U.S. Route 129 (US 129) is an

auxiliary route In road transportation in the United States, a special route is a road in a numbered highway system that diverts a specific segment of related traffic away from another road. They are featured in many highway systems; most are found in the In ...

US 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington ...

, which it intersects in

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

. US 129 currently runs for from an intersection with US 19/ US 27 ALT/ US 98 in

Chiefland, Florida Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census. Chiefland calls itself the "Gem of the Suwannee Valley" and was incorporated in 1929. History A village of the Timucua people was once loc ...

, to an interchange with

Interstate 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 ...

(I-40) in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

. It passes through the states of

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 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to 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 ...

, and

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 goes through the cities of Macon,

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Gainesville, and

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

. The section that is located beside

Deals Gap Deals (previously stylized as ''DEAL$'') was an American chain of discount variety stores owned by Dollar Tree. The chain operated more than 221 stores located in shopping centers, malls (until 2015), and urban areas in 19 states throughout the U ...

on the North Carolina–Tennessee state line is known as or from its winding course. It is a popular motorcycle and sports car destination. This segment runs from Tab Cat Creek to

and has about 318 curves in this 11 mile section.

Route description

Florida

US 129 begins at US 19/US 27 Alternate/US 98 in Chiefland, Florida, along hidden SR 47 until it reaches SR 26 in Trenton. From there, the road is signed along hidden SR 49. It then moves west, briefly overlapping US 27 (hidden SR 20) and heads north again in Branford, before that road intersects SR 349, which used to also serve as US 129 Alternate. From here, it intersects with US 90/ SR 51 in

Live Oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are not more closely related to each other than they are to other oaks. ...

, taking SR 51 as the new hidden state road, then meets I-10 at exit 283, and later

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 ...

at exit 451. During a concurrency with US 41 in

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

, US 129 loses SR 51 as a hidden route after the concurrency ends and runs northwest along SR 100 into Georgia.

Georgia

US 129 provides the primary route between

central Georgia Central Georgia is the area containing the metropolitan region surrounding the city of Macon, in Bibb County in the U.S. state of Georgia. It abuts the Atlanta metropolitan area, just to the north. Similar and coextensive names for this region i ...

and

. It approaches Athens from the south where it joins SR 10 Loop, a mostly interstate-grade bypass that rings Athens-Clarke County. Here US 129 turns right, toward the northeast, where it runs concurrently with US 78/

/ US 441/ SR 15 (and unsigned SR 422) along the bypass. US 129 intersects with US 29 northeast of Athens and continues along SR 10 Loop westward before exiting at Jefferson Road where it winds northwesterly towards Gainesville as one of several routes to

I-85 Interstate 85 (I-85) is a major Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with I-65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus is an interchange with I-95 in Petersburg, Virginia, ...

from Athens.

North Carolina

From the Georgia state line, it travels northeast to Topton, where it goes north to Robbinsville followed by

, through Deals Gap.

Tennessee

US 129 enters Tennessee to the west of

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an American national park in the southeastern United States, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, w ...

and rides along Chilhowee Lake for a short distance before turning due north. In this stretch after the Tennessee–North Carolina state line, drivers will encounter 318 curves in a distance of around 11 miles. These curves make this stretch of highway a well-known motorcycle/sports car destination named Tail Of The Dragon. On weekends, through spring to the fall months, visitors are likely to see numerous riders and drivers on this stretch of the highway to experience the thrill and scenery. US 129 then travels due north, becoming known as Alcoa Highway and passing through the city of Maryville. It travels through Alcoa, passing by

McGhee Tyson Airport McGhee Tyson Airport is a public/military airport 12 miles south of Knoxville,. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 15, 2012. in Alcoa, Blount County, Tennessee, United States. It is named for United States Navy pilot Charles Mc ...

, and then intersecting I-140. US 129 then crosses 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 name ...

on the James E. "Buck" Karnes Bridge into

. Shortly thereafter, US 129 becomes a

limited-access highway A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

for a short distance. It has an interchange with US 11/ US 70 immediately after entering Knoxville. Shortly thereafter, US 129 meets its northern terminus, 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 ...

Major intersections

;Florida : in

Chiefland Chiefland is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,316 at the 2020 census. Chiefland calls itself the "Gem of the Suwannee Valley" and was incorporated in 1929. History A village of the Timucua people was once locat ...

: east-southeast of Branford. The highways travel concurrently to Branford. : in

: north-northeast of Live Oak : north-northeast of Suwannee Springs : southeast of

. The highways travel concurrently to Jasper. ;Georgia : in Stockton : east-northeast of Lakeland. The highways travel concurrently to Lakeland. : in Alapaha. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Alapaha. : in Ocilla. The highways travel concurrently to

Fitzgerald The FitzGerald/FitzMaurice Dynasty is a noble and aristocratic dynasty of Cambro-Norman, Anglo-Norman and later Hiberno-Norman origin. They have been peers of Ireland since at least the 13th century, and are described in the Annals of the ...

. : in

Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...

: in

Hawkinsville Hawkinsville is a city in and the county seat of Pulaski County, Georgia, Pulaski County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 4,589 at the 2010 census. Hawkinsville is known as the "Harness Horse Capital" of Georgia. ...

. The highways travel concurrently to northwest of Hawkinsville. : north of Sofkee. The highways travel concurrently to Macon. : in Macon. The highways travel concurrently through Macon. : in Macon. The highways travel concurrently through Macon. : in Macon : in Eatonton. The highways travel concurrently to

. : in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

: in Madison. The highways travel concurrently to northeast of Madison. : in Athens. The highways travel concurrently through Athens. : in

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

: in Gainesville. The highways share an unsigned concurrency to northeast of Gainesville. : in Turners Corner. The highways travel concurrently to

Topton, North Carolina Topton is an unincorporated community in Cherokee County, North Carolina, United States. Topton is located on U.S. Route 19, U.S. Route 74, and U.S. Route 129, east-northeast of Andrews. Topton has a post office A post office is a public f ...

. : in Blairsville. ;North Carolina : in

Ranger A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...

. US 64/US 129 travels concurrently to Murphy. US 74/US 129 travels concurrently to Topton. ;Tennessee : south-southeast of Clover Hill. The highways travel concurrently to Maryville. : in Maryville : in Alcoa : in

: in Knoxville

In popular culture

U.S. 129 is mentioned in the popular country song Bottoms Up by Brantley Gilbert: "I see you and me riding like Bonnie and Clyde, Goin 95 burning down 129." U.S. 129 is known particularly for being a route containing hundreds of mountainous curves and turns (in the Tennessee section). With the rise of the internet and telecommunications, the Tennessee section of the route has become popularized by its motoring enthusiasts who share their experiences through social messaging boards and media outlets. This small stretch of around 11 miles starting at

just before the Tennessee state line in North Carolina, has been nicknamed Tail Of The Dragon.

References

External links

*
Endpoints of US highway 129
{{DEFAULTSORT:29-1 United States Numbered Highway System 1