State Route 61 (SR 61) is a west-to-east highway in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
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 ...
that is . State Route 61 begins in
Roane County, and it ends in
Grainger County.
Route description
Roane County
SR 61 begins in
Roane County as a primary highway in the city of
Rockwood at an intersection with
US 27/
US 70/
SR 29/
SR 1. It begins concurrent with US 27 as its companion route though it is signed, except on I-40. They then proceed north as a four-lane divided highway and have a junction with the short
SR 382, providing access to
Roane State Community College
Roane State logo
Roane State Community College is a public community college in eastern Tennessee with its main campus in Harriman. It was authorized by the Tennessee General Assembly in 1969, along with two other community colleges, and operat ...
, and cross into
Harriman. US 27/SR 61 continue north to 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 ...
(Exit 347), with only US 27 signed, and enter the "South Harriman" neighborhood. US 27/SR 61 continue through Harriman's main business district and again intersect and have an unsigned concurrency with SR 29, US 27's main companion route. They then cross the
Emory River
The Emory River is a river draining a portion of Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau. It flows for just over from its source near Frozen Head State Park to its mouth along the Clinch River at Kingston, Tennessee.
Hydrography
The Emory River rises on ...
and enter downtown Harriman as Roane Street. They continue through downtown, still as a four-lane, and junction with
SR 328, a loop route through the town of
Oakdale. The highway leaves downtown, as a four-lane divide highway, and go by the Harriman campus of
Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) and exit Harriman. US 27 and SR 61 then split at an interchange, with SR 29 following US 27 as its companion route. SR 61 turns east alone as two-lane rural highway. SR 61 then intersects
SR 327 in the community of
Blair. It then enters the community of
Kellytown before entering the city of
Oliver Springs. The highway widens into a four-lane highway with a center turn lane. SR 61 then comes to an intersection with
SR 62, which is the main highway in and out of
Morgan County, and
SR 330, which provides access to downtown, and becomes concurrent with SR 62 north of downtown. SR 61/SR 62 then bypass downtown to the north and east as a four-lane divided highway with partially controlled access and crosses into
Anderson County.
Anderson County
They then have a partial interchange with Main Street and enter Oliver Springs' main business district. Continuing southeast, they then separate with SR 62 heading into
Oak Ridge and SR 61 becoming a secondary highway as it goes toward Clinton as a two-lane rural highway. It goes through some farmland in the communities of
Batley
Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...
and
Marlow on a nearly straightaway before becoming slightly curvy before coming to an intersection with
SR 95. It then turns east again, becoming a primary highway, as a four-lane undivided highway running along the banks of 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 ...
. SR 61 then enters the city of
Clinton and junctions with
US 25W/
SR 9. The highway continues on through downtown and becomes a four-lane divided highway and crosses the Clinch River. SR 61 now has an interchange with
I-75
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...
(Exit 122), leaving Clinton and becoming a secondary highway. It then passes through the community of
Bethel
Bethel ( he, בֵּית אֵל, translit=Bēṯ 'Ēl, "House of El" or "House of God",Bleeker and Widegren, 1988, p. 257. also transliterated ''Beth El'', ''Beth-El'', ''Beit El''; el, Βαιθήλ; la, Bethel) was an ancient Israelite sanct ...
, where it passes by the
Museum of Appalachia
The Museum of Appalachia, located in Norris, Tennessee, north of Knoxville, is a living history museum that interprets the pioneer and early 20th-century period of the Southern Appalachian region of the United States. Recently named an Affili ...
, before entering
Norris and having an intersection and short concurrency with
US 441 /
SR 71. The highway now leaves Norris and becomes a two-lane rural highway. SR 61 then goes through the community of
Andersonville before becoming extremely curvy and narrow, and enters
Union County.
Union County
It then runs alongside
Norris Lake for a few miles and passes
Big Ridge State Park before intersecting with
SR 170 in
New Loyston. The highway junctions and becomes concurrent with
SR 33 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 ...
and the two highways enter
Maynardville as a two-lane rural highway. In Maynardville, it becomes a four-lane undivided highway and intersects with
SR 144. They then leave Maynardville and revert to a two-lane rural highway. SR 33 and SR 61 then separate and SR 61 becomes curvy once again and intersects
SR 370 before entering
Luttrell and having an intersection and short concurrency with
SR 131.
Knox and Grainger Counties
It then shortly crosses into
Knox County and intersects with
SR 331 near
Corryton before crossing into
Grainger County. The highway then enters
Blaine and comes to an end at an intersection with
US 11W /
SR 1, ending as a secondary highway.
Harvey H. Hannah Memorial Highway
Along the highway from Harriman to Oliver Springs, Highway 61 is called "The Harvey H. Hannah Highway".
Harvey H. Hannah of Oliver Springs was the Tennessee Chairman of the State Railroad and Public Utilities Commission for 30 years. He served in the Spanish–American War, becoming colonel of the 4th Tennessee Volunteers. He also became a military governor of a Cuban province.
Cordell Hull
Cordell Hull (October 2, 1871July 23, 1955) was an American politician from Tennessee and the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of State, holding the position for 11 years (1933–1944) in the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ...
, who became United States Secretary of State, served as a captain under Hannah. Besides being a lawyer, military officer and politician, he was well known as a great orator. He served as Adjutant General under two Tennessee governors from 1903 to 1907. This was where he acquired the title "General". In 1922, General Hannah was a candidate for governor in the Democratic primary but was defeated by Austin Peay, who became governor. On November 8, 1936, Hannah died from a throat condition. Governor Hill McAlister visited Hannah before his death and asked, "Harvey, is there anything that I can do for you?" He replied, "Hill, I know that money is hard to get, but I hope that you will find enough state money to finish the Oliver Springs-Harriman highway." The Governor obtained the money, and the highway was named in Hannah's honor. Hannah is buried in the Oliver Springs Cemetery and his tombstone is said to be the tallest monument in the Oliver Springs area.
Major intersections
See also
*
List of Tennessee state highways
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
*Tennessee Department of Transportation (24 January 2003). "State Highway and Interstate List 2003".
External links
Tennessee Department of Transportation{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615112524/http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/ , date=2015-06-15
061
Transportation in Roane County, Tennessee
Transportation in Anderson County, Tennessee
Transportation in Union County, Tennessee
Transportation in Knox County, Tennessee
Transportation in Grainger County, Tennessee
Oak Ridge, Tennessee