State Route 156 (SR 156) is a spur route of Tennessee State Route 56 (SR 56) and a state highway in

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

and Marion counties in the southern central and

southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

portions of Tennessee, United States. It traverses the southern

Cumberland Plateau The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and Tennessee, and portions of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia. The terms "Alle ...

before descending into the Sequatchie Valley, where follows the shores of Nickajack Lake for its final few miles.

Route description

SR 156 begins in Franklin County atop the western part of the Cumberland Plateau near

Sewanee Sewanee may refer to: * Sewanee, Tennessee * Sewanee: The University of the South * ''The Sewanee Review'', an American literary magazine established in 1892 * Sewanee Natural Bridge * Saint Andrews-Sewanee School See also * Suwanee (disambiguati ...

at an intersection with

U.S. Route 41A Several special routes of U.S. Route 41 exist, including three in Wisconsin. In order from south to north they are as follows. Existing Fort Myers business loop U.S. Route 41 Business is a former segment of U.S. Route 41 in Downtown Fort Myer ...

/ Tennessee State Route 15/ SR 56. It winds its way southeastward across a remote section of the plateau, passing through

Franklin State Forest Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral divi ...

along the way and crossing into Marion County after straddling the county line for a few miles. After exiting the forest, the road veers eastward and intersects Orme Mountain Road, a gravel road connecting the highway with Orme in the valley to the south. Nickajack-Lake-SR156-tn1

Just beyond its intersection with Patton School Road, SR 156 descends more than from the edge of the plateau into the Sequatchie Valley, where it enters South Pittsburg. It follows 2nd Street through the city's downtown area before briefly merging with the former route of

U.S. Route 72 U.S. Route 72 (US 72) is an east–west United States highway that travels for from southwestern Tennessee, throughout North Mississippi, North Alabama, and southeastern Tennessee. The highway's western terminus is in Memphis, Tennessee and ...

/ Tennessee State Route 27, veering north along Cedar Avenue for several blocks, and then turning eastward again to have an interchange with the current expressway alignment. SR 156 crosses the Tennessee River via the steel arch Shelby Rhinehart Bridge. After crossing the bridge, SR 156 enters New Hope, which it traverses from west-to-east, providing its main traffic artery. Shortly after crossing the bridge, it intersects

Tennessee State Route 422 State Route 422 (SR 422), also known as Long Island Road, is a short north-south state highway located entirely in the city of New Hope, Tennessee. It connects various neighborhoods of the city with its main business district and the Alabama ...

, which goes south to

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, Alabama. At this city's eastern limits, SR 156 intersects

Tennessee State Route 377 State Route 377 (SR 377) is a short north-south in Marion County, Tennessee. It serves as a northern continuation of Alabama State Route 73 (SR 73) beyond the state line, connecting it with the town of New Hope. Route description SR 377 begi ...

, which continues southward into Alabama (where it becomes Alabama State Route 73). Beyond this intersection, SR 156 crosses a mile-long causeway across Nickajack Lake, with the Nickajack Cove inlet to the south, and the main body of the lake to the north. The road runs parallel to a stretch of

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

railroad tracks along the length of the causeway. After reaching the main lakeshore, SR 156 turns northeastward, following the shore and the lower slopes of Sand Mountain before reaching an intersection with Interstate 24 (Exit 161). Just past this intersection, the highway again crosses a section of the lake before terminating at its intersection with

Tennessee State Route 134 State Route 134 (SR 134) is an east-west state highway in southeastern Tennessee. The state route traverses portions of southern Marion and southwestern Hamilton Counties. It travels along a path from Haletown to the Georgia state line. Route ...

. From this point, SR 134 continues northward into Haletown and eastward toward Whiteside and the northwestern part of the state of Georgia.

Major intersections

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, Tennessee State Route 156

156 Year 156 ( CLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Silvanus and Augurinus (or, less frequently, year 909 '' Ab urbe co ...

Transportation in Marion County, Tennessee Transportation in Franklin County, Tennessee