State Route 70 (SR 70) is a state-maintained highway in East Tennessee, beginning at the border with North Carolina in the midst of the Cherokee National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains and ending at the Virginia border in the extremely rural and mountainous terrain of Hancock County. The highway travels through both Greeneville and Rogersville, bisecting

Interstate 81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

between the two towns.

Route description

Greene County

SR 70 begins in Greene County as a primary highway at the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

border, with the highway continuing as North Carolina Highway 208. It begins as a curvy 2-lane highway, going through the mountains along the Tennessee - North Carolina border. It goes west, crossing the

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian ...

a few hundred feet across the border before going through some mountains before lowering down into the farmland of Greene County and turning north, straightening and widening into a 2-lane rural highway with a speed limit of 55 (mph). SR 70 then enters the community of South Greene and coming to a Y-intersection with SR 107, becoming concurrent with that route. They then come to an intersection with SR 351 (which is also Tennessee State Route 107 Cutoff, an auxiliary Route of SR 107) before leaving South Greene at a crossing of the

Nolichucky River The Nolichucky River is a river that flows through Western North Carolina and East Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. Traversing the Pisgah National Forest and the Cherokee National Forest in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the river's wate ...

, just a few yards away from the historic

Nolichucky Dam Nolichucky Dam is a dam on the Nolichucky River near Greeneville, Tennessee, maintained by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).Davy Crockett Lake. SR 70/SR 107 continue north through some farmland before entering Greeneville. They go through some suburbs and pass by a few businesses before coming to an intersection with

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 35, with the SR 107 separating to follow that route northeast into downtown, all the while SR 70 completely bypasses downtown to the south. SR 70 then widens to 4-lanes, through undivided, and goes to intersect and become concurrent with US 11E Bus/ SR 350, turning west. They then come to major interchange with

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 e ...

/ SR 34 ( Andrew Johnson Highway), where US 11E Bus/SR 350 both end and SR 70 becomes concurrent with US 11E/SR 34, turning east as a 4-lane divided highway, with the road continuing as Blue Springs Parkway (Old US 11E). Shortly afterwards, they come to another intersection, where SR 70 separates and turns north, returning to a 2-lane highway and leaving Greeneville. It then becomes narrow and curvy again as it goes through more farmland. It then makes a sharp right turn at an intersection with a county road (Marvin Road) before continuing north for about 2 miles before coming to an interchange with

I-81 Interstate 81 (I-81) is a north–south (physically northeast–southwest) Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at I-40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Isla ...

(Exit 30). It then come to a T-intersection with Horton Highway, a major county road the connects the highway to the town of Baileyton, the community of Fall Branch, and SR 93. It then turns left to go west around a mountain before going down a narrow valley before weaving through some mountains and crossing into Hawkins County.

Hawkins County

SR 70 then weaves through some more mountains before finally turning west to enter farmland again and widen and straighten into a 2-lane rural highway with a speed limit of 55 (mph). It then intersects with Old Highway 70, the narrow and curvy former alignment of SR 70 through the area before it was realigned onto a new highway. It then continues west before entering and going through the town of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

before coming to an intersection and becoming concurrent with SR 66, just north of that route's intersection with SR 113. They then go north and catch-up with the other end of Old Highway 70 before crossing a bridge over the

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, ...

/ Cherokee Lake. They then enter Rogersville and pass through a business district and some neighborhoods before coming to an interchange with Main Street (Old US 11W), which connects the highway to downtown to the northeast as SR 66/SR 70 bypass it to the southwest. They then come to an interchange with

US 11W U.S. Route 11W (US 11W), locally known as Bloody 11W, 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 11E to the south and east, runs from US 11, US 11E, and US 70 in Kn ...

/ SR 1 (Lee Highway/Memphis to Bristol Highway), where SR 70 separates to become concurrent with US 11W/SR 1 to the northeast while SR 66 continues north as curvy and narrow secondary highway towards Sneedville. They then pass along the northern edge of downtown, as a 4-lane divided highway, before coming to an interchange with SR 347 (Main Street/Old US 11W), where SR 347 ends and SR 70 separates to take over that route and it goes north as a narrow and curvy 2-lane highway through both mountains and farmland before coming to an intersection with SR 94 (Pressmen's Home Road), which runs through the abandoned town of Pressmen's Home, before entering a long mountain pass over several mountains and ridges before crossing into Hancock County just north of the community of Edison.

Hancock County

SR 70 then winds its way 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 ...

before crossing it along the historic

Kyles Ford Bridge Kyle or Kyles may refer to: Places Canada * Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada Ireland * Kyle, County Laois * Kyle, County Wexford Scotland * Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrshir ...

and entering Kyles Ford. It then immediately has an intersection and concurrency with SR 33 as they go through the heart of the community before separating with SR 33 turning southwest towards Sneedville while SR 70 continues north, becoming a secondary highway and going through some countryside before crossing 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 and continuing as Virginia State Route 70 (Trail of the Lonesome Pine) towards Jonesville, VA.

History

Throughout the highway's duration, and its companion route across the state line in Virginia, SR 70 is known and signed as Trail of the Lonesome Pine, with markers placed along the entire route, though they have not been maintained in many years and are now few and far between. This was done to commemorate the history of the highway as it was originally built as the Trail of the Lonesome Pine auto trail, an

auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in ...

from

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Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. In 1924, a group of citizens from far western Virginia appeared before the Virginia State Highway Commission, asking them to take it over as a state highway. A member of the

Tennessee Legislature The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title a ...

stated that be was sure that it would be designated a state highway in Tennessee if Virginia took over their part, which happened in a period between 1924-1928.

Junction list

References

{{reflist 070 Transportation in Hawkins County, Tennessee Rogersville, Tennessee Transportation in Greene County, Tennessee Transportation in Hancock County, Tennessee