR 211; truck route to SR 104 east | ||
| 85.5 | 137.6 | Bridge over the North Fork of the Forked Deer River | |||
| 86.5 | 139.2 | | |||
| 88.5 | 142.4 |   | |||
| 90.2 | 145.2 | | South end of unsigned SR 211 overlap; northern terminus of US 51 Business | ||
| 91.7 | 147.6 |  | Northern end of unsigned SR 211 overlap; southern end of US 412 overlap; south end of freeway; western terminus of unsigned SR 20; interchange | ||
| 92.1 | 148.2 | | North end of US 412 overlap; eastern terminus of I-155; I-155 exit 15 | ||
| Newbern | 97.0– 97.7 | 156.1– 157.2 |  | Western terminus of SR 77 | |
| Dyer–Obion county line | | 104.2– 104.8 | 167.7– 168.7 |  | Western terminus of SR 105 |
| Obion | Obion | 106.8– 106.9 | 171.9– 172.0 | Bridge over the Obion River | |
| 108.2– 108.7 | 174.1– 174.9 |  | |||
| | 113.6 | 182.8 | | Northern end of freeway; at-grade intersection; southern terminus of SR 183 | |
| Troy | 113.9 | 183.3 | S Main Street - Troy | Former US 51 | |
| 114.8 | 184.8 |  | Southern end of SR 21 overlap | ||
| 115.3 | 185.6 | | Northern end of SR 21 overlap | ||
| 120.0– 120.4 | 193.1– 193.8 | .svg.png){kind=small} | Future interchange | ||
| Union City | 122.0 | 196.3 |  | Southern end of unsigned SR 184 concurrency; Former US 51 | |
| 122.2 | 196.7 |   | Northern terminus of SR 431; northern end unsigned SR 184 concurrency | ||
| 123.0 | 197.9 |   | Southern end of SR 22 overlap | ||
| 125.6 | 202.1 | | |||
| | 127.1– 127.7 | 204.5– 205.5 | | Northern end of SR 22 overlap; southern end of US 45W overlap; southern end of freeway; interchange; future I-169 | |
| | | Proposed southern end of I-69 overlap | |||
| South Fulton | 134.5 | 216.5 |  | Interchange; eastern terminus of SR 214; southbound exit and northbound entrance; northern end of freeway | |
| 134.8 | 216.9 |   | Northern end of US 45W and unsigned SR 3 overlap; southern end of unsigned SR 215 overlap; US 45W and US 45E merge to form US 45; southern end of freeway; interchange | ||
| 135.9 | 218.7 | | Continuation into Kentucky; southern terminus of Purchase Parkway; western terminus of unsigned SR 215 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
- List of highways numbered 51
References
- Tennessee Department of Transportation County Maps and City Maps
- Tennessee Department of Transportation (24 January 2003). "State Highway and Interstate List 2003"
- Haestad Methods, Inc., 13.9 Lateral Scour-The Hatchie River Bridge Failure
- "National Transportation Safety Board; July 24, 1990 Letter to Gov. Ned McWherter" (PDF).
- "TDOT". www.tn.gov.
- "Memphis-Evansville Section Details". I69Info.com. Retrieved October 9, 2014.
External links
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