State Route 33 (SR 33) is a primary and secondary route in

East Tennessee East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 count ...

. It runs 176 miles, from the Georgia state line in Polk County, northeast to the Virginia state line north of Kyles Ford in Hancock County. South of Maryville, SR 33 is a "hidden" route which shares a concurrency with US 411. The section of SR 33 between Knoxville and Tazewell, along with US 25E between Tazewell and

Middlesboro, Kentucky Middlesboro ()Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'', University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987p. 196 Accessed 26 August 2013. is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,334 at the 2010 U.S ...

, was an inspiration for the song

The Ballad of Thunder Road "The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor Robert Mitchum in 1958, with music by composer Jack Marshall. It was the theme song of the movie '' Thunder Road''. The song made the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 twice, in 1958 an ...

. In the song, a moonshiner runs illegal whiskey from Kentucky to Knoxville on this route. Sections of the former Highway 33 in Union County have signs marking "The Original Thunder Road".

Route description

Polk County

SR 33 begins in Polk County in Tennga at the Georgia state line concurrent with

US 411 U.S. Route 411 (US 411) is an alternate parallel-highway associated with US 11. US 411 extends for about from US 78 in Leeds, Alabama, to US 25W/ US 70 in Newport, Tennessee. US 411 travels through nor ...

as its unsigned companion route. It begins as a primary highway. US 411/SR 33 go north and pass by the community of Conasauga and cross over the

Conasauga River The Conasauga River is a river that runs through southeast Tennessee and northwest Georgia. The Conasauga River is longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 27, 2011 an ...

to enter Old Fort where they intersect SR 313. They continue north to Ocoee where they have an interchange with

US 64 U.S. Route 64 (US 64) is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,326 miles (3,743 km) from Nags Head in eastern North Carolina to just southwest of the Four Corners in northeast Arizona. The western terminus is at U.S. Route 1 ...

US 74 U.S. Route 74 (US 74) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Chattanooga, Tennessee to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Primarily in North Carolina, it serves as an important highway from the mountains to the ...

/ SR 40. US 411/SR 33 then continue north, then turn northwest and cross the

Ocoee River The Toccoa River and Ocoee River are the names in use for a single river that flows northwestward through the southern Appalachian Mountains of the southeastern United States. It is a tributary of the Hiwassee River, which it joins in Polk Coun ...

before entering Benton. In Benton, they have an intersection with SR 314. They then leave Benton and continue north. They then enter

Delano Delano or DeLano may refer to: Places in the United States * Delano, California * Delano, Wichita, Kansas, a neighborhood in Wichita and former community before merging with Wichita * Delano, Minnesota * Delano, Nevada * Delano, Pennsylvania * De ...

and begin a concurrency with SR 30. They then cross the

Hiwassee River The Hiwassee River has its headwaters on the north slope of Rocky Mountain in Towns County in the northern area of the State of Georgia. It flows northward into North Carolina before turning westward into Tennessee, flowing into the Tennessee Riv ...

to pass by

Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park The Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park is a Tennessee state park in Polk County, Tennessee, United States, that provides access to the Hiwassee and Ocoee rivers. A stretch of the Hiwassee River, extending from the North Carolina state li ...

(via Spring Creek Road) and intersect with the eastern end of SR 163 before leaving Delano. US 411/SR 33/SR 30 continues north and crosses into McMinn County.

McMinn County

A short distance later, they enter Etowah. In Etowah, they intersect with the western end of SR 310, before SR 30 separates and turns west towards

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. US 411/SR 33 then leave Etowah and go north to Englewood, where they intersect and have a short concurrency with SR 39. They then continue north to cross into Monroe County.

Monroe County

They then enter Madisonville and have an interchange with SR 68. They then bypass downtown to the north and then leave Madisonville, going northeast. US 411/SR 33 then intersect and become concurrent with SR 72 before entering Vonore. In Vonore, they intersect SR 360 before crossing

Tellico Lake Tellico Dam is a dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Loudon County, Tennessee, on the Little Tennessee River as part of the Tellico Project. Planning for a dam structure on the Little Tennessee was reported as early as 1936 but ...

Little Tennessee River The Little Tennessee River is a tributary of the Tennessee River that flows through the Blue Ridge Mountains from Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, into North Carolina, and then into Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. It drains portio ...

, leaving Vonore. Just before crossing into Loudon County, SR 72 separates and turns east, running along the banks of Tellico Lake. US 411/SR 33 then cross into Loudon County and go northeast to Greenback to intersect with the southern end of SR 95. They then cross into Blount County.

Blount County

They continue north to intersect the southern end of SR 336 just north of Lanier. They then intersect and become concurrent with

US 129 U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an auxiliary route of US 29, which it intersects in Athens, Georgia. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, to an interchange ...

/ SR 115 before entering Maryville. They then intersect with the southern end of SR 335 before entering downtown. Just before downtown, US 129/SR 115 separate at an interchange, with US 129/SR 115 bypassing downtown to the west and providing access to

McGhee Tyson Airport McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport 12 miles south of Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 15, 2012. in Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles Mc ...

. US 411/SR 33 then go through downtown, where they intersect

US 321 U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because o ...

/ SR 73 before coming to an intersection with SR 35. Here, SR 33 separates and follows its own path with US 411 turning south on SR 35. Also, SR 33 becomes signed for the first time and turns into a secondary highway. It again has another intersection with SR 335, this time the northern end, before leaving Maryville to intersect the current eastern end of I-140 (

Pellissippi Parkway The Pellissippi Parkway is a major highway in Knox and Blount counties in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Tennessee that extends from State Route 62 at Solway to SR 33 in Alcoa. It provides access to the cities of Oak Ridge ...

, Exit 14) in Eagleton Village. SR 33 goes north through Rockford before crossing into Knox County.

Knox County

Shortly after crossing the line, it has an interchange with SR 168. It then enters

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state's ...

in the

South Knoxville South Knoxville is the section of Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, that lies south of the Tennessee River. It is concentrated along Chapman Highway (US 441), Alcoa Highway (US 129), Maryville Pike ( SR 33), Sevierville Pike, and adjacent roads ...

neighborhood. SR 33 then merges and becomes concurrent with

US 441 U.S. Route 441 (US 441) is a auxiliary route of U.S. Route 41. It extends from US 41 in Miami, Florida to US 25W in Rocky Top, Tennessee. Between its termini, US 441 travels through the states of Florida, Georgia, North ...

. US 441/SR 33 then cross into downtown via the

Henley Street Bridge The Henley Bridge, sometimes referred to as Henley Street Bridge, is a vehicle bridge that crosses the Tennessee River in Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. Completed in 1931, the bridgeMartha Carver, ''Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic H ...

over the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

. In downtown, they become concurrent with

US 11 {{Infobox road , country=USA , type=US , route=11 , map={{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, frame-height=330, type=line, from=U.S. Route 11.map , map_custom=yes , map_notes=US 11 in red, US 11E in blue, US 11W in ...

US 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern, Southern and Southwestern United States. ...

/ SR 1/ SR 71. They then have an interchange with

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to ea ...

and

I-275 Interstate 275 (I-275) may refer to: *Interstate 275 (Florida), a loop through Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Bradenton in Florida *Interstate 275 (Michigan), a western bypass of Detroit, Michigan *Interstate 275 (Ohio–Indiana–Kentucky), a full belt ...

. They then have an intersection with SR 62 not even a half block later. US 11/US 70/SR 1 then separate and go east, leaving US 441/SR 33 to go north, with SR 33 changing to a primary highway at this intersection. They continue through some North Knoxville neighborhoods, where they have an interchange with Hall of Fame Drive and unsigned SR 71 joins the concurrency, before entering Fountain City. In Fountain City, they intersect with the southern end of SR 331 just before an interchange with

I-640 Interstate 640 (I-640) is an east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Knoxville, Tennessee. It serves as a bypass for I-40 around Downtown Knoxville and is also an alternative route for traffic passing between I-40 and I-75. All trucks ...

/ US 25W/ SR 9. It continues through downtown Fountain City before leaving Fountain City and Knoxville all together. They then enter

Halls Crossroads Halls Crossroads (known locally as Halls) is a census-designated place in northern Knox County, Tennessee. As a northern suburb of nearby Knoxville, Halls is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town takes its name from t ...

and US 441/SR 71 separate and go west, just before an intersection with SR 131. SR 33 then continues alone and leaves Halls Crossroads, traveling through rural unincorporated Knox County before crossing into Union County.

Union County

In Union County, it passes by the Knoxville Dragstrip before having an intersection and concurrency with SR 61 in

Paulette Paulette may refer to: *Paulette (name), French feminine given name *Paulette (tax) * Paulette Caveat - a caveat filed in 1973 by a group of Dene chiefs at the land titles office in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories to gain a legal interest in 40 ...

. They then have a short concurrency with SR 144 before entering Maynardville. They go through downtown before SR 61 separates and goes east, then SR 33 goes north and leaves Maynardville. It then meets the eastern end of SR 170 in Hickory Valley before crossing Norris Lake and into Claiborne County.

Claiborne County

SR 33 then goes by a marina before going north to New Tazewell. It goes through New Tazewell before entering Tazewell. It goes through downtown to have an intersection and begin a concurrency with US 25E/ SR 32. They leave Tazewell and go south through Springdale, before separating from US 25E/SR 32 and going north east, just before another crossing of Norris Lake. SR 33 then becomes curvy before crossing into Hancock County.

Hancock County

Still curvy, it goes through rural unincorporated Hancock county and begins paralleling the

Clinch River The Clinch River is a river that flows southwest for more than through the Great Appalachian Valley in the U.S. states of Virginia and Tennessee, gathering various tributaries, including the Powell River, before joining the Tennessee River in Ki ...

before entering

Sneedville Sneedville is the only city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Tennessee, Hancock County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,282 per the 2020 census. History Settlement began in the 1790s, following the American Revolutionary Wa ...

at an intersection with the northern ends of SR 31 and SR 66. It then turns north and enters downtown and intersecting the eastern end of SR 63. It then turns northeast again and leaves Sneedville. It goes northeast, still curvy, and parallels the Clinch River again all the way to Kyles Ford, where it has an intersection and short concurrency with SR 70. It then becomes a secondary highway and leaves the Clinch River to go north to the Virginia State Line, where it continues as SR 696, a short connector to SR 600.

Major intersections

References

{{Reflist

033 ''033'' or ''Zero Three Three'' is a 2010 Bengali film directed by Birsa Dasgupta in a directorial debut and produced by Moxie Entertainments. It stars Rudranil Ghosh and Parambrato Chattopadhyay. 033 is the STD code for Kolkata city, and the ...

Transportation in Polk County, Tennessee Transportation in McMinn County, Tennessee Transportation in Monroe County, Tennessee Transportation in Loudon County, Tennessee Transportation in Blount County, Tennessee Transportation in Knox County, Tennessee Transportation in Knoxville, Tennessee Transportation in Union County, Tennessee Transportation in Claiborne County, Tennessee Transportation in Hancock County, Tennessee