State Route 20 (SR 20) is a long east–west 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 sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

that begins in

Dyersburg Dyersburg is a city and the county seat of Dyer County, Tennessee, United States. It is located in northwest Tennessee, northeast of Memphis on the Forked Deer River. The population was 16,164 at the 2020 census, down 5.72% from the 2010 census ...

and ending near Summertown. SR 20 is

unsigned Unsigned can refer to: * An unsigned artist is a musical artist or group not attached or signed to a record label ** Unsigned Music Awards, ceremony noting achievements of unsigned artists ** Unsigned band web, online community * Similarly, the c ...

and

concurrent Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to: Law * Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea'' * Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...

with U.S. Route 412 (US 412) for its entire length, except for a short section between Hohenwald and Summertown. Along its route, SR 20 traverses parts of both

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the s ...

and

West Tennessee West Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions (Tennessee), Grand Divisions of the U.S. state of Tennessee that roughly comprises the western quarter of the state. The region includes 21 counties between the Tennessee River, Tennessee and Miss ...

Route description

Dyer County

SR 20 begins in Dyer County in

as the unsigned companion route go US 412 at an expansive

parclo interchange A partial cloverleaf interchange or parclo is a modification of a cloverleaf interchange. The design has been well received, and has since become one of the most popular freeway-to-arterial interchange designs in North America. It has also be ...

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 Highw ...

US 412 U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of the ...

/ SR 3/ SR 211. US 412/SR 20 go south as a 4-lane freeway to a diamond interchange with SR 104, where it downgrades to a 4-lane expressway just before crossing the

North Fork of the Forked Deer River The North Fork of the Forked Deer River is formed in Gibson County to the south of Chapel Hill Road near Medina and flows to the northwest before entering Dyer County. Here it accepts the flow from the Middle Fork and then joins with the South ...

and leaving Dyersburg. They then curve to the southeast as they pass through farmland and have a diamond interchange with SR 210. US 412/SR 20 continue southeast and cross into

Crockett County Crockett County is the name of two counties in the United States, both named for frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett: * Crockett County, Tennessee * Crockett County, Texas Crockett County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in th ...

Crockett County

US 412/SR 20 continue through farmland to the town of

Friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

, to have a RIRO interchange with SR 189. They continue southeast to have a

Quadrant interchange A quadrant roadway intersection adds an additional "quadrant roadway" between two legs of an intersection. This roadway adds two three-way intersections in addition to the original four-way intersection moving all left turns (in right-hand traffi ...

with SR 152 just before entering

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

. US 412/SR 20 then have a parclo interchange with SR 188 before having a partial interchange with N Cavalier Drive (Old US 412/SR 20 and starting on a bypass around the west side of town. They then have a diamond interchange with SR 54/ SR 88 before passing just west of downtown and then having a partial interchange with S Cavalier Drive (Old US 412/SR 20). US 412/SR 20 then leave Alamo and continue southeast through farmland and have a Quadrant interchange with SR 88 before entering Bells and coming to a

Cloverleaf interchange A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which all turns are handled by slip roads. To go left (in right-hand traffic; reverse directions in left-driving regions), vehicles first continue as one road passes over or under the ...

with US 70A/

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 76, just after bypassing downtown to the northern and eastern sides. It then has a parclo interchange with the eastern end of SR 88 before leaving Bells and continuing southeast through farmland to cross into Madison County.

Madison County

The highway then enters some hills before entering

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

and coming to a

diamond interchange A diamond interchange is a common type of road junction, used where a controlled-access highway crosses a minor road. Design The freeway itself is grade-separated from the minor road, one crossing the other over a bridge. Approaching the ...

with Country Club Lane, approximately from its

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 79). At I-40, SR 20 remains hidden and follows US 412 Bus. through the city while US 412 is concurrent with I-40 between exits 79 and 87. US 412 Bus./SR 20 follows Hollywood Drive as a four-lane

undivided highway A single carriageway (British English) or Undivided highway (American English) is a road with one, two or more lanes arranged within a one carriageway with no central reservation to separate opposing flows of traffic. A single-track road has a ...

, passing by several businesses and homes before coming to an intersection with North Parkway, where they make a left to follow that street through several neighborhoods just before an intersection with US 45 Byp./ SR 186. US 412 Bus./SR 20 continues east through several more neighborhoods to an intersection with US 45/ SR 5 in the middle of a major shopping district. They then continue through more neighborhoods and pass through an industrial area before coming to an intersection with US 70/ SR 1, where they make a left to become concurrent with that highway. They then travel through some suburbs and pass by an

industrial park An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park, ...

before coming to an intersection with US 412 (just south of its interchange with I-40 (exit 87)), where US 412 Bus. ends and SR 20 splits from US 70/SR 1 as it becomes concurrent with US 412 again as the pair exit Jackson as a two-lane highway and continue east. The entire route of SR 20 through the city of Jackson is at least four lanes wide. US 412/SR 20 continue east through farmland to the community of

Springbrook Springbrook may refer to: Places Australia * Springbrook, Queensland ** Springbrook National Park, Queensland ** Springbrook State School, a heritage-listed building in the park ** Springbrook Road, a heritage-listed road Canada * Springbrook, ...

, where it widens to a four-lane divided highway and has an intersection with SR 152 just before entering Henderson County.

Henderson County

US 412/SR 20 continue east through countryside and farmland and pass through

Crucifer A crucifer or cross-bearer is, in some Christian churches (particularly the Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutherans, and United Methodist Church), a person appointed to carry the church's processional cross, a cross or crucifix with ...

before narrowing to a 4-lane undivided shortly before entering Lexington. They then pass by several businesses and becomes concurrent with SR 104 before crossing over the

Beech River The Beech River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 8, 2011 stream draining the east-central portion of West Tennessee in the United States. The Beech rises about ...

, passing just south of the dam for Beech Lake. The highway continues past several more businesses before entering downtown and coming to an intersection with SR 22, where SR 104 splits off and goes southeast. US 412/SR 20 continues through some neighborhoods before leaving Lexington and continuing east through farmland and countryside as a 4-lane divided highway. The highway then narrows to a 4-lane undivided highway before passing through the communities of

Chesterfield Chesterfield may refer to: Places Canada * Rural Municipality of Chesterfield No. 261, Saskatchewan * Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut United Kingdom * Chesterfield, Derbyshire, a market town in England ** Chesterfield (UK Parliament constitue ...

, where it has an intersection with SR 114, and Darden. The highway then crosses into

Decatur County Decatur County is the name of various past and present counties in the United States, all named for Stephen Decatur: *Decatur County, Georgia *Decatur County, Indiana *Decatur County, Iowa *Decatur County, Kansas *Decatur County, Tennessee *Decatur ...

Decatur County

US 412/SR 20 then have an intersection with SR 202 before continuing east and entering

Parsons Parsons may refer to: Places In the United States: * Parsons, Kansas, a city * Parsons, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Parsons, Tennessee, a city * Parsons, West Virginia, a town * Camp Parsons, a Boy Scout camp in the state of Washingt ...

. They pass by a neighborhood before narrowing to 2-lanes and entering downtown, where it has an intersection with

US 641 U.S. Route 641 (US 641) is a U.S. Route in Tennessee and Kentucky. It runs for from US 64 south of Clifton, Tennessee to an intersection with US 60 in Marion, Kentucky. While it is considered a spur route of U.S. Route 41, t ...

/ SR 69. They continue through downtown before leaving Parsons as a 2-lane highway. US 412/SR 20 continue through largely wooded countryside before coming to Perryville and becoming concurrent with SR 100, just before crossing a bridge 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, ...

and entering Perry County.

Perry County

The highway has an intersection SR 438 just south of

Mousetail Landing State Park Mousetail Landing State Park is a state park located on the eastern bank of the Tennessee River in Perry County, Tennessee near Linden. The park was established in 1979, making it one of the more recent additions to the Tennessee State Parks ...

before passing through some hills before entering Linden. They pass through downtown before having an intersection with SR 13. The highway then leaves Linden after crossing a bridge over the Buffalo River and continues east to the community of Chestnut Grove, where SR 100 splits off at a Y-Intersection and goes northeast. They then pass through hilly and wooded areas as they cross into Lewis County.

Lewis County

US 412/SR 20 continues east through hilly and wooded terrain to enter farmland, just before entering the town of Hohenwald. The highway passes by some homes and businesses before entering downtown and coming to an intersection with SR 48 and SR 99, where SR 20 leaves US 412 and becomes signed for the first time as it goes south along SR 48/SR 99. A short distance later after leaving downtown, SR 20 and SR 99 split off from SR 48 and turn east before curving to the south and to a Y-intersection where SR 99 splits off and turns southwest. SR 20 then curves eastward and leaves Hohenwald as a lone 2-lane highway. It then passes through farmland and wooded areas and has an interchange with the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a national parkway in the southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 444 miles (715 ...

before entering Lawrence County.

Lawrence and Maury Counties

SR 20 continues east through farmland before entering Summertown and becoming concurrent with SR 240 via a Y-intersection. They then pass through the center of town before SR 240 splits off and SR 20 crosses into

Maury County Maury County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee, in the Middle Tennessee region. As of the 2020 census, the population was 100,974. Its county seat is Columbia. Maury County is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro ...

, shortly before the highway comes to an end at an intersection with

US 43 U.S. Route 43 (US 43) is a north–south United States Highway in the Southern states of Alabama and Tennessee. It travels from Prichard, Alabama, to Columbia, Tennessee. The highway's southern terminus is in Prichard, at an intersect ...

/ SR 6.

Additional Information

State Route 20 is designated as part of the Delta Development Highway SystemDelta Regional Authority, State of Tennessee
throughout West Tennessee and carries a Tennessee Scenic Parkway designation from Lexington to Linden and again from Hohenwald to Summertown.

Tennessee Department of Transportation The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in roadways, aviation, public transit, waterways, and railroads. The mission of TDOT is to provide a safe and reliable transportation syste ...

br>County Maps
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City Maps
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History

Prior to 1981 and dating back as far as 1958, SR 20 at its western end extended beyond Dyersburg following what is now SR 210,

, SR 211 and SR 104 to Heloise, Tennessee on 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 f ...

in extreme western Dyer County.

Future

currently has plans to expand existing SR 20 from two-lane to four-lane or completely reconstruct the route on a new alignment from Interstate 40 in Madison County to the

near Perryville.2008-2010 Transportation Improvement Program
/ref>

Major intersections

References

{{reflist

External links

Tennessee Department of Transportation
020 U.S. Route 51 U.S. Route 412 Freeways in Tennessee Transportation in Dyer County, Tennessee Transportation in Crockett County, Tennessee Transportation in Madison County, Tennessee Transportation in Henderson County, Tennessee Transportation in Decatur County, Tennessee Transportation in Perry County, Tennessee Transportation in Lewis County, Tennessee Transportation in Lawrence County, Tennessee Transportation in Maury County, Tennessee