State Route 44 (SR 44) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the U.S. state of

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. It runs from

US 11E U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 11W to the north and west, runs from US 11, US 11W, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee north and ea ...

/ US 19W/ SR 34 in Bluff City, just south of the split of US 19W and

US 19E U.S. Route 19E (US 19E) is a divided highway of US 19 in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 19W to the west, travels from US 19 and US 19W at Cane Rive ...

, northeast via Hickory Tree and Holston Valley to the

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

state line, where it becomes

Virginia State Route 75 State Route 75 (SR 75) is a primary state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a s ...

. The entire highway is located within Sullivan County.

Route description

SR 44 begins as a 2-lane highway in Bluff City at an intersection with

/ US 19W/ SR 34 just south of that route's interchange with

/ SR 37, where US 19E and 19W merge to form

US 19 U.S. Route 19 (US 19) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the Eastern United States. Despite encroaching Interstate Highways, the route has remained a long-haul road, connecting the Gulf of Mexico with Lake Erie. The highway's southern ...

. The highway then goes north along the former route of US 11E/US 19, where it has an intersection with US 19E/SR 37 a short distance later before entering downtown. The highway then parallels the

South Fork Holston River The Holston River is a river that flows from Kingsport, Tennessee, to Knoxville, Tennessee. Along with its three major forks (North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork), it comprises a major river system that drains much of northeastern Tennessee, ...

and a rail road track before having an intersection with SR 390, where it breaks away from the former route of US 11E/US 19 to follow its own path. The highway then makes a right onto Fleming Drive before immediately making a right onto Main Street. SR 44 then passes through the center of town before leaving Bluff City and going east, still paralleling the Houston River. The highway then winds its way through farmland as it gradually starts veering northeast, where it has an intersection with SR 358. SR 44 then passes through the community of

Hickory Tree Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

before crossing the River and turning north via a sharp left at a 4-way stop intersection. The highway then comes to an intersection with US 421/SR 34, where it turns east to become concurrent with that highway. They go east as a 4-lane divided highway to enter Holston Valley where it has an intersection with SR 435, before narrowing to 2-lanes, where leaves US 421/SR 34 and goes north via a Y-Intersection shortly afterwards. SR 44 then passes by a marina for South Holston Lake shortly before coming to an end at the

state line, where it continues into Virginia as

Major intersections

{{jctbtm, keys=concur

References

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