State Route 59 (SR 59) is a state highway in

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 the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

to just north of Somerville passing through

Tipton Tipton is an industrial town in the West Midlands in England with a population of around 38,777 at the 2011 UK Census. It is located northwest of Birmingham. Tipton was once one of the most heavily industrialised towns in the Black Country, w ...

and Fayette counties. Excluding the portion where it is concurrent with US 51 in Covington, which is 4-lane highway (both divided and undivided), it is a two-lane rural highway throughout its length and carries a speed limit except when it passes through towns, in which case this speed limit can be significantly less.

Route description

Tipton County

SR 59 begins as a secondary highway at the

in Tipton County in an area known as Richardson Landing. The route used to extend about further, but has since been eroded by the river, so much that barricades block the edge of the pavement to prevent motorists from driving into the river (See photo at left). As one continues east along the highway, one will notice that the elevation increases from around above sea level in less than . This sharp increase is due to what is known as the second

Chickasaw Bluff The Chickasaw Bluff is the high ground rising about above the Mississippi River flood plain between Fulton in Lauderdale County, Tennessee and Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee. This elevation, shaped as four bluffs, is named for the Chickas ...

, a formation created by wind-blown silt which has accumulated from around the last Ice Age. At the top of this bluff is the small community of Randolph, which was important during the civil war and at one time was bigger than

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, down the river. Continuing eastward from the bluffs, the road starts to level out into gently rolling farmland. SR 178 (via a Y-Intersection) intersects SR 59 in the town of Gilt Edge. SR 59 then passes through the towns of Burlison and

Garland A garland is a decorative braid, knot or wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance. Etymology From the ...

before it enters the city of Covington (as W Liberty Avenue) and passes through some neighborhoods before becoming concurrent with

US 51 U.S. Route 51 or U.S. Highway 51 (US 51) is a major south-north United States highway that extends from the western suburbs of New Orleans, Louisiana, to within of the Wisconsin–Michigan state line. As most of the United States Numbered High ...

/ SR 3 in downtown, becoming a primary highway. They then have an intersection with SR 54 (one-way pair between W Liberty Avenue and W Pleasant Avenue) before going south as they leave downtown and travel through some neighborhoods before SR 59 splits off and goes east along Mueller Brass Road. It has an intersection and becomes concurrent with SR 384 (S College Street; where it becomes Hastings Way) before the highway makes a right turn at an intersection where SR 59 goes southeast to leave Covington while SR 384 turns north towards downtown (S Main Street). SR 59 passes through farmland and crosses SR 14 not too long afterwards. It continues to the town of Mason and joins

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. E ...

US 79 U.S. Route 79 (US 79) is a United States highway in the Southern United States. The route is officially considered and labeled as a north-south highway, but its path is actually more of a diagonal northeast-southwest highway. The highway's nort ...

/ SR 1. It is in this portion of the highway in which a wrong-way concurrency occurs. SR 59 is traveling southwest, is signed as "East 59", while US 70 is signed as westbound and US 79 is signed as northbound. The same is true for motorists heading in the other direction. The highway then crosses into Fayette County. The portion between Covington and Mason is named George D. Gracey Highway.

Fayette County

SR 59 separates from the US highways in Braden and continues in a southeast direction. It has an interchange

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 ...

(Exit 35) south of Braden shortly before it has an intersection with SR 194 and begins to parallel the course of the

Loosahatchie River The Loosahatchie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 stream in southwestern Tennessee. Except for a few miles near its head, its mouth, and near the ...

(which it does for the remainder of the highway's length). It then has a Y-Intersection with SR 222 shortly before SR 59 comes to an end at a Y-Intersection with SR 76 just a few miles north of Somerville.

Major intersections

References

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