U.S. Route 70S (US 70S) is an alternative to
U.S. Route 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 United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...
between the western part of
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
and
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
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
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 US 70 for several blocks in downtown Nashville. The highway follows Murfreesboro Pike from Nashville to Murfreesboro then heads due east to McMinnville then northeast to Sparta where it ends at its junction with US 70. It was originally designated as U.S. Route 270 in 1926.
Route description
US 70S begins at a junction with US 70 and
SR 24 as the Charlotte Pike, and runs concurrently with
SR 1. The road descends to an interchange with
I-40, before passing through the community of
Bellevue and intersecting
SR 251. After this, US 70S enters the urban Nashville area along Harding Pike, intersecting
SR 100 and then crossing
I-440 as West End Avenue. US 70S and SR 1 merge with
US 431 and
SR 106 and crosses the I-40 and
I-65 freeway as
Broadway. At that interchange, the
one-way couplet of US 70 and SR 24 meets US 70S, and all these routes continue into downtown Nashville. At the intersection of Rosa Parks Boulevard and Broadway,
US 31 and
US 41 run concurrently with the other routes on 8th Avenue South and then Lafayette Street, while US 431 splits off with US 31 and US 41 headed north, and US 70 and SR 24 continue east. US 31 eventually continues south, splitting from the other routes. US 70S and SR 1 and US 41 come to an interchange with
I-24
Interstate 24 (I-24) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from I-57, south of Marion, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at I-75. It travels through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, ...
near the I-40 interchange, before the three routes leave the Nashville area as Murfreesboro Pike, intersecting
SR 155 and passing under the runways of
Nashville International Airport.
East of the airport, US 70S intersects
SR 255, Donelson Pike, and later
SR 254 as well as
SR 171 (Hobson Pike), as it passes through the suburbs east of Nashville. In
Rutherford County, US 70S has an interchange with
SR 266 near the airport before passing through
Smyrna
Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...
. The highway then has an interchange with Lee Victory Parkway (
SR 102) and
I-840 before briefly paralleling the west fork of the
Stones River and entering the city of
Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
.
U.S. Route 231
U.S. Route 231 (US 231) is a north-south United States Numbered Highway System, U.S highway that is a parallel route of U.S. Route 31, US 31. It runs for from St. John, Indiana, St. John, Indiana, at U.S. Route 41 in Indiana, US 41 ...
and
SR 10 briefly run concurrently with the route, and
SR 96 intersects it. Southeast of town, US 41 and
SR 2 continue south, splitting off from SR 1 and US 70S. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and then as the John Bragg Highway, the two routes leave the city and continue east through forested areas and farmland for several miles.
In the town of
Woodbury Woodbury may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory
Australia
* Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
England
* Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset
*Woodbury, East Devo ...
, the highway intersects with
SR 145, and passes through the town as Main Street, also briefly running concurrently with
SR 53. The road then winds through foothills before intersecting
SR 281,
SR 146 (both in the
Bluewing community), and
SR 287 (in the town of
Centertown). Main Street comes to an interchange with
SR 380 and
SR 55, and US 70S and SR 1 continue northeast on the Bobby Ray Memorial Parkway. The parkway continues along the outskirts of
McMinnville, intersecting
SR 56 and SR 380. As Sparta Highway, the routes continue east, intersecting
SR 30 and
SR 288 before passing near
Campaign and becoming first Bone Cave Parkway and then Memorial Highway. After several miles, the routes run concurrently with
SR 111 before heading due north on Spencer Highway before SR 1 exits from the divided highway. US 70S and SR 111 continue north to the
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 US 70 and
SR 26 just west of downtown
Sparta
Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referre ...
.
History
Route improvements
During the 1980s, the section of the route between Belle Meade and Smyrna was upgraded from two to four lanes.
In 1991, the portion from Smyrna to Murfreesboro was also upgraded to four lanes.
In the early 1990s, the stretch from
Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro is a city in and county seat of Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 152,769 according to the 2020 census, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010. Murfreesboro is located in the Nashville metropol ...
to
Woodbury Woodbury may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Woodbury Glacier, a glacier on Graham Land, British Antarctic Territory
Australia
* Woodbury, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
England
* Woodbury, Bournemouth, an area in Dorset
*Woodbury, East Devo ...
was widened from two to four lanes.
Between 1994 and 2002, the section between McMinnville and Sparta was widened to four lanes and a four lane bypass around McMinnville was built. The former routing through downtown McMinnville is now designated
State Route 380.
In 2006, besides the two-mile (3.2 km) western terminus near Bellevue past
Interstate 40 to the intersection with US 70, the only section of US 70S that lacked four lanes was between Woodbury and McMinnville. Construction began outside McMinnville on widening to five lanes (including one left turn lane) for three miles (5 km) as a way to avoid congestion.
In 2018, most of the section between McMinnville and Woodbury had been upgraded to a four-lane divided highway. From McMinnville west to where the road starts up the ridge is four-laned. The stretch of highway going through Woodbury proper is still two-lanes. As the remaining two-lane portion will be adjacent to the site chosen in late January 2017 by the
Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Board of Education for the relocation of
Hillwood High School,
[ WKRN, January 24, 2017] this may also be upgraded.
Junction list
See also
*
U.S. Route 70N
U.S. Route 70N (US 70N) is a northern alternate to U.S. Route 70, passing through parts of Middle Tennessee and East Tennessee. It runs east–west from Lebanon to Crossville, connecting the cities of Carthage, Baxter, Cookeville, and Monterey. ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:U.S. Route 70s
70 S
70 S
S
Tennessee State Route 1
Transportation in Nashville, Tennessee
Transportation in Davidson County, Tennessee
Transportation in Rutherford County, Tennessee
Transportation in Cannon County, Tennessee
Transportation in Warren County, Tennessee
Transportation in Van Buren County, Tennessee
Transportation in White County, Tennessee