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State Route 91 (SR 91) is a state highway in the northeastern portion of the
In Elizabethton, it meets
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 sove ...
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 ...
, in the area known as the Tri-Cities region. The route connects Johnson City with Damascus, Virginia via Elizabethton, Hunter, and Mountain City.
Route description
SR 91 begins at an intersection withUS 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 e ...
/ SR 34 in Johnson City. The first section of the road follows two one-way streets, namely Market Street (westbound traffic) and Main Street (eastbound traffic). It has an interchange with I-26/ US 19W/US 23
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U.S. Route 23 or U.S. Highway 23 (US 23) is a major north–south U.S. Highway between Jacksonville, Florida, and Mackinaw City, Michigan. It is an original 1926 route which originally reached only as far south as Portsmouth, Ohio, and has sinc ...
before continuing along East Main Street and Elizabethton Highway as it leaves the city.U.S. Geological Survey, 1:24,000 topographical maps: Johnson City, TN; Elizabethton, TN; Keenburg, TN; Carter, TN; Doe, TN; Shady Valley, TN; Mountain City, TN; Laurel Bloomery, TN.
In Elizabethton, it meets 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 ...
/ SR 67/ SR 362, and runs concurrent with US 321 along West Elk Avenue and Broad Street through the city's downtown area. Along the way, it passes Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area. Farther into the city, the highway crosses the Doe River before reaching its US 19E/US 321/SR 67/ SR 37 intersection. It then turns northward to run concurrent with these highways, crossing the Watauga River
The Watauga River () is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake.
Course
The Watauga River rises from a spring near the base ...
via the Gilbert Peters Bridge before splitting off again and continuing northeastward along Stony Creek Road.
In northeastern Elizabethton, SR 91 passes Elizabethton Municipal Airport and the Elizabethton campus of Northeast State Community College. Beyond the community of Hunter, the highway enters the Cherokee National Forest
The Cherokee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. states of Tennessee and North Carolina that was created on June 14, 1920. The forest is maintained and managed by the United States Forest Service. It encompasse ...
as it continues northeastward through a broad valley between Holston Mountain
Holston Mountain is a mountain ridge in Upper East Tennessee and southwest Virginia, in the United States. It is in the Blue Ridge Mountains part of the Appalachian Mountains. Holston Mountain is a very prominent ridge-type mountain in Tennesse ...
to the north and the Iron Mountains to the south. Northeast of the Buladeen area, the highway ascends to over through a series of switchback curves as it passes over a cross ridge between Holston Mountain and the Irons, where it enters Johnson County. It then descends into the secluded Shady Valley.
In Shady Valley, the route intersects US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Caro ...
/ SR 34/ SR 133. US 421 continues northwestward to Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, while SR 133 continues northeastward toward Damascus, Virginia. SR 91 turns southeastward to run concurrent with US 421 and SR 34. The highway crosses the Iron Mountains at Sandy Gap, climbing to over before descending again to the outskirts of Mountain City.
Near downtown Mountain City, SR 91 splits off from US 421/SR 34 to once again follow a northeastward track. It continues through a series of gradual ascents and descents across rugged terrain before reaching Laurel Bloomery in the northeastern part of the county. SR-91 meets its northern terminus at 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, near Damascus, where the roadway continues as Virginia State Route 91
State Route 91 (SR 91) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from the Tennessee state line near Damascus, where the highway continues as Tennessee State Route 91 (SR 91), north to U.S. Route 19 Bu ...
into Washington County, Virginia
Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,935. Its county seat is Abingdon.
Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statis ...
, and the Jefferson National Forest
The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Mountai ...
.
Major intersections
See also
* * *List of state routes in Tennessee
The Tennessee state routes do not follow a systematic numbering system unlike the U.S. Highway System and some other states' highway systems. The routes are separated into primary and secondary routes though. Many of the routes are hidden in tha ...
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline 091 Transportation in Washington County, Tennessee Transportation in Carter County, Tennessee Transportation in Johnson County, Tennessee Johnson City, Tennessee